Depths of the Venom Tide

515SuDeVeTi

Through relentless rain and a tangled landscape, the party journeys to Starbrook, a village known for its fish trade but now burdened by a dark mystery. A wounded fisher, Sil, recounts an attack by an unseen creature lurking beneath the waters—one that has begun targeting people rather than prey. Urged by a desperate merchant named Rei, the group sets out to hunt the beast before the village’s fragile trade agreements crumble. As they navigate the dense forest, Sil leads them to the riverbank, where an unsettling discovery awaits: despite the downpour and the onset of the wet season, the water has receded unnaturally. Their search takes them upstream, where they uncover a crude dam, its makeshift structure forcing the river into an unnatural swell. Among tangled branches and broken rods, they spot movement beneath the surface—something resisting the current, something watching.

Determined to uncover the truth, Sil quickly takes action, hurling a weighted silken rope into the waters where the creature may be lurking. The moment it catches, she is nearly pulled under, the rope going taut as an unseen force drags with immense strength. The party rushes to her aid, engaging in a grueling struggle against an adversary that refuses to relent. When the tension suddenly snaps, sending them sprawling backward, they anticipate victory—only to find the branch they haul in stripped clean, its bark marred with unnatural markings. Then, a chilling realization dawns upon them as the surface of the water breaks, revealing two watchful eyes that gleam from the depths.

In an instant, the floodwaters erupt into chaos. Massive tentacles lash out, striking with terrifying speed, ensnaring logs, soil, and, worse, the unsuspecting adventurers. A beaked monstrosity, the scorch-venom octopus, emerges half-submerged, its gleaming gaze locked onto the party. One tentacle crushes a fallen tree, sending debris flying, while another coils around an adventurer, dragging them toward the swirling depths. Blades flash, arrows pierce the rain-soaked air, but the octopus fights with relentless cunning. Never fully revealing itself, it remains just below the surface, striking with calculated precision, forcing the group into retreat with every failed attempt to gain an advantage.

The battle rages as the party struggles against the monstrous creature. Its tentacles dart between rocks and fallen trees, searching for weakness, seizing moments of hesitation. Mud churns underfoot as the party fights against both the beast and the unforgiving terrain, their strength fading against its relentless force. It is not merely attacking—it is testing them, assessing their resistance. The river, once unnaturally subdued, now crashes forward as the octopus thrashes, disrupting the dam and sending waves spilling over the banks. Their hunt has become a desperate fight for survival, and as the waters rise, the creature refuses to retreat, forcing them toward a fateful confrontation.

With the village’s future hanging in the balance, the party must decide whether to stand their ground or flee the growing storm, knowing full well that the octopus will not abandon its hunt. The waters churn, the rain intensifies, and the beast’s piercing eyes never leave them. Whatever lurks beneath the depths has proven to be more than a mindless predator—it is something far more dangerous. And unless they act quickly, Starbrook’s waters may soon claim more victims.

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PDF adventure – Depths of the Venom Tide

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Under the Floorboards

514SuUnFl

A weary band of travelers arrives in Rimoi, a humble village known as a resting stop for adventurers. Little more than a collection of weathered houses, blacksmiths, and two rival taverns, the town seems ordinary—until the party stumbles into the Hooting Owl Tavern. Inside, the warm glow of a fire and the scent of roasting boar welcome them, but tensions hang in the air. The local guards storm out, their anger directed at the dwarven tavern keeper, Glenda. Over a meal, she explains her troubles: rats have infested her pantry, let in by starving children sneaking food. But the guards refused to help unless bribed, leaving Glenda trapped by her fear and haunted by the unexplained disappearance of the village’s orphaned urchins.

As the adventurers finish their meal, a young girl bursts into the tavern, panic in her wide eyes. Talley Rinden, too young to be surviving alone, flees into the street, prompting the party to chase her. The villagers sneer, calling her a “little rat” as they point the way. They catch her in a back alley, desperately trying to enter a locked door. Through tears, she reveals a chilling truth—her friends are missing. They vanished one by one after sneaking into the tavern’s pantry, unable to resist the call to investigate the eerie noises within. Too afraid to ask Glenda for help and certain the guards would imprison her, Talley has been left alone, terrified and desperate for answers.

Back at the tavern, Glenda’s kindness reassures the girl, but Talley can only sob one word—”Lost.” Then, a noise echoes from the depths of the pantry, something far larger than a rat. Glenda leaps onto a table, cleaver in hand, as the door swings open to reveal Rueben, her trusted assistant. But relief quickly turns to dread. His stiff movements, decaying flesh, and hollow stare betray something unnatural. He insists he will handle the rats himself, and in a chilling moment, Glenda’s expression goes vacant, accepting his words without question. Talley suddenly cries out—she has heard her friends’ voices coming from below. As Glenda hesitates, something grotesque stirs in the darkness.

Then, the stairs shake violently. From the shadows, monstrous, multi-legged horrors surge forth, scuttling toward them. Rueben’s voice, once soft, now drips with menace as he utters the terrifying truth—”The others grow tired of hiding. There is no escaping now, fools.” The party finds themselves trapped in a nightmare, faced with an ancient horror lurking beneath the tavern. To survive, they must uncover the truth, confront the unnatural terror that has ensnared the village, and rescue the missing children before Rimoi becomes nothing more than another forgotten town swallowed by darkness.

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PDF adventure – Under the floorboard

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Red Harvest

513SuReHa

The village of Ponkae, celebrated for its rich traditions and renowned delicacies, lay nestled beyond the rainforest’s damp roads. Along the way, the party witnessed villagers meticulously hunting Moon wave grubs, using hand-axes and reed-like tongs to extract the wriggling red creatures from decaying wood. Naya, a moss-cloaked guardian of the harvest, emerged to explain the importance of these grubs to Ponkae’s prosperity. Responding to an urgent call, she darted off, leaving the party to descend the grand steps into Ponkae’s vibrant valley.

Ponkae was a hive of activity, with farmers harvesting silken cocoons from jungle trees in the tiered valley alive with buzzing insects and running water. Amidst this bustling scene, an untouched patch of trees hung with black cloth provided an eerie contrast. The party marvelled at the colourful marketplace filled with silken wares, fragrant oils, strong beers, and tantalizing food, showcasing the rich traditions and craftsmanship that defined Ponkae.

A debate in the village’s amphitheatre revealed a pressing issue—Tamaya’s farm, left without a successor, threatened the harvest of silk and moon broth. As the villagers argued, Naya delivered startling news about blood-red, many-legged creatures stealing cocoons. The elder shared the legend of “red harvesters,” divine beings that appeared to reprimand the village’s greed. He tasked Naya and the scouts with tracking the creatures, forbidding harm, and allowed the travellers to assist in uncovering the truth.

Led by Naya, the party followed erratic tracks across farmland walls and ledges, eventually reaching a tree draped in black cloth where shredded bark and hollow silken cocoons suggested a violent encounter. The search took them to Tamaya’s abandoned house, where a burrowed hole and disarrayed interior revealed that the creatures had used it as a nest. Naya suspected the grubs had matured and emerged, emphasizing the urgency of unraveling their origins to safeguard Ponkae.

As the rain intensified, the party spotted claw marks around cocoon mounds, some salvaged by villagers, others successfully raided by the creatures. At the upper levels, a rare red cocoon fluttering in the breeze hinted at its extraordinary value, with Naya explaining its lucrative significance. Danger loomed as red creatures emerged from the woods, mandibles snapping and antennae twitching with menace, their intent clear—to guard the undisturbed cocoons as they confronted the party.

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The warriors surged forward, their oversized claws clicking as they charged. Their powerful mandibles opened and closed in anticipation for the fight to come. Claws tore into shields and grasped at weapons with brutal efficiency, each strike aiming to capture and slash while their strong jaws could crush and shatter limbs. The party fought desperately but the ants moved with unsettling coordination. One ant lunged, its claws locking around the human’s arm as its mandibles clamped down on blade, splintering the steel like it was dry wood. 

Above the fray, the queen loomed as she slowly descended. A massive creature whose sleek body reflected the dim light from the forest ominously. She clicked her mandibles, emitting a resonant sound that rallied the warriors to redirect their attacks to the adventurer that could pose the biggest threat. As she moved towards the front lines her stinger poised and glinted. The queen thrust it downward towards the party, narrowly missing but a spray of ichor saw the warriors disengage with their current prey and rush towards the doused target.

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PDF adventure – Red Harvest

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The Wakeless Sleep

512SuWaSl

The party arrived in Launghui, a coastal village famed for its plentiful fish harvests, but was met with an eerie silence and abandoned streets. Passing through the shark-jaw gate, they discovered shuttered homes and lifeless villagers lying in their beds, faintly breathing yet impervious to magic or aid. A teen girl named Sunraya stumbled along the road, sharing a chilling tale of a curse that had afflicted the village after the last catch. Alone in her wakefulness, Sunraya explained how a past offense to a witch had previously plunged the village into a similar slumber, only broken when the witch was appeased.

Despite their efforts to comfort Sunraya and unravel the mystery, the party uncovered unsettling signs of the curse’s grip. Sunraya’s refusal to eat the village’s tainted fish left her hungry but still conscious, while the rest of the villagers had fallen into a wakeless sleep after consuming the fish. After sharing a meager meal of fish from a nearby trap, Sunraya succumbed to sleep, her condition worsening as a faint magical presence enveloped her. With their only lead slipping away, the party placed Sunraya by her sleeping parents and stepped out into the fog-covered village, where they encountered a sea witch cloaked in seaweed and vengeance.

The sea witch declared her blood oath fulfilled, revealing her plot to poison the villagers through the very fish they loved, ensuring their downfall before awakening. Her sinister laughter echoed as she vowed to finish the task before the curse lifted, targeting the villagers for their past wrongdoings. Turning to the party, she recognized them as outsiders and attempted to charm them with her tragic tale of rejection and loss. Her words masked a thinly veiled threat as she advanced, the oppressive fog thickening around her. The witch’s form grew more menacing, her nails elongating into talon-like claws as she moved toward the adventurers with feral determination. The party was faced with the critical choice to act swiftly or risk becoming her next victims.

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PDF adventure – The Wakeless Sleep

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Blooming Shadows

511SuBlSh

The party arrived in Morrowell during the lively Festival of Botanica, a celebration of unique and healthy plants competing to be added to the druids’ prestigious gardens. Among the vibrant displays, one peculiar plant, owned by Colter Danier, drew both awe and suspicion due to its tropical appearance and rapid growth. Though cleared of cheating by the druids, Colter faced growing hostility, especially after the fiery Jiggo Greenthumb accused him of foul play and later mysteriously disappeared. Further investigations by the party revealed eerie drag marks leading to vanished villagers, with no traces of a struggle, deepening the mystery and unease in the village.

As night fell, the true threat emerged—the carnivorous plants infesting the village with their questing vines, spreading a sweet, intoxicating aroma and golden pollen. At the heart was Colter’s towering plant, now fully bloomed and surrounded by smaller, menacing blooms. The party fought bravely against the invasive flora, countering their powerful vines and overwhelming scent with teamwork and skill. In a decisive blow, they severed the main vine of Colter’s plant, causing the sinister infestation to wither. Though victorious, the party was left to reflect on the near-disaster that could have overtaken the village.

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PDF adventure – Blooming Shadows

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