Good evening all and I hope that you are finding the adventure intriguing as we continue following on the party (and real players) as they trek through the scene I set before them. This update is really to capture the sidekicks, Armaeth and Groku as statblocks to help the players keep track and records of these key NPCs*. So this follows on from 2023 Campaign adventure 5 update on the weekend so make sure you have looked at that.
2023 Campaign Adventure Update Sidekicks
The creation of the sidekick block was two fold, and not that hard as it used free resources. Tetra-cube, Nightcafe, Artbreeder and what ever image software you want to.
Referring to sidekicks in dnd5e.wikidot I picked the warrior for Groku and expert for Armaeth as the classes. looking at the guidance in the source books I based Groku of a Guard and Armaeth of a modified imp/sprite.
Using the Sidekick abilities gained at levels 1, 2 and 3 I created “abilities” and actions for the two sidekicks to help flesh out them to feel a bit more unique. I gave each of them something unique; Groku the variant human feat and langue proficiency, Armaeth the lore behind her poisoned weapons (and tweaked racial traits to make it more balanced than permanent invisibility).
Fleshing this out into “two columns” gave me the freedom and space to add in their portraits to help the players refer to their sidekicks easier and the rest is numbers.
The two end-state (for now) sidekick cards are below. I can also provide the tetra-cube data files for anyone who wishes to download the file and use it for their own sidekicks.
Hope this little project of mine to create sidekick cards has inspired you in some way! Don’t forget to stay tuned for the next part of this adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
This week finds the party trekking through the swamp trying to find the source the the undead attacks before its too late. Eventually, after some delays, they find their way to the Carrion Swamp Ruins. But let’s stop there before I get carried away. So sit back grab a coffee and let’s roll into this weeks adventure!
Recovering from their encounter with some of the natives of the swamps the party push through some dense brush to reveal pillars and walls of stone. An age ago the scale and size of these buildings would have been a sight to have seen however whatever calamity befell here left the city in ruins.
Vikira stood nearby. Her clothes mostly ruined rags and the confidence she had earlier now gone she gazed upon the city that her parents had wasted their fortune in finding. Everywhere she looked it appeared as if the jungled was trying to erase history itself as vines, trees and stagnant water covered as far as her eyes could see. But that wasn’t what her eyes were locked on.
Up ahead the figures of undead were shambling across the clearing and some even pulling themselves out of the swampy water in their search for… whatever undead search for. A strange hum could be felt pulsing through the loamy soil and occasionally the thrum would build into a pulse that caused ripples to form in the waters service. Something nearby, in the city, was thrumming with power.
The party looked onwards, fatigued as the trek through the swamp had taken longer than anticipated. Several undead, large swamp creatures, lizardfolk and some ancient humans that were skeletons now, shuffled forwards and towards the centre of the ruins. There was no doubt that that is where they would find the source of the undead.
Now that we are in the final stages of this part of the adventure we have… skipped forward a little bit. But don’t worry as this will be covered, you will just have to download the Zine when it comes out. So don’t forget to come back each day this week for more content and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Good evening all and welcome to the fifth day of adventuring that the party experienced today. Whilst not giving away the campaign, adventure or plot moving forward I will attempt to write up each adventure this year continuing with my 2023 campaign adventure 5.
This is a continuation from 2023 Campaign adventure 4 as that session was cut short and, it was a while ago.
2023 Campaign Adventure 5
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Plot:
Warrendeep – Part 2.5
After the rocky start of day one the adventurers, Kai and Tater, woke to find a still disgruntled tavern owner, Marie, cleaning a tankard. Approaching her she rolled her eyes at their request for breakfast but still got something cooking for them. “Steffani left earlier today, she was in a bit of a foul mood so it’s probably for the best that you don’t run into her today.” Marie offered that advice. “Gwen was looking for you though, you can find her in the back room.”
Gwen went on to explain that Frederick, a halfling scout from Team neldë, had not checked in for two weeks in a row and so was considered missing. But the last reports had the halfling heading towards Fustmach as there were rumours of people going missing for days before turning up again. The concerning part is that these people don’t remember going missing and are convinced that someone is playing a joke on them.
Gwen believes that Steffani’s interest and insistence on this mission being picked up quickly is something more than just investigating the reports. But she doesn’t know anything more and the party believed what she said. Gwen also mentioned that they would be joined by Groku who appears to have some bond with both Tater and Kai. She handed them sealed letters that detailed the information so they could refer back to them but also it contained a map where to find the town of Fustmach. Their mission was to find the missing scout if possible and to capture and return any abnormal creatures, dead or alive, if possible.
Fustmach was a small town that was originally a dwarven mining down high up in the mountains to the east. Whilst it doesn’t product what it used to it still does a decent trade with a few cities in the lower lands. Because of this the roads are better kept and better patrolled than others however, there is rumours of gnolls and such that stalk these roads.
Gwen also mentioned that Fredrick was an experienced military scout with a decorated history. He was referred to as extremely skilled and if he so desired it he would not be found. Before heading back to Marie to get breakfast Kai showed her the compass and explained what it was. She was interested and advised that a member of the atta team could probably create copies of the work. But she offered the advice of keeping it with them until they return in case they need it in their mission.
Returning to the main room of the tavern they were greeted to salted porridge, low quality but edible sausages, old toast and grilled mushrooms which were nearly ‘good’. After requesting breakfast ale, and disappointed to find out it was more water than ale, they met up with Groku who received her orders from Gwen and confirmed some information about Fustmach. They then were told it was about three days ride one way by horse and so they would need something to travel on.
The problem with merchants
Tater and Kai, with Groku in tow, head off towards the marketplace in search of someone who could sell them horses. After finding a nice vegetable saleswoman who gave them information and a sack of fresh, good vegetables. The older woman informed the that the stables sometimes sold beasts that had been dumped at their stables, abandoned for to long and well past the owners fee for keeping and maintaining them.
With information and vegetables in hand they head towards the stable to find Sam who was preparing to leave with his son and the urchin from yesterday. After discussing quickly what they would need Sam also mentioned the caravan that they had stashed in the abandoned village of Suncrest. He offered twice its value if they could return it to him and provided some advice on what types of animals would be required to haul it and how much weight they could carry.
As Sam left they noticed a girl looking at them from the window of the stables, where people store their animals and where they may find potential beasts to carry them on their journey. Entering they were greeted by many animals on two levels as well as a young stable hand, Fiona, who admitted to having a crush on Sam. After a brief discussion a deal was nearly struck for a excellent quality young grey riding stallion, a good quality Mule and a foul tempered mistreated Draft horse, at slightly below market value.
Fiona’s father entered and instantly tried to swindle the party. But with some quick thinking and bartering the party ended up turning the tables and leaving the stables with not only the grey stallion but two mules, the ornery draft horse and kit and saddles for all. This all for the handsome price of 130 gold pieces which was a fair trade. However due to Kai talking to Fiona earlier and promising to give the good word to Sam about her they paid a sum of 120 gold pieces for the abandoned animals before heading back to the tavern.
Closure
The trek back was uneventful but they had one last job to do before they could begin their journey. They had to meet with two prospective party members and see if either of the would be a good fit. Those who were not a good fit would join the team Atta and cleaning up incidence at a a village nearby. They first met with Tobias who instantly rubbed both Kai and Tater the wrong way with his pretentious attitude. Despite being somewhat of a capable mage and specialising in both support and offensive magic he believed that working for his gold was beneath him and that he shouldn’t have to.
The next introduction was when a little fairy was caught trying to pick-pocket Tater after pinching items from Tobias, Groku and Kai. She introduced herself as Armaeth and she was handy with a bow but more-so her small size and natural sneakiness was handy at finding things, people and places without being detected. She was also here for adventure and was happy to simply be involved. But she definitely had an issue with taking things that didn’t belong to her.
With barely any other doubts in their mind the party decided that Armaeth would be a better fit than the arrogant Tobias and she was welcomed her to their group.
Main NPCs:
Gwen
Sam Gustave
Marie Turnburke
Fiona
Tobias Arnu-Swathay
Armaeth Nightcap
Thanks for joining me tonight and for continuing on this campaign with me. I finished what I wanted to last session in this one wand managed to get through a bit more as well. I hope you enjoyed catching up on another overdue episode of my 2023 adventure!
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow as we continue from last weeks adventure. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Steffani looked across the paperwork in front of her as she chewed on a unlit cigar. The pint that Marie had brought in with the meal from earlier grew warmer on the desk as she looked across the reports. The Lord of Warrensdeep had promised her enough gold to fund thirteen teams but had delivered just enough for four.
One team were off investigating the confirmed sightings for Abnormal creatures up north and weren’t due back for a few weeks based on the latest info. She didn’t believe in favourites but if she had a team that sprang to mind for the difficult jobs it was this one. A half-dragon, Elf, Dwarf and two humans made this this crew and they were the first ones she convinced to join forces with her. The proof they brought back was also enough to make the king force the lord of Warrensdeep into helping the cause.
The second team were currently cleaning up. Not a glamorous job the people in this team were not fighters nor skilled enough yet to see field work. Besides they all had a talent for magic and utilising that to clean, repair, mend and even dispose of evidence that would make the public uneasy. The disposal of body parts, creatures or even victims of the attacks was one of the conditions the lord of Warrensdeep had put upon her. “Do not let these things disturb the peace. The public can not know about what lies in the dark around their homes and this city.” So she assigned the promising mages this task and they did a good enough job with it.
The third team were a combination of ex military and renown hunters. These were her scouts and they submitted a report daily on rumours and sightings of the creatures. Anything that seemed amiss was what they reported back on and she left them on their own really. She had five people in this team and for the last month she had received nineteen reports. She was one short and she was anxiously waiting for the latest reports to come in.
Like clockwork Gwen walked in and placed a few small scrolls on her desk, four of them. Quickly opening them Steffani confirmed her suspicions. One of her scouts hadn’t reported in twice in a row. She sat back in her chair and mused on what to do. Team minë, were too far away to investigate in time, team atta were not fit for this type of work, the scouts, team neldë were all over the continent which left team canta. Team Canta consisted of the new recruits that she had sworn in today and out of all of the people under her command these were the most untested. But they had shown promise.
Writing up an order she scratched the names of the team down, Groku – a foolish but determined girl that showed grit and tenacity.
Tater was a dwarf – made of stronger tuff than most and showed a surprising resilience to the rumoured mind control ability of these creatures – perhaps the head injury had rendered him immune. Lastly she smiled at the duplicated name on the signed sheets in front of her.
That Goblin, Mordekai, may be a trouble maker but she had learnt a long time ago to not doubt someone determined to prove someone wrong.
These three will need a fourth member in their crew. She looked over the paper work in front of her and sighed. It may be best if she had them pick out their final member of the party themselves. After all these will be the people who they trust their lift and very survival to.
With that she quickly sealed the wax on the letter. Was she really sending the newcomers to Fustmach where one of her scouts was heading? She sighed and reached for the ale before clenching her fist. She nearly broke her oath as old habits started to take over. No, she will remain strong and sure headed. One wrong foot out of place from her and the dozens of people that relied on her would surely fail.
Now more on this tomorrow but it’s finally here! Another adventure weekend! So don’t forget to come back tomorrow for a double event and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage. The Brazen Wolfe
This weeks Friday Fight-night brings forth with it a variety of undead. Last week we had something a bit different where as this week we have something more familiar, but varied. Zombies are great. Yup, as a DM I find the zombie template a great thing to add something more to something that was already interesting to deal with. But what if these things are not something typically dealt with? Well that’s something that I can get behind. So let’s sit back grab a relaxing brew and ease into another weekend.
A Variety of Undead
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Undead reptiles. The crocodile features in a few horror movies and as well as the zombie. What about zombie crocodiles? these tough creatures are even worse not that they are undead as they are a bit more difficult to kill.
Reanimated snakes as well as the true denizens of the Carrion swamps, the lizardfolk are also a pest that the party will have to deal with. While not tough they can provide a threat to the party if they are not prepared to deal with these large snakes and even more ferocious humanoids.
And lastly who can forget the classic Zombie. The bread and butter of many a dungeon or undead encounter. Sprinkle these amongst the other varied undead and you could have a flavour-filled adventure waiting the party.
Another week down and, weirdly, we only have two handfuls remaining until we roll into Dice-ember. So don’t forget to come back this weekend for more D&D content and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
So this week we find the party arriving at Ferklend, finding out that there is trouble in town and that they are the possibly the heralds who will both doom and save the swamp. This tale really starts by the party being greeted by Ferklends’ Palisade and then it flows on from there. So to get a glimpse at what we are working with let’s sit down, grab a coffee and look at tonight’s map!
The palisade is new, for reasons uncovered in a few tales spoken in yesterday’s update. But the forest and swamp beyond that is as ancient as they come. Some of the trees have been cut down to repair the few houses in the town and to build the wall and defences. A crudely dug moat that spans at its widest ten feet lays around the wall that slows down aggressors, to some degree.
A few parts of the wall open and close to allow people through before being braced back shut again. a few platforms have been constructed against the wall to give it strength and to provide a place to stand and watch the the outside of the walls. However, along the wall the faces the swamp there are several more of these platforms as the attacks from the undead has grown in frequency and number.
A quick map today that I believe gives off the grungy, swampy vibe that I was hoping for. Don’t forget to come back this weekend for more content and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Another week and another twisty-Wednesday where tonight we get a snapshot of this weeks hook which starts an encounter and from the swamp they come. As mentioned already the Carrion Swamp is filled with living residents, deadly plants and an unforgiving, oppressive heat. But that’s not all that lives in the swamp. So before I give too much away let’s roll into tonight’s adventure!
From the Swamp they come
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The room where the party had managed to bargain to stay in was a store room for the general store. The tavern had been refusing visitors after the last people to stay in Ferklend had burned down the previous tavern. But the merchant they were staying with seemed nice enough and had spare room until the stock from a delivery arrived in the coming days which would fill the room again.
While they were in the town the first thing that came to view was the large wooden walls and barricades that enclosed the town. The guards only let the party through because they recognised Carmine and Jon but warned the party against staying too long. The town itself was mainly houses, a single store that backed onto a similarly protected dock and pier, a tavern and a central hall that looked more barracks than council building.
The guards of the town were hardy, tough and unkind to say the least. But the people inside the city were just the same. Talking to a few, those willing to spend some time talking to the adventurers, it turns out the town is very old, or it was. Based on ruins that they repaired and modified to suit. However over the past few years the volume of undead has increased and they had to rebuild due to damage, fire and the like. The barricades were also recent as one of their own, a man called Rike, accidently set fire to them in his attempt to escape a particularly fast undead crocodile.
The same story was told by all the villagers. The undead attacks were getting more frequent with a sudden increase in volume happening about a week and a half ago. And the other thing that was clear was, most of them didn’t like the man called Rike.
At this point the voice carried over the crowd. The voice was strong and determined, spurred onwards by hope and desperation. Approaching the source of the voice a man was revealed to be standing on the steps to the town hall. “The undead are coming in a wave that none have seen before. This one the walls won’t hold. We must flee now. Flee! We are doomed if we stay as the salvation of Ferklend has not appeared. It’s all there in the ruins outside of the town in the swamp. Why can’t you see? The heralds of the end appear, the undead arise and only the power of the heralds can push back the undead tide…”
“Where are these heralds huh?” Called one rather butch looking woman who carried a basket of root vegetables. “Get out of here Rike. No one wants to hear your garbage any more!” she called, many others echoed her thoughts.
Rike looked around helplessly before his eyes fell upon the adventurers. “Warriors from afar, wielders of magic and steel. Just as the ruins foretold,” he began as his knees wobbled. “I was right.. The ruins .. Oh gods.. That means…” an unholy roar came from the south. Those gathered around Rike looked to the party and then to the south, where the swamp lay. “It’s too late to run…” Rike said as he crumbled to his knees, despair taking over. “The ruins foretold and the well is open…”
Thoughts
A bit of a fun one tonight. A fight at the gates, on the ramparts and outside of them if (when) they fall this week. But this is just part 1 as part 2 see’s the party venture forth to the well of souls. If they survive what I have planned that is.
Thanks for visiting tonight and looking over my little twist for this week. I do love an undead siege, for me its very thematic and I love the images it gives. But this one will be a bit different as it takes place in a swamp and the type of undead could be very different to what we are used to. So don’t forget to come back the last few days this week and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
This week we meet some Swamp Folk, the people who live in Ferklend and who, well, they are a bit tired of living next to unending undead hordes. So this week is about meeting some of the folk, learning their legends and pain-points and perhaps something a bit more. So let’s not keep these poor desperate folk waiting and sit down with a coffee and roll into tonight’s update!
The tracker named Rike has spent all his youth and much of his adulthood trekking through the Carrion swamp and the lands around Ferklend. He has been a voice to the people voicing the concern on the rising number of undead and foretelling a devastating event that will lead to its destruction. But spouting these types of messages will generally get one ostracised from the community and seen as a bit crazy. But with the coming of the party and… other recent events people are starting to listen to Rike and they should really start to believe him as the dead don’t wait for the living.
After travelling with the party for over a week Vikira approaches the party and asks them for a favour. She is a noble who’s family lost all their gold in funding an expedition to explore the ruins in the Carrion Swamp. The expedition party came back with nothing but excuses and fewer men than they left with. Aiming to prove her parents theories about the ruins she needs someone to guide her through the swamp, or, she will go alone like she has to this point.
However despite her parents not having any money actually left, she doesn’t reveal this and merely explains her lineage and that those that will help her will be handsomely rewarded.
Another NPC night and a new face, and an old one too. This week sees the party travel into the swamps and beyond in search of the well of souls. But will their goals, the people of Ferklend and Vikira be aligned? Probably. But you will have to not forget come back daily to find out. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Another week has come and this time it brings our party travelling over land, due to some unfortunate happenings with the ship which will be revealed in due course, and into the swamp. The Swamps of Tulkore are aptly named the Carrion swamps due to the unpleasant smell that wafts from the waters. Its more than just rotting vegetable matter in these dank places of the jungle as the undead seem to show up in great numbers at times. But… I will stop myself there before I get too far into the lore of this place, so let’s sit back grab a coffee and roll into this weeks adventure!
The smell of the swamp was pungent enough that when the wind blew from the east the smell travelled along the road that the Party was travelling along. Carmine and Jon had agreed to get the party to the port town of Ferklend. Ferklend found itself on the edge of a dense jungle that gave way very quickly to a large swamp. The volume of vegetation ensured that the waters were murky and unclean to drink from.
But that wasn’t the issue with Ferklend. The undead also frequently rose from the swamp and the people of Ferklend and the other denizens of the swamp also found their way to the gates and doors of the frontier town. Candice and Jon had agreed to take the party as far as the port town where Jon could also retrieve some materials to repair his ship. But once their business was concluded, about a week or so later, they would return with or without the party.
They had offered the party free travel as long as they acted as a guard for their single wagon. This wasn’t a hard job or something that was particularly far-fetched as they had already proven their worth to both Jon and Carmine on the road to Nigrun.
But by the time they were approaching Ferklend it was something that they had already had to put to test as dark skinned goblins had attacked them once during their trek to the jungle. But despite this the two merchants also shared tales of the lands of Ferklend. The swamp was rumoured to once have been a jungle paradise before some calamity swallowed it up by the putrid water. A city and temple like no other gone in a blinding flash of green light or so the ancient stories went.
Whatever the cause, the heat was nearly as bad as the cold from a week ago and the smell was only growing stronger.
A change in temperature and a change in what we can expect for this weeks adventure. The hardest part is yet to come as getting to the port town of Ferklend is the easy part. After that the party have to listen to rumours and discover if ancient folklore is true or not. Perhaps they may also find the source of the towns problems in doing so.
Regardless don’t forget to come back each day this week for more content and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage, The Brazen Wolfe
Tonight and I have created a zine for this weeks adventure. Den of the Lost. This adventure can be used system agnostic as we explore other RPGs out there other than D&D. So please adjust to what ever creatures you are using in your adventure! However as always Kobold fight club can be used to quickly balance an encounter for Dungeons and Dragons and Tetra-cube currently provides the stat-blocks for creatures in this adventure.
So I hope you enjoy this weeks adventure, Den of the Lost. If you like this format please let me know and I hope you enjoy.
Den of the Lost
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After their confrontation with the Remorhaz on the thin and fragile ledges of the Platara Ridge the party were relieved to make it to the top.
The sun reflected the whites and blues of the frigid landscape and in the distance a large glacier lay between the peaks of some of the tallest places in the continent. But if creatures like the one they battled call this place home what other ordeals wait for them on the Platara Ice fields.
Thanks for joining me tonight for another Zine. This one had more content added to the Zine but… not so much that I could reveal in the blog update. So you will just have to trust me on that and grab a copy of the Zine. 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. 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
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 