Brazen Wolfe Tabletop

Derja’s Shadow

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The party arrived in Miran after a long day of travel, drawn by the reputation of the Magus College. After settling in at the Little Bullette inn, they ventured through the crowded streets, weaving between busy merchants and wary pickpockets. The city pulsed with life, but also held an undercurrent of tension that grew stronger as they neared the College. Though famed for magical study, the institution resembled a sprawling library more than an academy, its towering halls sheltering knowledge as well as mystery. At the imposing darksteel gates, the bustle of the city faded, replaced by small groups of adventurers and watchful guards. It was clear that Miran had become a gathering point for those hunting answers, or hiding from danger.

Inside, the mood was heavier still. A tiefling mage and his companion, Sal, a battle-ready woman clad in chainmail, waited in line ahead of the party. After exchanging brief words, the tiefling departed down one hall in search of a book, leaving Sal chatting with the receptionist. Just minutes later, a cry of pain tore through the quiet, sending adventurers and guards racing toward the source. The party followed and found the tiefling’s body, lifeless, twisted unnaturally, and separated from his glowing dagger, which now flickered only halfway with fading magic. The guards arrived and began their questioning. Sal, shaken but composed, explained that she had only just separated from Tamiel. Yet the grim scene and anxious whispers confirmed a truth that weighed on all of them: something, or someone, was hunting mages in Miran.

When Sal regained her composure, she met with the party to explain Tamiel’s dagger and their purpose in the city. The blade, dimmed now, had been gifted by a nighthag and was said to hold protective enchantments. Tamiel had come to Miran determined to investigate the mage killings. Sal, skilled with steel, had intended to back him up. But while Tamiel searched for a particular book, Sal had been distracted, caught in conversation with the receptionist. Tamiel, proud and impatient, pressed on alone. He hated to be wrong and had rushed toward whatever clue he believed might solve the mystery. Sal blamed herself for not noticing sooner.

She described trying to reach Tamiel with their sending stones, but when there was no reply, panic had set in. She ran through dim corridors, where the magical light globes had shattered and shadows crowded the floor. It wasn’t until she reached the far side of the hallway that she saw Tamiel lying motionless. Sal stood with the party now, her sorrow clear in her voice and posture. Her tall frame and strong features made her seem unshakable, yet the pain in her eyes betrayed the weight of her loss. As they listened, Sal recalled a detail that struck her, how the shadows had seemed unnatural, heavy, and deliberate, almost watching her as she approached the body.

With Sal’s help, the party tracked down Jake, the receptionist, who hadn’t returned to work since the incident. Outside his modest quarters, they heard him muttering nervously to himself before he opened the door. Jake looked startled and embarrassed but quickly straightened up and invited them in. He confessed that the recent killings had frightened him and claimed he was simply taking time off to avoid being next. He asked them not to tell the College he had been skipping his duties and promised to share what little he knew about Tamiel’s request.

Jake explained that the mage deaths had spread through all corners of the city, from shadowy alleys and taverns to crowded marketplaces and now, even within the College itself. Tamiel, he said, had been researching the ruined City of Derja and had asked Jake where to find records on the place. That was the last time he saw Tamiel. Jake had no further information but did ask the party to pass on his apologies to Sal. Though shaken, Jake’s account gave the party a new lead and suggested the threat was growing closer and far more unpredictable.

The party returned to the College and retraced Tamiel’s final steps. In the dim section of the library, they discovered the book Tamiel had sought, The City of Derja. Inside its worn pages were journal entries by scholars who had explored the ruins. They told of a sealed vault hidden deep within Derja, not protected by magic, but by intricate mechanical locks. Dwarves and gnomes had worked to open it, revealing a chamber lined with dark metal that disrupted magical ability. Mages inside could no longer connect to the weave. Carved runes and aged murals told the story of a city once great, now destroyed by a whirlwind that tore through its people, buildings, and land.

Derja had been a centre of magical brilliance, rivalled only by high elven cities of old. Now it stood as a grave to magic itself. At the vault’s heart sat a large vase made from the same dark metal, its surface corroded and fractured over time. The final journal entries grew grim. After removing the artefact from the vault, those involved began to vanish. Mages reported being haunted by malevolent spirits. Eventually, many were found dead with their enchanted belongings lying lifeless beside them. The curse, it seemed, hunted those who carried Derja’s secrets and defied its silence. The scholars urged that the city be left untouched, its legacy protected, and its wrath feared.

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PDF adventure – Derja’s Shadow

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