The Curse of the Flying Owlbear

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Rumour’s have flown around for many years about the pirate ship known as the Flying Owlbear. For many years the ship and its crew raided the southern coasts, no merchant vessel was safe from the pirate crew. However the stories didn’t finish there. Stories started to pop up of their owlbear crested ship crashing across the land, its broadside cannons roaring as they fired across the hills, valleys and plains.

But then they stopped and a new story started to emerge. One of ghosts and a lost treasure that would make anyone as wealthy as a king. However the rumour also speaks of an inescapable curse for any who lay hands upon the treasure. A curse that binds them to the Ship, to the captain’s call where he lays eyes upon those found with his treasure.

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The village of Tarmak

While not a bustling, joyous place it is filled with merriment and laughter regardless of the hardworking people of Tarmak. The food is hearty and the drinks are locally brewed, and thus quite potent. There is always someone there with a tale of something odd, something remarkable but most of them are bluffs from tired, old men. Most of them are. In fact there are a few stories that many can attest to being real, strange shapes, foul omens, foreign and odd marks in the land. The village of Tarmak is beset by the odd and weird and it’s been that way for dozens of years

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The Iron Crustacean

A few people start to laugh loudly as one man swears the truth to his tale. “I swear it’s the truth! He calls. We all know that the Owlbears crew were rumoured to be bloodthirsty, cutthroats who loved nothing more than pillaging and killing. But despite all this there are few who were there because they felt obliged and none more so than the father of the Captain of the ship.

He was disheartened by his son’s actions after a rather bloodthirsty skirmish with a merchant vessel that broke family bonds. Shocked by his son’s behaviour he faked his death by falling overboard and secretly made his way to shore. There he blended in with society and became a farmer. Some say he even lives in Tarmak!” he called again, this time the entire tavern roared with laughter, all but one.

The man then continued “When the news of the ship and its crew’s demise came to the father he was both relieved and distraught. Despite the repulsion he felt for the unwarranted violence he still adored his boy and the thought of him never reconciling and making peace with the pirate lord shocked him. This eventually shattered his sanity and he began to see ghostly visitations of his son, hearing the ghostly cannon fire of the Flying Owlbear and even seeing his son walking through the streets, searching for something.” The man finished his tale and the room was silent.

“You hear that old Bryce! Tom is almost as mad as you are!” one of the men bellowed before another chorus of laughter rang out. 

“What he says is true! The Flying Owlbear still haunts the sea and the land!” Bryce called out to another cacophony of laughter”

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PDF adventure – The Curse of the Flying Owlbear

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Risk it all for Research

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The Orruks gathered around the hills and rocky formations. Calling out to the Gork and Mork in their frenzied battle cries they feasted on the beasts they had hunted during the day. Despite the festivities and the humans that had camped nearby they held back from a fight as the cunning shamans had a plan, one most cunning.

The humans relied on their scouts to tell them the lay of the land, but the sudden appearance of Kruleboyz and the shamans that they brought with them gave them pause to think. And think they did. As the Kruleboyz pet sloggoths dragged the gargantuan bow to the peak of a hill they waited and continued to rally, gathering in force until their waaagh couldn’t sustain itself. Despite their frenzy they still managed to contain their urge to fight. Soon the trap would be sprung and then the humans would be ripe for the slaughter and the boyz would be ready.

The sloggoth placed the large crossbow on the hill and the lanky kruleboyz orruks strode up to its side. Placing a large cruel hand on its flank the sloggoth moved away to cower elsewhere as the boss looked at the fine machine. Bolts as large as a ship’s mast were brought up by hobgrots. These bolts were large enough to take down even stardrakes or their lesser kin the draconith, but their target was something else.

Rumours of flying wizards and the cursed soulbound had come to them through a source. This bow would be trained on the skies waiting for the elite warriors and leaders of the forces of order to rally forth, then it would be too late to turn back.

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The Dawn-Keeper

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PDF adventure – Risk it all for Research

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The Giant of Taloncrest

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After a long time on the road the party are relieved to not be travelling for another week. The City of Wurbek lays south west of the Taloncrest mountains, home to some of the oldest monuments this side of the great divide. However no human, elf or dwarf has ever seen their ancestors’ craftsmanship as they are fiercely guarded by the warrior-tribe of Aarakocra that guard the peaks from all threats. 

This uneasy peace with Taloncrest and the southern villages only exists as, embarrassingly, there is no finer warrior in the southlands as the Aarakocra. With them guarding the mountains and their passes the cities and towns live in peace.

However, the Aarakocra seem to be laxing in their watch as some of the towns south of the mountain range have come under attack of goblinkin and a rumours of a monstrous shadow amongst them, bellowing our war cries and stoking the fires of war spread through the cities population. 

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The City of Wurbek

A mercantile capital of the southlands, heavily fortified and defended, it is seen as a neutral citadel and beacon for humanity. However the acceptance of all races is only skin deep and there broils a hate of uncommon races here. Elves, Dwarves and even Halflings are barely tolerated let alone Gnomes, half-breeds and even more miscellaneous races may find it hard to come across good, honest and fair trade in the city known as Wurbek.

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Taloncrest Cavern

The Taloncrest mountains shares its name with Aarakocra city that’s been built into its rocky formation. A large series of wide caves and extremely well lit caverns house the Avian race who call these mountains home. Each entrance serves as a way deeper into the city and is guarded by ferocious beasts and warriors. 

A large deposit of crystal lies at the centre of each cavern, hoisted into the ceiling and fixed there so that when the sun hits the mountain a complex series of mirrors of fine polished metals reflects the light into the many crystal lit caverns. The crystal itself isn’t rare but its size and craftsmanship is something of wonder.

PDF adventure – The Giant of Taloncrest

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The Prince of Pine Ridge

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The growing town of Pine Ridge has finally begun to find its feet. With help from the village Elder, a monster hunter from years ago, and a wealthy landowner they have a plan to attract fresh blood to the village and to see it truly prosper. However, their plan is doomed to fail. A jealous, aggressive young prince has claimed the lands around Pine Ridge as his own. 

He sends his servants and vassals to steal the livestock, burn the farms and drive the villagers out of their own homes. If they won’t be persuaded to move they are to be killed.

To make matters worse there are rumours of a shadow in the peaks, one that has a taste for flesh and a hunger for gold.

PDF adventure – The Prince of Pine Ridge

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The Mystery of Crelion Manor

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Crelion manor was a splendid building overseen by the Crelion family. Lord Crelion however was extremely lonely after the death of his childhood love and wanted someone to share the empty halls with. 

However, as time went on his loneliness disappeared with the arrival of his lady and they were soon wed. But on the night of their wedding a terrifying storm struck the manor. So terrible and ferocious the people that lived there died and the bodies of the Lord and Lady of the Manor were never found. 

Years later and the Manor has new owners who rent out rooms as a half-way inn between two large cities. But those who travel the roads are often preyed upon by terrifying creatures and flash storms that have fuelled the rumours of the manor being under a curse. 

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PDF adventure – The Mystery of Crelion Manor

The Curse of the Dark Woods

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The Dark Woods are no darker than the average woods. They are however a thick patch of forest that has resisted man’s desire to cultivate the land nearby for centuries which has led to the belief that they are guarded by a dark spirit. 

Beyond recent memory it was rumoured that men had once built citadels and temples to gods of progress and agriculture within the forest. But within a few years the population plummeted and these cities were lost to the woods, rumoured to have been destroyed by the forest itself.

The forest is also thought to be more than it seems. Over the course of many men’s lives they have recorded that the forest doesn’t grow. There is no expansion of trees past a point, no new saplings encroaching on the lands of men and the farms, roads and villages that line the edge of the forest are safe from the dark curse of the trees.

But this has lead the the forest being a ideal place for bandits and those with ill intentions to lie in wait for those unsuspecting of anyone ignoring the tales of these woods. Sooner or later the tales will be found out to be true but until then there is always a risk of danger or death when you travel near the dark woods.

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PDF adventure – The Curse of the Dark Woods