A special edition update tonight with the revelation of Garbell the Huntmaster – commander and master of the mastiff pack that has the party set in its sights. With his pack of Mastiff’s, including the giant one, no one will be safe from his spear.
So get an idea of what lays in wait with Garbell and his hounds with tonight’s bonus encounter!
Garbell the Huntmaster
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While the hounds of the Huntmaster have animal cunning there isn’t much that can outrun or outmanoeuvre the pack when Garbell command them. Ruthless to a point the only thing that can reason with Garbell the huntmaster is gold, cold hard and unreasoning coins. While Garbell is on the job he works efficiently with very little wasted movement or effort.
Generally employing his largest mastiff to attack from the front and to scare the party into focusing on what they believe is the biggest threat the smaller mastiffs will approach from the sides looking to attack from the quarries blind-spots, dragging them down while he closes in to finish the job.
Thanks for visiting tonight for the last update for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the end of week zine which will be a big one. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Welcome to another fight-night Friday where tonight we are meeting, unfortunately, the hunting pack that has been sent after the party. While not alone creatures work well with their master and each other as an efficient and lethal unit. Well that’s what the party will find out shortly.
So roll in some mud, mask your scent as we’ll need everything we can get to survive tonight’s encounter!
The Giant Mastiff is a rare and ferocious beast. Normally used to defend herds from bears of the regular, giant and owl-bear variety these creatures can go toe-to-toe with many of the worlds nastiest creatures and punch well above their weight. When hunting as a pact with its pack-mates and with a skilled master to guide it there is very little that these creatures can’t do.
While the larger giant mastiff may have size going for it there is little that escapes the senses of a well trained mastiff. Strong, loyal and brave these creatures will do as they are directed by their alpha or by their master and will track, hunt and take down creatures must larger than they are.
Thanks for visiting tonight for another set of updates for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back over the weekend for more updates and lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Tonight map-night focused on a small section of Wolfhall land, Wolfcreek Crossover. This river cuts a mighty path through the land and eventually feeds into a larger river that feeds Wolfhall on the irrigation it provides to the farmers. But this week it provides cover, it provides water and it can provide a way to break the scent from the hunting party that is behind them
So grab your boots as we may get a bit wet around the knees in tonight’s map!
Plenty of trees provide cover for people moving across the land near Wolfcreek Crossing as the party move to cross the river and try to lose the hunters that have been following them. The other reason for travelling through this part of the woods is the standing stones that lay half buried throughout the area. These stones are known to interrupt with the flow of magic and could provide some much needed respite for the party from those who use the divination wards to spy on them.
A fun map tonight bringing out the layering (digging?) tool again to create most of the map as foreground and the river as a background. Giving a natural riverbank helps create depth that I believe is harder to do with the other art assets and textures.
There are a few textures at work here including the dirt one that helped to bury the rocks throughout the mission. This technique I use sparingly as it can make the assets look really dirty if you use it too often. Trees provide cover and the Rune Stones add a bit of character to this map. A small gully was made from the rocky hills asset that can provide an interesting opportunity for combat or a place to hide in.
Thanks for joining for another map night this week. Don’t forget that we have a few more nights left this week so make sure to come back each day to see what I add to this adventure. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
To we have a revelation of what’s happening, a hidden spy and a deserter of the Gift. How the party will respond to the information gained from knowledge shared by the deserter will be up to them but if they want to get paid then they need to deliver the gift.
So as we prepare for another night of watching over the wagon make sure to keep your eyes peeled in tonight’s adventure!
Deserter of the Gift
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Deserter of the Gift – created in WordPress.
Night had fallen without incident, the first time since leaving the Wolfgard. As the group had suffered some casualties and injuries in most recent encounter with a mage who practiced necromancy. As such the party had been nominated to watch the wagon over the night. The attempts had become less frequent as the days went on and despite the attack at the town where they were meant to pick up the draft horses – which resulted in the fresh horses being killed – there had been no more attacks during the night.
This was probably due to Captain Argent taking an alternative route off the main road which meant that only truly experienced hunters and trackers would find them. As the crackle from the small fired cast a flickering light across the crew that remained with them the party noticed an empty space where a bedroll was earlier that night. Investigating they soon found one of the guards, Buhfed, trying to sneak out using one of the small tents as a block.
Stopping him he sighed, dropped his sack filled with a few days of supplies and turned around. His face was one of exhaustion but not shame or guilt. ‘I kinda expected you would catch me. I just wont play the royals game any more no matter the bonus they were payin’ me to make sure it played out.’ he looked in the direction of the wagon but it was out of the line of sight.
‘The king is the one who put out the bounty on the wagon. The spells on it to protect the contents? Pah! they are spells so the king and his spoilt brats can watch the fighting that we have to do to get it there on time. I was promised a captains job, comfortable with a small team to guard the halls in the palace – nothing happens in there. But I didn’t sign up to fight the undead or necromancers. We lost too many men, I didn’t sign up for this.’ he added, his lips trembling.
As he returned to the fire and spoke in a hushed voice that he was sure the spells would not be able to detect he told the party of what the plan was. Men, monsters, fiends of the gutters would fight tooth and nail for a chance to get the bounty on the wagon. The king would pay it too as his gift wasn’t something in the wagon – it was watching what happened outside of it as the party moved it across the land.
Since Edward and Anna had changed course he would up the ante, leak information as to where they were and it would get worse on their final day of travel and Buhfed wouldn’t have the blood of more people on his conscious. The bounty was only if the wagon was opened before it made it to the city and so if they still wanted the payout from the king – and to keep their reputations in tact they had to get it there fast.
The question was now, how? If what they had faced was just those who were unskilled what would happen if a group who was skilled caught up to them. The party needed a plan, they needed to let Anna and Edward Argent know.
Thanks for dropping by for another night at my tabletop. Don’t forget as we passed the midway point we have maps and monsters, well creature stat blocks left for this week. So make sure you don’t forget to come back the last few remaining days this week to stay up to date with what’s happening at my tabletop. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Tonight we get a bit more information and insight into the adventure with A Guards Revelation potentially changing the parties view of the job itself. But that’s not just all as the threats keep coming and an end is not in sight with tonight’s adventure.
So sneak in a short rest when you can as we face more than just honesty in tonight’s adventure!
A Guards Revelation
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‘I didn’t think the head guard liked me that much to be honest.’ The guard mentioned as he chewed on some hard rations – his hands still covered in grit from the fight earlier. ‘You see this job is kinda make or break for me. I was told if I perform well then my previous failures would be overlooked and I can return to the job that I was aiming for – stable guard. It’s a good job and you get to work with magnificent horses!’. The guards name was Ymerman, a guard that worked at the palace in Wolfhall.
He had told the party that he had failed in guarding the stables that led to a prized foal being stolen. The punishment saw him demoted and sent to patrolling the worst of the districts. However, he was hand picked to guard the wagon that was carrying the royals gift and he showed more zeal than others in completing this test. With the promise of his old post back and a pardon they could not blame him.
What the party found odd was that all the guards from the palace had similar stories. Failed or found lacking in some aspect of their job and were given another chance to prove themselves in guarding the wagon. What made matters worse is that those attempting to get into the wagon had grown more violent and vicious since leaving the city with one guard being severely injured and a mercenary losing a limb when they were ambushed by a street gang near the market district. Ignoring the fact that the guards that patrolled the market also joined in the defence of the wagon these people, men and women, were desperate to get into the wagon. That was within the city walls of Wolfgard.
Now on the road to Wolfhall officially they thought the attacks would lessen – in fact they got more vicious. Traps set in the middle of the road, ambushes from the wagons that passed them by and a constant feeling of being watched haunted them at every moment. They had barely time to rest before they were moving again for fear of being found not moving at pace.
The leader of the company, Captain Edward Argent and his second in command, Anna, were a lethal and effective unit. Both of them had done this work for many years now and worked together like a well oiled machine.
Captain Argent had organised fresh horses to greet them at the next town – hopefully that would see them able to get to the city early and complete the job without being ripped to shreds.
Thanks for dropping in for another night at my tabletop. Don’t forget that the next few nights will expand the adventure further with tomorrow night revealing some pretty big ones. And so don’t forget to come back each night this week so you don’t miss anything this week and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Another year has come around since I did the A Royal Request adventure last year to celebrate the Birthday week for both my kids and this year we have another Birthday Request. This time we have a special birthday present to be delivered, a devious plan and some very underhanded tactics are involved to ensure that its the best gift ever.
So buckle up as this weeks going to be particularly bumpy with tonight’s adventure!
When the King of Wolfberg organised his gift to his two children born in the same calendar week it always had to be the best and unique. The party had been requested by the head of a guild to escort the magically sealed wagon from the City of Wolfgard to the capital Wolfhall where the king would present its contents to his children as a gift.
The wagon had costly divination spells cast upon it as well as several enchantments to make sure that it would arrive in one piece – the only part he couldn’t ensure was that the driver or their guards – and that’s where the party came into it. However, the gift itself isn’t what it seems, the spells while of the same school are very different to what would be expected and the road ahead? Catastrophically hazardous.
Birthday Request
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Birthday Request – Created in WordPress.
The party looked around the warehouse they had gathered in with the others that had been selected for this job. Several guards from Wolfhall, the royal capital of the kingdom stood around and discussed the job with a mixture of hope and anxious energy. Many of them saw this as an opportunity for redemption or an opportunity for promotion through the ranks. The job was pretty simple really; escort the kings wagon from Wolfgard to Wolfhall and don’t let anyone stop it from reaching the capital.
The pay was substantially more than other escort or delivery missions they had done in the past but there was a significant amount remaining that would be paid out once the spells and wards that had been placed upon the wagon had been examined by the kings wizard. The contents of the wagon were unknown but it was a gift to the kings son and daughter for their birthday about a week from now.
The wagon itself was sturdy with strong axles, spare wheels and large draft horses to carry it the distance. It was of fine dwarven make with evidence of gnomish tinkering along the entirety of the vehicle. Magic buzzed across it in a mixture of enchantment, divination and something else. It was powerful enough that only the king could afford it but some of the spells themselves seemed distorted, unfamiliar in some ways.
As the party gathered around the job leader, a captain of the guild of transport they listened to a the job briefing again.
‘So now that you know, for the stragglers that joined us late, what we are dealing with here there is something else that came to our knowledge through our information network this morning. There is a counter bounty on this job that is quite a sum for anyone who can retrieve the contents of the wagon.’ Several guards, whether mercenaries or royal exchanged nervous glances before the man continued. ‘I anticipate that we will encounter resistance and even outright hostility along our travels so we will need to move fast. A large amount of the pay for this job is tied up on the wagon arriving intact and on time so let’s make this a smooth, fast and flawless job. Do you hear me?!’ he roared at the end to a chorus of agreement from the others.
He could not be further from the truth.
The first signs of danger happened before they even left the warehouse with someone dressed as a guard trying to get into the magicked wagon itself. The party had stopped them, as their role was to stick to the wagon like glue for the trip, and the would-be thief failed to live up to the investigation from the party and was captured and sent on the way. However, the thief did mention something of interest – the reward was twice what they were being paid to deliver the wagon.
Thanks for stopping in a very special adventure this week that surrounds the perfect gift for a fathers little princess and prince. Don’t forget that each day this week we will expand this adventure further so make sure to stop in daily to stay up to date. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Now for the next Zine of the year I present, in single page zine format, The Arcane Vessel. I still believe that these provide DMs a lot more freedom to tinker with it how they want and open up the adventures to be more free formed and flowing than the larger booklet zines.
There is references to the blog nights which are D&D centric (regarding Friday night’s Stat-blocks) but this adventure can be used system agnostic more so than my regular Zines. 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 many of my D&D creatures.
So I hope you enjoy this weeks adventure, The Arcane Vessel, and that all your rolls are made with advantage.
The Arcane Vessel
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The Arcane Vessel – Created in WordPress.
The party’s quiet moment at the bar took a sudden turn when an unfamiliar coin caught their attention. A green-and-copper piece of unusual shape gleamed under the lantern light, drawing their focus in an almost unnatural way. Their trance was broken by the voice of a charismatic but sharp-eyed stranger, who questioned the coin’s origin. The party’s uncertain response only widened his grin, revealing that the artifact was no ordinary piece of currency—it matched one said to be locked away in the king’s vaults. And with the vault found emptied earlier that day, the coin’s presence in their possession had sealed their fate.
The atmosphere shifted as whispers spread through the inn, patrons quickly excusing themselves to avoid trouble. The bounty hunters made their intentions clear – they had no personal vendetta, only a mission to claim a reward. With their presence now unwelcome, the party was forced to make a difficult choice. Fighting would break the law and only raise their bounty, while leaving quietly meant walking into an uncertain fate. As they stepped onto the streets, they knew confrontation was inevitable. The only question was whether they wanted to win or simply survive.
Outside, the city murmured with unease. The bounty hunter Jet had escaped, but his pursuit was far from over. Rumors clung to the party like smoke, marking them as criminals despite their innocence. As they searched for answers, a lone figure watching them from a nearby alley caught their attention. Instinct drove them to follow, weaving through twisting paths until they arrived in a deserted courtyard. Their quarry, a wiry young man of wealth and cunning, confirmed their fears—they had been framed not for theft, but for possession of something far more valuable. He offered an uneasy alliance, warning that their time to act was limited.
Their pursuer revealed the truth. The king’s vault had never truly been robbed; instead, a noble had manipulated events to retrieve something the party unknowingly carried. A relic, a weapon, a key—their lives had never mattered, only the object they possessed. The bounty hunters were merely pawns sent to exhaust them until the item could be taken easily. The man offered them a choice—flee and survive, stay and be hunted, or work with him to expose the truth. The party hesitated. Trust was scarce, but rejecting this alliance could cost them everything.
Before they could decide, a boy rushed into the courtyard and handed them a note before vanishing into the night. Their new ally, Skall, studied the message with grim certainty – the noble had made their move, no longer needing the party or even Skall himself. To clear their names, they had to act fast. Slipping through the castle under the cover of distraction, they navigated its halls, hoping an anonymous warning sent to the king would be enough. But as they arrived at the vault, their worst fears solidified—the great doors lay open, guards unconscious on the floor, and the truth of what was taken waiting inside.
Thanks for joining me today for another adventure. Please feel free to leave comments if you like what you see when you grab a copy of the PDF. Next time you get a party together consider running this adventure and I hope that you enjoy it. Don’t forget to come back daily so you don’t miss a thing in the coming weeks adventures. And as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
This week I have had a total of Two D&D sessions in which Nyxara Cinderthorn is my PC for the campaign and Tonight I wanted to touch on how this adventure started with The Party of Six – Core Threat campaign.
The Party of Six – Core Threat
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The Party of Six – Core Threat – Created with a mix of Copilot AI and a lot of photoshop.
Nyxara, an elven sorceress guided by the cryptic whispers of the gods, ventured deep into an ancient dungeon, certain that her magic would protect her. Yet, fate had a different lesson to teach. The Weave abandoned her when she needed it most, exhaustion gripped her limbs, and a goblin’s wild strike shattered her staff, leaving her defenceless.
But the dungeon wasn’t the only force at work that day. Just as the goblins closed in for the kill, Sykel, a Goliath fighter of unparalleled strength, stormed into the chamber. His blade cut through the chaos, his sheer presence sending goblins scrambling in terror. With his intervention, Nyxara seized the moment to retreat, humbled but alive, determined to reclaim her lost power.
As they left the dungeon, they discovered an intriguing parallel – Sykel sought to uncover the origins of dungeon creation, believing they held ancient secrets, while Nyxara was convinced that the gods themselves had ties to their depths.
However, destiny wasn’t done meddling. A wrong turn led them into a dense forest where the trees shifted as if alive, twisting the pathways into a deceptive maze. Even Nyxara’s elven instincts were no match for the unnatural terrain.
Enter Marelynn, a Tiefling Ranger, who had spent days tracking the forest’s bizarre transformations, suspecting a link to the forgotten cataclysm that had shattered the world long ago. When she stumbled upon the lost duo, she not only guided them out but also found herself drawn to their quest – if the dungeons held echoes of a lost era, perhaps they held answers to nature’s unrest as well.
Their journey soon brought them to battle. A blue Dragonborn monk, Auren, was engaged in a fierce fight against a gang of bandits, desperately defending a collection of ancient tomes. Though skilled, she was outnumbered. Sykel crashed into the fight like a force of nature, scattering bandits, while Marelynn picked off retreating foes with her bow. Nyxara’s sorcery struck down a fleeing thief, and Auren, now backed by capable allies, unleashed a flurry of blows that left the remaining bandits sprawled unconscious.
Then, from seemingly nowhere, a voice floated into the aftermath – chill, melodic, and strangely profound. A man in flowing white robes approached, surveying the fallen bandits with a serene expression. “Whoa, dudes… rough vibes here.”
Chad, the human cleric, knelt beside the groaning bandits, murmuring about the cosmic balance and the universe’s need for kindness. He believed life was sacred – be it a warrior, a thief, or some dude who just made bad choices. With a lazy flick of his fingers, divine energy mended Nyxara’s broken staff.
When asked why he had wandered into the woods, he grinned, brushing dust from his robes. “Oh man, I was on, like, this totally righteous quest, y’know? Looking for the herbs that’ll bring me closer to my deity – like, divine enlightenment through nature and stuff.”
Marelynn and Nyxara exchanged amused glances but helped him gather his mystical herbs anyway. Despite his dreamy ramblings, Chad had a wisdom about him, an intuition that made people trust him – even if he smelled vaguely of incense and mystery.
With their newfound camaraderie, the five made their way back to town, sharing stories over a meal, the bonds between them solidifying.
Yet, their tale wasn’t quite finished. As they neared the city, an unseen presence lingered at their backs—a hooded wood elf, clad in a bird mask, trailing them with quiet intent. When they stopped, preparing for a confrontation, she merely tilted her head and spoke.
Missulena, Lena for short – had been watching them, searching for something unspoken. Though she realized they weren’t exactly what she had been looking for, she saw something in them—potential, purpose, power. “You people might just be onto something,” she mused, adjusting her mask. “And I’d rather be on the side of those shaping the world than watching from the shadows.”
And so, the Companionship of Six was formed – an unlikely collection of warriors, seekers, mystics, and wanderers, bound together by fate, curiosity, and just a little bit of cosmic luck.
Thanks for joining me today for a different change in pace. With the DMs and Parties Blessing I will add more to this in the future but a bit more of a creative spin on the content tonight with this one. Tomorrow it’s back to the normal schedule with the end of week Zine coming here. So don’t forget to come back for that and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Tonight we meet the lord deceiver – the person in charge of the plan to frame the party and get into royal vaults. But the party stand in the way of their plan and so the final hand needs to be revealed.
So get your popcorn out as we have a cinematic deception in tonight’s encounter!
The morale of tonight’s encounter is that while you shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth – if it offers you help to get to the kings vault you should question why before accepting it. The Lord spy is after power and will use what ever means, tools or people necessary to get what they want.
Able to blend in with the crowd through their extensive time spent in the royal court they know enough that they can away with nearly anything. And for what they can’t – well that’s where they mislead, deceive and ultimately select a scape-goat to step in and take the fall for their wrong doing.
Thanks for visiting tonight for another set of updates for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back over the weekend for more updates and lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Tonight map-night update is for Starkhaven Castle Vault – the players find themselves rushing to catch the real perpetrator red handed as they attempt to get into the vault – according to their informant Skall.
So brace yourself, find your best sneakers as we have to be a bit stealthy with tonight’s map!
As the alarm bell tolled the party moved through the halls of the castle just as their new ally, Skall, had said it would work. He had created a small fire in the stables – after the animals and people had been moved of course but the discussion was enough that they could slip through the castle to stop the person who set them up from getting what they were after. Thanks to the bounty on their head no one would take them seriously and even if they tried they would find out quickly enough that people would value the gold that’s on their head more than a hunch.
But an anonymous letter had been sent to the king by their ally warning of the attack and they hoped that it would not be too late. They passed by the barracks – which was empty as the guards had been called to deal with the fire and had made their way to the vault hall – according to a map they had acquired. Pushing through the last door two guards lay unconscious on the floor and the great vault door lay open on its hinges.
A decently long map this week with a few twists and turns in tonight’s adventure. A few different (and new) textures made up the backdrop for this weeks adventure for this internal castle map (as only castles would have this much space, surely. A few art assets really bring the vault and surrounding areas to life with adding context to the map.
Thanks for joining for another map night this week. Don’t forget that we have a few more nights left this week so make sure to come back each day to see what I add to this adventure. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 