The dark priest has been imbued by magic and power by its deity in order to fulfill the great task that has been set for it. In this case the breaking of a seal and the release of an evil upon the lands. However the price is rarely worth the power.
So let’s sit down, grab a coffee as we roll into tonight’s encounter!
The Dark Priest
439FrDaPr
The path of the moving trees was difficult to follow, but not impossible despite the forest itself seemed reluctant to let the parties thought. However the source of animation seemed to have moved on, or simply had its eye cast on another location.
Garet had handed them a scroll with exceedingly poor handwriting indicating that there was rumoured to be a shrine deeper in the forest to one of the “winged ones” that he had mentioned before. The party now followed the directions and a rough map to where they believed this shrine was located and they believed that they were on the right path.
As they pushed further into the forest as the sun fully disappeared and the moon pushed forward, its radiant glow illuminating the path for them. Soon the sound of a lone voice chanting and branches cracking came from head and a red glow appeared between trees contrasting against the white of the full moon. They could see it now, a large winged creature atop a tall statue bathed in red light.
From their position they could see four bound human figures wrapped in cloth at the base of a small ziggurat and a man chanted at the base of statue. Green eyes glowed on the statue as it stared at a moving bundle of cloth that called out for help, Synthia, as energy pulsated around the area turning the trees half red and half blue as the moon and unholy magic battled to claim the area.
The dark priest is a dangerous foe able to punish those to try to interrupt its duty with powerful magical backlash. Many of its spells require no concentration just a thought to summon into existence before it can continue to focus on the task at hand, summoning demons.
However the dark priest is not alone and its power over the forest shrine has given it some measurable power over the trees themselves. Those foolish enough to believe that the dark priest works alone will find branches slamming into their back before they know it, the animated trees unable to be distinguished from other trees in the forest.
Thanks for joining me tonight as we unravel a fun little encounter. I know that night time encounters are perhaps a little over-done but I just enjoy how they look and how well light can clash during the night. Don’t forget to come back over the weekend as we continue this adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
This week has two main encounters but only really one map, the Walking Forest Shrine, as the other one should be easy enough to describe. Although the map is coming tonight the description that ties in this this part, well that will be something a bit more and will come in the next few days.
So sit back, grab a coffee, and let’s explore tonight’s Map!
Dozens of ways to approach the series of raised stone blocks and steps before reaching the statue. The statue rests on a small stone ziggurat that is twenty feet tall with nine bundles wrapped in cloth on specially crafted sections. A large bat-winged creature sits at the centre of the raise platform with large emeralds for eyes which catch and reflect the light from the braziers that burn nearby.
The trees that surround the platform are large, ancient and twisted. Several types of trees call this forest home and it makes for a relatively sheltered approach towards the statue, if the trees can be trusted that is.
About five layers were used for the background today with a two new jungle-grass tones, a moss-green for highlights, two different shades of dirt blended in different ratios to give a worn effect. Three types of trees adds a depth to the map that I can appreciate as a forest typically wont consist of just one tree species.
The ziggurat is several wall sections combined and scaled down together to give variety of shape and purpose. The statue is purposefully larger for a reason, to be revealed later and other than that its the same technique with other asset stamps with colour modification, size and position tweaking a well as a night time filter to be put over the top.
Thanks for joining me for another map making night. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to finish off the week strong and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Tonight we see the next part in this adventure where the party now have to deal with Walking Trees. However its more than just some Brothers Grimm fairy tale come to life, this week evokes imagery that drew me into the world of RPGs to begin with.
So let’s sit down, grab a coffee and walk down the lane of nostalgia!
Walking Trees
439WeWaTr
The party were walking from the hermit, Garets, cottage when the sound of screaming reached their ears. Synthia was there in an instant as she looked around frantically. “Have you seen a little girl, about seven?” she asked the party immediately before the sound of shouts and screams came from the forest. Rushing towards the noise the party paused as they ran past buildings at the sight before them.
Large creatures made from trees were walking slowly back to the forest. One of them had a girl in a brown and green dress entangled in its vine-like fingers as it carried her towards the woods. Several villagers rushed at the creature with wood axe, scythe, spears and even a old sword in hand as they milled about the foot of one such creature. Six creatures towered above the villagers as they swatted at them, sending them flying or crunching into the dirt.
The brave militia quickly started to shrink backwards despite calling for aid to save the girl. “Millie!” Synthia called out as she raced forward towards the girl that was captured. The creatures moved surprisingly fast despite their large size and the way their feet, the trunk and roots of a tree, bonded with the soil when ever they stepped.
The party rushed forwards after Synthia but she had a head start and her fear and rage drove her faster. But before she could reach the little girl one of the towering tree creatures reached down and ensnared her in its grasp. As she was lifted screaming and flailing the creature followed the other into the treeline and deeper into the forest.
The party rushed forward but the trees themselves started to move, their trunks and roots shifting to allow the trees to move to form a wall of dense wood that was several trees which were each several feet deep. However the animated trees on this side of the barricade turned their attention to the buildings of the village and started to stride towards it.
“The trees walk once more! The winged ones approach and call the nine to the door, their home, where they will break free and rule the forest again!” called Garet as he hobbled towards the edge of the small field which separated the village and the trees. As he called out the trees stopped and looked towards the old man, pausing for a moment. Then with a sickening lurching motion the trees began to move towards the old man, the ground shuddering with each thunderous step as they moved to reach the hermit-come-lore keeper.
“They collect the tithe that was promised to them. The nine have been selected and now the deal has been brokered. Free from their binding the trees march for the elves once more, but this time for war. Sick of servitude their new masters, the winged ones, have promised their freedom!” called Garet as he brandished his oaken walking stick at the trees.
Thanks for joining me for another night of adventure expansion. Following on with this adventure there is one more part to come, a big one really, that will tie in the final piece in this puzzle. So don’t forget to come back over the next few days and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
There is sometimes no real difference between folk lore and falsehoods when it comes to stories about the local happenings or non-happenings. Tonight we look into such allegations of a mad hermit who is responsible for keeping the lore of the village. But when his mind is failing and the next generation is not ready to inherit the task there can only be trouble.
So let’s sit down, grab a coffee and let’s listen to some old-timey stories!
Garet shuffled across the dirt floor the hearth where a pot of water boiled. Using a worn wooden ladle he scooped out some water and poured it into a cup which had a sprinkling of leaves in it. Shuffling back, most of the boiling water ending up on the dirt, he handed the cup to the first in line for his hospitality.
“More tea…?” he asked looking to the others. The first cup looked to contain half an earth worm, a few pine needles and what appeared to be dog or cat hair; potentially even human beard hair. When the others gestured that they needed no tea he scooped out his own serving, sprinkling his own few leaves into it and sat down, gingerly, on a pile of furs near the hearth to stay warm. His thin frame looked tiny in comparison to the cloak of furs he held around his shoulders.
After sipping from the obviously too hot tea he smiled, nodded once as if satisfied with the brew before looking to the party. “The woods have ears did you know that?” he began. “When the elves first left the woods and headed south past the human lands they encountered the first settlers of this village. Back then the woods were said to come alive at the beck and call of the elves to build their houses and fight their enemies.” he paused to sip his scalding tea.
“But when the winged ones left the trees stopped. A Pity as I always wanted to talk to a tree.” he mused to himself.
Synthia walked into the room hastily putting down a basket that had dozens of root vegetables assorted in near piles. “Sorry Garet there was word that some hot shot adventurers had come to the village so I tried to find them.” she began before turning around and noticing the party. “Oh, I guess I found them. Hi I’m Synthia. I am Garet’s apprentice come household help.” she added with more than a bit of disdain.
“I am here to learn all I can from Garet so that he can retire while he still has some of his memories. I have started to try and write them down in books but,” she paused looking at the man who was scooping out the other half of the worm, “Some how I don’t think I’ll fill a book of actual history. All his stories he tells don’t make sense or are impossible.” she added with frustration.
“Synthia, dear girl. Did I tell you about the spell at the heart of the forest? The one that called the winged ones home and silenced the trees?” he added chewing still. “They say that nine are needed to bring back the trees but I don’t think we could find nine more winged ones. They all disappeared. Did I tell you about the time that a winged deer flew over my hut? It started to eat the thatching on my roof!” he continued looking visibly excited.
“See, wild stories.” Synthia added looking at them knowingly. “I do have some of the ones that made sense in this book if you want to take it and look over it. If there’s any questions I’m from Remale, the village one over. I will be here for a few more hours then leaving before dusk.”
Thanks for joining me tonight get to know Garet and Synthia. Taken from a few inspirations this week I hope to capture the essence of “all stories are based on a fact”. So don’t forget to come back daily this week so you can see how this adventure expands and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
This week we delve into the party being hired to investigate the reported whispers in the roots of Parsh Forest as the tensions of local villages and towns runs high. Something dark is mustering within the trees and the party are here to save the day, well night.
So let’s sit down, grab a coffee and torches and let’s investigate tonight’s adventure!
Something dark dwells within the Parsh Forest as reports of people going missing, cloaked figures disappearing in plain sight and hulking figures walking between the trunks of trees, watching those who dare travel through the roads. The local guard and militia are too scared to go into the forest due to the reports.
A call for aid has been issued for anyone brave enough to unravel what’s happening within the forest and to put a stop to it. But, there is more than mere sightings of strange creatures to contend with as the adventurers, nay heroes will soon discover.
The Parsh forest is a place that has fed and sustained the surrounding villagers for decades. However, lately only dark rumours and missing people have been coming out of the forest. As the party sat and listened to the rumours of the forest and what the villagers have seen at night the wilder the stories became.
“I saw it, I swears it. A creature with two heads as tall as a tree walked across the road in front of me. The horse screamed and before I could stop er’ she bolted past the creature and all the way here.” one merchant said between drawing on is pipe and filling the area with the pungent smoke. “I’ll tells you this for free. The forest is cursed. I’m planning on leaving, packing up shop and heading in the other direction.”
“My daughter went missing.” a woman broke her silence watching the man with disdain. “Gone. Her blue ribbon that she tied her hair up with was found snagged on a tree branch a few feet into the woods but that was the only sign the local hunters could find.” she said, emotion broiling just beneath the surface before she hurried herself away.
Seven children had been taken and one unlucky hunter hadn’t returned after searching the forest for his sister. The parents, grandparents or carers of the children had approached the party and described the children that had gone missing. No commonalities except they all lived in the forests near the woods. Boys, girls, young and older had all gone missing with the hunters having not found anything within the forest.
That was until the party asked the hunters who were getting more drunk as the night and conversations went on. “Go into the forest? You mad? You’ll die in there. That’s why I never,” one paused to hiccup, “I never went in. I just told them I did.” he blurted out. The other hunters near by gestured him to be quiet and shushed him but it was too late. All of them revealed that they were too scared to go deep into the forest for fear of their own lives.
There was one person that wasn’t present tonight, an old hermit who was rumoured to have elven blood in his veins. Older than many parents of those present he had kept a history of the forest and the villages but in his growing age his stories became more jumbled and the truth harder to separate from folk tales.
The whispers in the roots of Parsh forest call the party to action this week much like I call you back each night. Thanks for visiting tonight but don’t forget that this is just the beginning of the adventures ahead. Tomorrow I will be introducing the hermit and you wont want to forget what he has to tell the party. And finally, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
This week I continued with the creating a shortened Zine, something that fits on a single A4 sheet of paper with just enough information to set the scene, plot and hook with some NPCs sprinkled through that it could be used in any system.
I think its still working well so without any further waiting I present The Ember Games, in the short format, as a fun one-shot to assist GMs when they need a night out of the books whether you run Pathfinder, Open Legends RPG, D&D or any other RPG System.
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 Ember Games, and that your rolls are made with advantage.
The party had made their way to Mylos for the ember games, a multi-day contest where the noble houses of Mylos pit their best warriors against each other at the hopes of receiving the prize at the end of the vault, an unlimited wish.
At the Inn that they were staying at for the night, the Dusky Mule, the party entered in a game of chance with and by a stroke of luck they won prime seats to the Ember Games, near the front of the arena. The following day the chorus of celebration coming from the Arena reached their lodgings and they made their way to the arena for a full day of competition.
Thanks for joining me today for another Zine this year. This is a condensed version of the Zine, but I hope the format works and is good to look at! Please feel free to leave comments if this format is appealing – 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
Good evening all and welcome to the fifteenth 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 15 – continuing on from the 2023 adventure.
This is a continuation from Campaign adventure 14 as the party continues on their first mission as members of the investigation of the strange creatures in these lands.
2024 Campaign Adventure 15
Sa438CaE15
Plot:
Prisoners
The cages surrounding the party had several dead bodies laying within of various more monstrous or considered to be uncivil humanoids. Several gnolls watched the party nervously in a separate cage, a few kobolds a lone Goblin and three orcs, a small family including a youngling huddled together. A single goblin was suspicious of Kai and his party and offered a blessing to Grummish to Kai, the one eye’d god being a common deity for the green skin races of this world.
After a quick conversation the party believed that the creatures within the cage were captured by Mayor Tom and some of his men. The Orc family recounted how they were simply passing by the village with their clan when they were attacked and captured by the Fustmach soldiers. Once captured they were taken into a cage within the mines and there they were knocked out, eventually waking up in the cages below. Every week more of their kind were taken to the surface and they never returned.
Convinced of their innocence Kai picked the locks to the cage and set the captives free. Tater and Groku escorted the captives to the surface through the lift system they descended through. Armaeth began to search the refuse pile while the captives raised to the surface and uncovered something familiar. The same sigil that they had received from Gwen when they joined the cause; Fredrickson’s sigil.
However, one of the Gnolls thought that they deserved more room on the escape platform and tried to shove off the other races, but quick thinking saw Tater save the Kobold and goblin. However the gnoll fell to his death, splattering like a pancake beneath the cage.
Kai fearing the worst summoned a cushion of vines through the entangle spell to try and provide a slower descent if another creature was to fall. But while Tater and Groku convinced the rattled and shaken villagers of Fustmach to let the monstrous humanoids, the prisoners of Mayor Tom, flee the city without attacking them and, due to the gnolls savagery, it was best if they hid indoors for a period of time.
The lost one
While Tater and Groku handled with the release of the captives another creature caught Kais attention. Hiding both him and Armaeth hid and watched as a large, juvenile of the large bat they fought less than forty eight hours ago crept towards the corpse of the gnoll. However the stunted limbs and white fur labelled this as an albino, likely rejected by its family – but due to failed rolls it was not evident.
Kai’s wild goblin instincts kicked in and he, once more, stripped off with his one arm and slathered himself in gnoll guts and gore. The bat however was hungry and started to attempt to eat Kai, its fangs unable to piece the bracers that had melded with the goblins flesh. Kai sprung and failed to grapple the infant bat and it fled to hide amongst the brambles he had created earlier.
But Tater and Groku were on their way down and the light from the torches, as Groku definitely needed light in a place this dark. The bat startled by the light and blindly fled into Kai’s range. Tater took this as a threat to the goblin who was unresponsive to his warning cries and shot a bolt from his crossbow. Kai threw himself in the path of the missile and in his grapple of the bat managed to protect it from the crossbow bolt. Armaeth then flew up and exchanged frustrated words with Tater and Groku who understood that Kai was just trying to tame another wild creature.
After feeding the bat and calming both it, and the now-less-feral goblin down they discussed what was best for the bat. Returning it to its parents was the best plan and so they set forth deeper into the cavern, through the maze of stalagmites and their mirrored stalactites. Finding another creature, a larger juvenile bat they followed it into a passageway, a bore mark from something much larger much longer ago and they went deeper into the cave.
That was until Tater revealed that they hadn’t killed the mother bat, that it was assumed it died of its wounds and they had not seen it actually become deceased. Soon the path of the cave expanded and they could sense large tremors as the young bat they were following climbed the wall into a larger space beyond the passage. As Kai released the albino runt they watched with horror as the parent, a massive injured bat, rejected its young in front of them. As Kai darted forward a second presence, another adult bat was located as it watched the runt struggle to move on the ground.
As Kai reached the runt the large bat, much larger than the other one they had fought, watched him scoop up the young and waited for him to attack it, its partner or the other young. As the Goblin carried the rejected offspring the large bat retreated. But now the party had another, much more voracious mouth to feed and a long, long process of trying to domesticate a wild, feral creature. Perhaps the half-feral goblin was the best fit for the job.
Unexpected message
Entering into the village once more they retraced their steps back to The Fat Sow where John, the halfling establishment owner told Kai firmly that the bat was not to stay in in the inn and that he was to try the stables. After a brief and fruitless deception the party took the bat to the stables and ran into Dinkleberg, Greta and Hans who thanked them for saving Hans, and them, from the monsters and from Tom, who was the most monstrous of all.
After a brief discussion including a lecture about monstrous humanoids being just a person as any human or dwarf they left Batrick, the albino bat, with them to be healed and fed with some milk. In the mean time the bat would roost in the wagon until they could work out what to do with it. They then returned to The Fat Sow, ate, drank and rested before there was going to be a town meeting the next morning.
With sun rise they explored the town a bit more, Kai sending a raven to Gwen in Warrensdeep to provide an update on the mission progress. Once they returned to the inn they partook in the meeting and suggested that there may be others who are as guilty as Tom and that it couldn’t be him alone. After another lecture they went their separate ways, Kai on his inquisition to find the co-conspirators of mayor Tom while Tater went and used the Local Smiths forge to re-forge his fathers axe, which he broke, into a halberd. In exchange Tater was to work the forge and help with the other blacksmithing requests of Fustmach.
In Kais exploration he checked on Batrick and satisfied that it was doing as well as could be expected he continued his exploration. Deciding with Tater, Armaeth and Groku that they would keep vigil over Mayor Toms house that night to try and trap any other collaborators in the cannibalistic processes. However before he could prepare for this further Kai discovered a raven waiting for him at the wagon.
The raven had a message tied to its leg and as Kai took it and read he uncovered something shocking.
You found my message. I am safe but do not trust the order. There is a corruption within that needs to be cut out. Be in touch in the future, watch for the ravens.
Fredrickson appeared to not be dead but was in hiding.
Main NPCs:
Sidekicks
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, the final part of last-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
This week we have manticores galore with Samsone being a juvenile manticore and the larger creature, you guessed it, being a adult one. But something much more than just a normal adult one as you’ll see shortly.
So let’s sit down, grab a coffee as we roll into tonight’s encounter!
Manticores Galore
438FrMaGa
The juvenile manticore known as Samsone isn’t much of a fighter. Big enough to not be identified as anything other than a young manticore but not big enough for people to want to ride it. When threatened it will use its speedy flying speed to try and get away and failing that a quick volley of its tail spikes will see its pursuers retreating.
Then we have the big monster for the week, the Alpha Manticore. Not just a large manticore, oh no this is the biggest, strongest and oldest of their kind. So much that its scarred hide has become more resilient than it has any right being. Able to intimidate most creatures with a fearful roar and a wide range of attacks and legendary actions that will keep any hunters guessing.
Its well honed senses, particularly hearing and smell, enable it to hunt its preferred prey, sheep, to its hearts content.
Thanks for joining me tonight as we looked at two variants of the normal manticore. I can’t wait to send the alpha manticore at my party and watch them take a few steps back in a panic when it starts to fight more ferociously than what they were perhaps expecting. Don’t forget to come back this weekend as we continue this adventure and some other content and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Back to the maps this week and we have a rather quick one whipped up with the Farmer’s Barn. This week we have a, rather large something flying around above the barn that the party are currently in so, its likely that this will be where the encounter is!
So sit back, grab a coffee, and let’s explore tonight’s Map!
Two ways in and out of the barn, one overtly being the front door and the other leads to where the windmill is. There is plenty of dry hay within the building perfect for being lit on fire which could cause problems depending on what the creature is that is outside the building. Outside the barn several tree’s that could provide a small amount of cover but be warned. The creature that hunts them is an expert predator.
Three dead sheep lie in the grass outside of the barn at the edge of some of the trees, the ground under them torn up from talon, tail or claw. What ever the cause of this those sheep could be a distraction or, lure something nasty towards them.
Not super complex this week with only three or four layers to the ground texture, one more to highlight the scratches in the ground. Simply highlighting with some transparency constructed the barn and the fence was exceedingly simple.
Thanks for joining me for another map making night. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to finish off the week strong and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Not all creatures that are pets are cute and cuddly and Samsone is definitely one of those as we explore the mystery of Samsone’s Escape. It is not odd or rare for nobles to have exotic pets but I am sure that this youngster is something that hasn’t been seen near the courts before. However despite what he may look like he is, apparently, quite sweet and surely couldn’t be the source of the missing sheep or people.
So let’s grab a coffee, put on some rather thick gloves and let’s go wrangle this kitty!
Samsone’s Escape
438WeSaEs
The party had head towards the city after they had gathered as much information from the Blackmane’s estate as possible. They had not been travelling for more than an hour before they ran into a farmer herding his sheep away from the city.
“Hail travellers, spare me a moment if you would.” he called out as they approached. As they got near they noticed that several sheep had large injuries that resembled larger slashes and cuts than what they had seen at the Blackmane estate when investigating Samsone’s pen. “There is a beast out there that has a taste for sheep. They called me crazy when I claimed that my animals had started being taken by a monster but I’ve seen it. Large scaled wings, a long tail with a barb. I’ve heard the stories. It’s a wyvern for sure.” he said with conviction.
“They think me mad. No wyverns in these lands for years, centuries they had claimed. But look at my beauties. All of them had injuries to prove they been beset upon by a foul creature.” he continued. “So I’ve left. I’m taking my sheep left the old farm and I’m leaving. The guard wont save me, the kings men don’t believe me so it’s the only thing that’s left. The old mill will have to turn itself now.” he said as the sheep started to get away from him, slowly. “Farewell! and watch the skies!”
Sure enough the party came across a Mill with a farm attached. As they walked past one of the doors to the barn moved despite there being no wind. Approaching the barn they heard the sound of foot steps on hay and something hard like horns, or claws, scratching at the wood of the door. As they drew near the scratching stopped and rushed movements could be heard as something scurried behind the door.
Entering it was pretty hard to miss the creature that was currently attempting to push itself between haybales to hide. A baby manticore with what appeared to be a sky blue collar was trying its best to hide from the party. A large bronze emblem of a “S” hung from the collar as it jumped from bale to bale to try and create distance between itself and the party.
Samsone was a baby Manticore. Despite being only a youngster it was the size of a large dog with powerful muscles, a scorpion like tail and large bat-like wings. Small horns sprouted from its forehead and a thick mane of hair was already proudly on display. However as they pondered what to do about the creature it looked suddenly alarmed, looked towards the roof and dove deeper into the barn.
Thats when the party heard wingbeats of something large passing above the barn. Large powerful wings carried an unknown creature nearby as it circled the farm and barn. A reverberating growl pressed down upon them and dust rained down upon the barn as the creature neared and expressed its displeasure, or hunger. Perhaps the farmer was right, perhaps it was a wyvern that had taken his sheep and that left the question. Why did Anzia Blackmane have a baby manticore as a pet. And of course, what was the creature above them.
Thanks for joining me for another twist night. Tonight we revealed Samsone but not quite the true villain of this weeks adventure. So if you want to follow along more don’t forget to come back each night and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 