Homebrew

Rivertown Environment

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Now for a change of pace I present, something different. A zine for the environments around Rivertown which is a central hub for the settlers in my Rivertown bound adventure series (part 1, part 2, part 3), Rivertown Environments. The idea is to still provide GMs and DMs more freedom to tinker with the adventure, how they want to run it to make it feel more free formed and flowing than the larger zines – although there is another one coming.

There are no references to other content other than what’s within the Zine itself and this week is Daggerheart specific. However, with all my adventures it wouldn’t be hard to tweak it to work for other Tabletop Systems.

So I hope you enjoy this weeks adventure, Rivertown Environments, and that all your rolls are made with hope.

Rivertown Environments

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Rivertown Environments – Created in Co-pilot

Rivertown

As you step through the heavy wooden gates of Rivertown, the dirt streets stretch ahead, worn smooth by carts and boots. The smell of fresh bread and smoked fish drifts from the nearby market square, where stalls bustle with chatter and the clink of trade. To one side, narrow lanes wind between timber houses, while further ahead the street dips toward the docks, where the creak of moored ships and the shouts of workers carry over the river breeze.

Rivertown Market

The Rivertown Market is the bustling heart of the settlement, centred on a stout timber hall run by an ageing gnome whose sharp tongue and sharper eye keep trade fair. Around it, uneven stalls offer baskets of berries, bundles of herbs, smoked fish, and rough-forged goods, their mingled scents of sweet fruit, salt, leather, and spice filling the air. The square hums with life. Merchants haggling, children darting underfoot, guards barking orders, and crates shifting with every new wagon that arrives from the docks or nearby wilds. Bright cloths hang in the sunlight, traders call out their wares, and the din of barter and banter mixes with distant gull cries, giving the market an untidy energy that feels at once rough, hopeful, and vital to Rivertown’s survival.

Rivertown Docks

The docks of Rivertown are never still. Little boats sit moored along the timbers, their hulls heavy with nets, barrels, and crates stacked neatly or haphazardly depending on the crew. The sharp scent of river water mingles with dried fish and damp rope. Dock guards stand with watchful eyes, spears in hand, their gaze sweeping over every cart and passenger that passes. Near the centre, the Dock Master, a broad-shouldered feline humanoid with striped fur like a tiger, directs workers with a booming voice and a flick of his tail, his presence enough to keep the traffic flowing. Two long piers stretch into the water, where a few patient folk fish with hand lines, content to sit among the bustle. Along the riverbank, children and the odd daring adult dart and shout in play, laughter cutting across the steady rhythm of dock labourers, who grit their teeth as the games scatter sand and splash water dangerously close to the stacked wares.

PDF adventure – Rivertown Environments

Daggerheart Environment – Rivertown EnvironmentDownload

This Daggerheart adventure was created using guidelines and information from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0 which is the copyright of DRP, Darrington Press, who are the creators of the system. This content was created, modified and/or inspired from content within the SRD and is licensed under the DRP Community Gaming License which can be found here: Darrington Press CGL.

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

Rivertown Bound – Part 3

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Now for a change of pace I present, in new format zine, River Bound – Part 3. The idea is to still provide GMs and DMs more freedom to tinker with the adventure, how they want to run it to make it feel more free formed and flowing than the larger zines – although there is another one coming.

There are no references to other content other than what’s within the Zine itself and this week is Daggerheart specific. However, with all my adventures it wouldn’t be hard to tweak it to work for other Tabletop Systems.

So I hope you enjoy this weeks adventure, River Bound – Part 3, and that all your rolls are made with hope.

Rivertown Bound – Part 3

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Rivertown Bound – Fortua Ruins – Created in ChatGPT

The adventurers make it at last into the ruins of Fortua, a place spoken of in whispers but never seen so closely until now. The forest canopy broke to reveal crumbling walls and shattered towers, their jagged stones rising from the undergrowth like the tombstones of a long-forgotten people. At the centre of it all, piercing the canopy itself, stood the spire, cracked and weathered, yet still defiantly tall. From the first steps inside, it was clear these ruins remembered their fall, and the air hung heavy with the weight of forgotten history.

The adventurers took their time, gathering themselves after the ordeal of the Wraith Woods. This was no safe place, but even here they sought a moment to breathe, to dry their boots, and to steady their resolve. In the silence of the ruins, their conversations revealed new insights. Tales of old battles, half-remembered maps, and beliefs about what the people of Fortua once stood for. Every adventurer that made it this far shared what they knew like weaving a tapestry to reflect the story of this fallen fortress, retelling its history together.

Exploring deeper, the ruins became a patchwork of discovery. Broken statues hinted at forgotten gods, murals etched in crumbling stone told fragments of war, and ivy-bound halls revealed relics half-buried in moss and dust. Each discovery felt like peeling back layers of a mystery, with the adventurers’ voices weaving Fortua’s story into something alive again. They found knowledge of Rivertown’s path, relics that might yet serve them, and glimpses of the world that was lost when Fortua fell.

But peace never lasts long. The silence fractured with the harsh sounds of horns and guttural calls, the signal of hunters entering the ruins. The marauders were closing in, their whistles and cries echoing between the broken walls like wolves on the hunt. Whether the party slipped into shadow or prepared to stand against them, the tension of being stalked through the ruins was palpable.

From the top of the spire, Rivertown finally came into view; distant yet certain, a beacon of hope after so much peril. The path forward lay clear at last, though reaching it would not be without risk. The hunters pressed closer with every heartbeat, forcing the adventurers into a desperate choice: flee before they were cornered, or draw their weapons and fight in the shadow of Fortua’s fall.

When the adventurers departed the ruins, they carried with them more than just a direction. They bore fragments of Fortua’s story, the weight of its memory, and the gnawing sense that they were being watched, not only by marauders, but perhaps by something older that still lingered within those stones. The road to Rivertown had revealed itself, but the shadows of Fortua clung to them like moss on forgotten stone.

PDF adventure -Rivertown Bound – Part 3

Daggerheart – Rivertown Bound part 3Download

This Daggerheart adventure was created using guidelines and information from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0 which is the copyright of DRP, Darrington Press, who are the creators of the system. This content was created and/or modified from content within the SRD and is licensed under the DRP Community Gaming License which can be found here: Darrington Press CGL.

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

The Familiar’s Favour

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Now for the next Zine of the year I present, in single page zine format, The Familiar’s Favour. 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 but it can easily use the adversary stat-blocks highlighted in Friday nights post if you’re running Daggerheart. 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 Familiar’s Favour, and that all your rolls are made with advantage.

The Familiar’s Favour

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The Familiar’s Favour – Created in ChatGPT

In the bustling market town of Ashford-on-Weir, where the arcane arts blend seamlessly with daily life, something has gone terribly wrong. Familiars and trained magical beasts; normally loyal and dependable, have begun to act strangely. Cats vanish only to return drenched in river water, owls deliver messages to the wrong people and stare at the moon in broad daylight, and draybeasts that haul goods refuse to move, lashing out at handlers before abruptly resuming their tasks. Whispers ripple through the streets as unease spreads, and soon the adventurers find themselves swept into a mystery far greater than they imagined.

Their first true encounter comes in the form of a raven named Sable. Burdened with a strange compulsion, it forces out broken words: “The Charm of Concord… stolen… trail fresh.” This talisman, they soon learn, binds master and familiar in harmony. Without it, the delicate magical balance between beast and mage begins to collapse. Drawn to the Eyeless Spire; the arcane heart of the city, the adventurers are brought before Aleris Quall, a half-elven clerk whose calm demeanour belies her deep worry. She confirms their suspicions: the Charm of Concord is gone, and her own apprentice, Yasil, vanished on his watch. Though suspicion falls squarely on him, Aleris admits something feels wrong. Yasil was no thief, yet the evidence points to betrayal.

Armed with a writ from the Spire, the adventurers begin their investigation. What they discover only deepens the mystery. Market beasts have run amok, their behaviour disturbingly purposeful rather than random. Entire flocks of ravens descend to snatch valuables in plain sight, while warding crystals, supposedly tamper-proof, lie shattered in courtyards where pawprints simply end as if the creatures disappeared into thin air. Rumours surface of Yasil walking calmly through the east gate with a fox at his side, one with three tails, its pale fur glowing faintly in the dawn light. Whatever has taken the Charm is no longer the work of a single apprentice. This is a theft carried out with precision, by creatures that should not be working together at all.

The trail leads to a forgotten courtyard, moss-clad and hushed, hidden between the looming Eyeless Spire and the old city wall. Here, among broken wards and a ruined reliquary, the truth is revealed. Familiars; creatures once thought bound to their masters’ wills, gather with uncanny coordination. A two-headed monkey clutches the Charm of Concord with delicate precision, while the pale fox and a murder of ravens guard its position with eerie purpose. Their eyes meet the adventurers’, not with animal instinct, but with intent. These creatures are no longer acting under human command; they are the orchestrators. The heist was theirs.

The implications are staggering. The magical bonds that have defined mage and familiar are breaking, or perhaps reshaping into something entirely new. Ashford-on-Weir teeters on the edge of chaos, for if familiars across the realm awaken to such independence, what role will their former masters play and who will hold the true power? The adventurers are faced not only with recovering the talisman but with confronting an unsettling truth: the creatures they once trusted as allies may no longer be willing to remain in that role.

What began as a simple theft is now a test of loyalty, a question of control, and a glimpse into a future where bonds of magic and trust may never be the same. The party must decide whether to reclaim the Charm, restore the old order, or risk allowing something altogether wilder and more dangerous to take root.

PDF adventure – The Familiar’s Favour

The Familiar’s FavourDownload

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

The Rioting Familiars

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Tonight the rioting familiars take the centre stage as they get ready to defend their right to life free from the yolk of oppression. Or something to that effect, not many people speak two-headed monkey.

So grab a coffee, some fruit or other snacks as we go into negotiations or combat in tonight’s encounter!

The Rioting Familiars

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The courtyard hung in uneasy silence, the weight of the moment pressing down as the adventurers stood before the assembled familiars. It was no accident, no trick of chance, the Charm of Concord glimmered faintly in the monkey’s grasp, its fractured bonds pulling beast and master alike into disarray. Yet here the familiars were, not fractured but united, eyes bright with a cunning far beyond mere obedience. The raven Sable croaked from a nearby wall, feathers slick with shadow, and in his call the others shifted as one, as though some silent command tied them together.

A choice now faced the party. They could draw steel and spells, prising the amulet back by force, but the united familiars moved with the certainty of those defending a cause rather than hoarding a prize. Or they could test a different path. Perhaps seeking to parley, to understand why creatures bound by magic had broken free and chosen to act in defiance of their masters. The air shimmered faintly, as though the Charm of Concord itself pulsed with anticipation. Every step, every word, would decide whether this forgotten courtyard became a battlefield or the birthplace of an unlikely accord with the rioting familiars.

For D&D Systems

D&D Statblock for Tailed Fox, Swarm of Ravens and Two headed Monkey – created in Tetra-cube.

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

Ashford-on-weir Courtyard

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Tonight we look at the scene of chaos in the Ashford-on-weir Courtyard where the party find the gang of familiars who have stolen the Charm of Concord.

So grab a coffee, maybe a few bladders of jugs of water, as we check out tonight’s map!

Ashford-on-weir Courtyard

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Ashford-on-weir Courtyard – Created in Inkarnate.

As the party enters the courtyard they are greeted a forgotten, quiet, moss-covered space nestled between the city’s stone wall and the Eyeless Spire’s looming façade. As they look in the cacophony of sounds stills and the air shifts. The midday suns glare warms the stone and makes the hidden courtyard, shattered fountain and shaded trees look very enticing. The little courtyard forgotten between walls and the houses of Ashford-on-weir lay still except for the smallest breeze that made the palms dance above and against the ten feet tall walls.

Tucked behind a glimmering golden statue of a coiled snake lay the ruined reliquary; its ward-crystals fractured and faint hums fading into uneasy silence.

Familiar cries echo from above, and suddenly the courtyard stirs. A murmuration of ravens circles overhead, wings slicing through pale light before settling on the charred edges of the reliquary and among shattered crystals. At first, the party suspects they’re dealing with a clever thieving gang that used the ravens, but this felt different.

Then the familiars reveal themselves. Not merely mindless minions, but agents of a singular purpose. A two-headed monkey swings in from a darkened corner, its fingers delicately wrapped around the Charm of Concord. Near it, the three-tailed fox; whose pale fur seems to glow even under the sun, stances protectively beside the amulet, snarling softly at any who draws near. A sleek owl, limp trays of parchment clutched in its talons, flutters into view, cooing gently as if urging calm.

The creatures’ eyes meet the party’s, and in that moment, the truth becomes chillingly clear: these familiars have orchestrated this heist. No panic flares as the party have strength, skill and size on their side but soon there is a tense, uncanny stillness, as if watching what the adventurers decide to do next. And its then that the party realise that there are more eyes on them than they originally thought.

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

Aleris and Sable

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The categorist Aleris and Sable, her Raven, are the caretakers of one of the many vaults in the eyeless spire and it was under their apprentices watch that the talisman went missing. But something feels off to the party.

So grab a coffee, some parchment for notes as we delve into tonight’s adventure!

Aleris and Sable

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Aleris and Sable – Created in WordPress.

The Eyeless Spire loomed above the rooftops like a silent windowless sentinel, which is where it got its name the eyeless spire. Its smooth black stone broken only by narrow slits where birds flew in and out of delivering packages and messages. The streets around it were quieter than the markets, but still alive with the hum of people, commerce and of course, the magical beasts that called this city home. The flicker of wards and telepathic communication was everywhere and for some in the party the sense was dizzying.

Inside the spire, the air carried the faint scent of parchment, candle wax and dust. The party were recognised quickly and were shown to a room on the seventh floor where Aleris Quall, clerk of the Eyeless Spire, was waiting for them and tapping her foot nervously. She was a slender half-elf with silver hair pulled neatly back, she wore deep blue robes that matched the ink stains on her fingers. Behind her desk, piles of scrolls and ledgers were stacked with impossible precision, yet a small tray of half-finished letters hinted at how quickly the day’s events had unsettled her.

‘You met Sable,’ she began, her voice calm but strained. The black raven was perched on the back of her chair, feathers puffed and eyes darting around the room. ‘He’s usually the most dependable creature I’ve ever worked with. Since last night, however…’ She trailed off, glancing at the bird, who tilted his head sharply as if to cut her off and daring her to go further.

Aleris leaned forward, lowering her voice. ‘You may suspect why I’ve asked for you to come here. The Charm of Concord has been stolen. It’s no mere ornament or trinket. Without it, the bonds between familiars, magical beasts and their masters weaken with each passing moon. You may have noticed it already that the beasts, magical and otherwise,’ she gestured at Sable, ‘are acting strange. The Charm of Concord’s missing that’s why the beasts in the city are behaving strangely. If it isn’t recovered quickly, the situation will worsen.’ she hesitated again before adding. ‘My apprentice Yasil, he was meant to be looking after it in the vault that we manage but he didn’t show up for handover this morning and I only found his leather satchel next to where the talisman was kept. Emphasis on was as it was missing when I found the bag.’

She explained that the talisman had been kept in the academy’s reliquary, protected by layers of wards and guarded by herself, Yasil and their familiars. Whoever took it bypassed those defences without leaving a trace. The theft, she was certain, had happened less than a day ago when she entrusted its safe keeping to Yasil. She slid a folded writ across the desk, marked with the seal of the Eyeless Spire. ‘This will give you the right to investigate. I can promise you payment and the gratitude of the academy… but above all, if this is not resolved soon, Ashford-on-Weir will not be safe for anyone mage or mundane.’

Before dismissing them, Aleris gave the names of others who might offer insight. Master Othran Vey, the proud and tight-lipped Headmaster of the academy, had been quick to insist the matter remain ‘internal.‘ Serra Greenwhistle, keeper of the city’s draybeasts, had been struggling with animals refusing to work and attacking their handlers. And a boy named Fennik, a nimble-fingered street urchin who haunted the alleyways near the market, had claimed to see “small shadows” moving together at night — though he was more likely to speak for a coin than for free. She also mentioned when Sable wasn’t listening, that she had requested the city guard find Yasil as so far, he was the suspect for the theft but something felt off about his disappearance.

Outside her office window, the sun was already beginning its descent towards the horizon, the streets below long in shadow. Somewhere in those streets, the trail of the Charm of Concord was growing colder.

Thanks for visiting tonight for another update for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back the last few nights this week to make sure that you don’t miss anything that happens with this adventure. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Where the River Watches

thebrazenwolfeLeave a comment

Now for the next Zine of the year I present, in single page zine format, Where the River Watches. 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 but it can easily use the adversary stat-blocks highlighted in Friday nights post if you’re running Daggerheart. 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, Where the River Watches, and that all your rolls are made with advantage.

Where the River Watches

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Where the River Watches – Created in copilot.

The Riverfall Harvest Festival began as it always had, with villagers gathering along the banks to paint lanterns with symbols of luck and abundance. The air was warm with autumn’s breath, and the sky bloomed with light as glowing orbs drifted upward like stars born of celebration. But this year, something went wrong. As the party stood beside Mayor Talia Reed and Elder Rinn, honoured guests for past deeds, a gasp rippled through the crowd. A sacred silver lantern, central to the ceremony, was struck mid-air by a blazing orb that tore across the sky like a falling star. It collided with a flash and plummeted into the river’s rapids, its light vanishing downstream. The festival ended not in joy but in silence. A search party scoured the river’s edge through the night, but by morning, the lantern was gone. Mayor Reed, pragmatic and concerned, summoned the adventurers again, this time with a promise of gold. Elder Rinn, heavy with old knowledge, warned that the lantern was no mere decoration. It carried a key bound to the river spirit itself, and if not recovered, the balance between tradition and nature could unravel.

Later, Elder Rinn stood over a recovered lantern, its frame still bound to the totem strings that had guided it home. His hands trembled as he traced its surface, revealing a silver feather that shimmered with moonlight. This relic, unlike the one lost to the river, held a feather rather than a key. Rinn explained that it was a tangible piece of the village’s pact with the river spirit, a bond outsiders could not fully grasp. Though the party had come to help, Rinn remained skeptical, warning that the river does not forget and that the fallen lantern was a sign of imbalance. As tensions rose, two children, Amal and Jessa, were seen eavesdropping before fleeing into the village. Mayor Reed revealed their tragic connection to the river, having lost their parents to its depths. She believed they still remembered, even if they could not understand the full truth. Rinn’s tone softened as he urged the party to recover the key before it fell into the wrong hands. The spirit, he warned, could restore what was lost, but at a terrible cost. Wishes twisted into shadows, and the river’s gifts came with a price. If the party truly wished to help, they must act not for reward but for the village’s survival.

At dawn, the party set out to investigate the lantern’s disappearance, beginning with Mayor Reed’s suggestion to find Amal and Jessa. Their search through Riverfall yielded nothing, and only after leaving the village did they encounter Jessa, battered and breathless, pointing silently toward the lake. She led them through treacherous terrain along the river, where villagers placed offerings into the water in solemn ritual. At the lake’s edge, Jessa collapsed from exhaustion but indicated a raft that had been dragged ashore. She gestured that something had gone wrong while she and Amal were on the lake. The party searched the area and found only one of Amal’s shoes, but just as they prepared to deliver the grim news, Amal emerged from the water, soaked and silent, holding a silver key wrapped in a reed. His voice was not his own, but something ancient and echoing. He repeated a chilling phrase about tribute and debt, and the river’s current began to reverse, flowing in the direction of his steps.

As Amal walked toward the village, nature itself seemed to recoil. Birds fell silent, a bear fled in fear, and the river followed him like a tide drawn to the moon. The party remembered Elder Rinn’s warning—the key was meant to seal a lock, not release it. When Amal entered Riverfall, the villagers froze. Rinn collapsed, pale and shaken, confirming what none dared speak. The river spirit had broken free and now walked among them. Word spread quickly as Amal wandered the outskirts of the village, the key clutched to his chest and moonlight glinting off his soaked clothes. The townsfolk began to fracture. Some whispered of sacrifices, others spoke of fleeing. And through the eyes of a lost boy, the river watched everything unfold.

Amal stood at the river’s edge, staring into its turbulent surface before turning to the party and his sister. He spoke only once, ‘The river awakes’, and the water fell silent. Moonlight shimmered across the surface like silver thread, and then the river bulged outward as if something immense stirred beneath. A low hum vibrated through the stones, resonating in the bones of those nearby like a primal warning. From the depths, a serpentine creature emerged, its snout rising ten feet above the surface, its body flowing like a living current. Scales shimmered in blues and silvers, casting shifting light across the riverbank. Its head was smooth and eyeless, reflecting the moonlight in swirling patterns, while glowing runes pulsed along its spine in rhythm with the night sky.

Water streamed from its form as it rose, towering above the party, cloaked in a sheen like sacred vestments. Mist curled from its breath, thick with the scent of stone and ancient offerings. The river followed its movements, drawn to it like a tide to the moon. In its presence, the world seemed to shrink, hushed beneath its gaze. It spoke not with words but with echoes and rumblings that filled the minds of nearby villagers, who began to repeat strange phrases. Amal echoed his earlier warning, but the message darkened. He spoke of tribute, of a debt to be paid in flesh and spirit, of the river’s hunger and freedom. It was not a threat but a promise, a force awakened by broken tradition. And as it loomed behind Amal, it watched the party, waiting.

PDF adventure – Where the River Watches

Where the River WatchesDownload

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

The River Spirit

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Tonight we greet the River Spirit, powerful, commanding and dangerous. This creature commands the waterways near and around Riverfall and always demands a price for what it gives – and today it’s demanding payment.

So grab a coffee, maybe a net…? as we meet the River spirit in tonight’s encounter!

The River Spirit

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The River Spirit – Created in Copilot.

As Amal stood by the river and stared at the raging surface he turned to look at the party and his sister, Jessa, before uttering a single sentence. ‘The river awakes.’ and with that the river went still.

Moonlight rippled across the surface like silver thread across a mirror, and without warning the water bulged outward as if something vast stirred beneath. A low hum vibrated through the stones underfoot, resonating in the bones of every onlooker like a primordial call to nature itself. A warning of something to come, a herald of doom.

Then it rose.

A serpentine mass breached the surface, easily ten feet at its snout, its body undulating like a living current. Scales shimmered with iridescent blues and silvers, each one catching the moonlight and refracting it in shifting patterns across the riverbank. Its head, elongated and eel-like, bore no eyes only a smooth, glistening surface where reflections danced like eddies and whirlpools that caught the light like the scales of a fish under the waves. Faint runes pulsed along its spine and side, glowing in rhythm with the moon overhead.

Water cascaded from its form as it coiled upward, towering above the party as a deep sheen of water covered its body like a sacred vestment. Its breath , if it needed to breathe, sent mist curling through the air, thick with the scent of wet stone and ancient offerings. Where it moved, the river followed, drawn to it like a tide to the moon. And in its presence, the world felt quieter, smaller, like nothing before it mattered under its gaze and within its coils.

Then it spoke, not in words, but in layered echoes an rumblings that filled the minds of several villagers who began to repeat the same incoherent phrases repeatedly. A voice like rushing water and cracking rocks that spoke of the forces of nature, the life force of the spirit itself. It was then that Amal began to recite what he had first said to the party, but as he continued it changed, now something darker and more foreboding.

‘It rises with the moon. It will claim its tribute and the debt be settled. A tithe to be paid to the river itself, one of flesh and spirit and the river will be free once again to carve through this land.’ It was not a threat but a promise. It did not plead but it was simply a force of nature, bound by ritual, awakened by broken tradition and hungry like the flood consuming land and souls before it.

And it was waiting as it gazed at the party from just behind Amal.

For D&D Systems

D&D Statblock for River Sprit – created in Tetra-cube.

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

Riverfall Crossing

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Tonight we have the encounter being set up around the Riverfall Crossing where we have something rather ancient and dangerous crawling out of the water. But that’s giving away something for tomorrow nights blog.

So grab a coffee, maybe an umbrella as we check out tonight’s map!

Riverfall Crossing

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Riverfall Crossing – Created in Inkarnate.

The village of Riverfall is split in two by the rapid river which will swiftly whisk away anything that falls within. The south of the river is where the fruit orchards grows with several buildings purpose built to house those that tend to them, or, to store the harvest from the trees.

To the north there are more buildings consisting of logs, mud and reeds that come from the river bank which house more of the villagers that make use of the rivers themselves.

Several large rocks are scattered in the river which are spaced close enough to hop across for the daring or foolish. However, they are slippery and many people have had to be rescued from the river after slipping on a slimy rock.

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

Elder Rinn

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The elder Rinn has concerns about the parties motivation to helping the village and especially when it was revealed that the river spirit is potentially involved. But despite his concerns the mayor enlists the parties help to recover the lantern and suggests talking to two orphans in the village to find out what they know.

So grab a coffee, maybe some food to go as we kick off into tonight’s adventure!

Elder Rinn

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The Elder Rinn stood over a silver lantern that they had managed to recover as they floated back down upon the strings that bound them to the totems that they were lashed to. As his weathered fingers trembling as he traced the remnants of the lantern while the other hand finished removing the woven reeds from around teh frame. ‘This was one of the sacred ones much like the one we lost to the river,’ he murmured, voice low and taut. ‘The other one held a key of sorts while this one held a feather.’ he said as he brought out a silver feather that seemed to shimmer with moonlight. ‘They are not just symbolic, but real relics of this villages past.’

He paused for some time as he sat down to watch the parties. ‘The key that was lost was bound to the river spirit itself. Not something that outsiders would know or care about’ The party exchanged uneasy glances. The party hadn’t known about the history of the ritual just that the festival itself was a highlight for many nearby villages and the people that called them home. Mayor Talia Reed stepped forward, her tone firm but sympathetic. ‘They didn’t mean harm, Rinn. They’re here to help.’

Rinn’s gaze lingered on the adventurers, his eyes like moss-covered stone, ancient and unmoving. ‘Help,’ he echoed, bitterly. ‘Outsiders always say that. But the river doesn’t forget. That lantern was part of the pact. Its fall is a warning to all those that take from it.’ Regardless how the party tried to explain the old druid was unconvinced until Rinn raised a hand to silence them. ‘If the spirit awakens fully, it may offer what fools crave most: restoration. But its power is not ours to wield.’ The tumbling of a pot from outside heralded eavesdroppers.

Two small figures darted away; bare feet slapping against the wooden board and mud that made up most of the walkways in the village. ‘Amal and Jessa’. The mayor sighed as he looked to the party. ‘They’re orphans,’ she said softly. ‘Lost their parents to the river two years ago. Jessa barely speaks. Amal… he’s not the same since he came back.’ Her voice faltered. ‘They listen because they remember. Even if they don’t understand.’

‘You must find the key before it’s claimed by something that doesn’t know the bargain that is demanded.’ Rinn’s expression shifted. Less suspicion now and more one filled with sorrow. ‘The river spirit can bring back the lost,’ he said, almost to himself. ‘But it doesn’t distinguish between soul and shadow and it always takes a price without asking. If the key is found by one who seeks only reunion, it may twist that wish into something else.’ He turned to the party. ‘If you indeed only do care to help us then you must find it before someone else does. Not for power. Not for glory. But to keep the balance.’

Mayor Reed nodded. ‘We’ll support you, and I know that you need to make a living as well.’ she said with a look at elder Rinn, ‘The villagers will too, once they see your intent.’ She looked toward the door where the children had fled. ‘Start with them. Jessa dreams in symbols. Amal… he’s drawn to the river. They may already be part of this.’

Outside, the moon hung low over Riverfall, casting silver light across the wheatfields and orchards that surrounded the river and its stones.

Thanks for visiting tonight for another update for this weeks adventure. Don’t forget to come back the last few nights this week to make sure that you don’t miss anything that happens with this adventure. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe