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PREPARED2
 A DOZEN ONE
O NE-SHO
-SHOTT ADVENTU
ADVE NTURES
RES FOR
F OR 5TH EDI
E DITI
TION
ON

BY
 JON SAW
SAWATSKY 
 

PREPARED 2!
 A Dozen 5th Edition One-Shot Adventures
Adventures

CREDITS
D: Jon Sawatsky 
C A: Simul
I A: Justin Mayhew, Jason Rainville, Bryan Syme
C: Meshon Cantrill
: Sco Gable
D: Marc Radle
 A D
L  G D: Marc Radle
P : Wolfgang Baur

“F C,   –  .”

© 2017 Open Design TABLE OF CONTENTS


Kobold Press, Open Design, and their associated logos are trademarks of
Open Design. e 5E logo is used by kind permission of Sasquatch Game
Dib's Wagon
Wagon of Doom ........................................... 2
Studio.  A Starry Breach .....................................................4
..................................................... 4
Product Identity: 
Identity:  e following items are hereby identified as Product
Product Ooze Tomb
Tomb of the Oathbreaker ............................. 7
Identity, as defined in the Open Game License
Identity, L icense version 1.0a, Section 1(e),
and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks,
trademarks, proper  Assault of the Steel Horde
Horde ................................... 10
names (characters,
(characters, place names, new deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, story
elements, locations, characters, artwork, graphics, maps, sidebars, and e Void Walker
Walker ........................................
...................................................13
...........13
trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open
Game Content are not included in this declaration.) Hell Comes A’ Gliering...................................... 16
Open Game Content: e
Content: e Open content in this book includes the
Neither By Sail, Nor By Oar ................................ 19
monster names, monster statistics, and monster abilities. No other Dark Night
Night at the ODEUM ................................ 21
portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without permission.
e Tangled
Tangled Temple
Temple .........................................
............................................
... 23
ISBN is 978-1-936781-75-1
e Sparking Spire
Spire .............................................. 26
KOBOLD PRESS
 Valley
 Valley of Black Tears .........................................
............................................
... 29
P.O. Box 2811
Kirkland, WA 98083  A Shroud For
For Aganatha ........................................31
 www.KoboldPres
 www.KoboldPress.com
s.com  Appendix .............................................................35
.............................................................35
 

FOUR 1ST- TO 2ND-LEVEL PCS

DIB'S WAGON OF DOOM


FOUR 1ST- TO 2ND-LEVEL PCS

"We had to walk quite quickly to escape it. I'm nearly out of breath. the party until it is stopped. Your party may devise any number
Well, last I saw, it was sort of chuing along down Topaz Way. It tried of ways to stop the wagon from moving and gain access to the
to climb the hill up to the silks market, but I think whoever is inside got troublemakers inside. Reducing the wagon to 0 hp, seing it
tired? Goblins, no doubt. No, I wouldn't say it was careening through aflame, or destroying one wall are all viable strategies. Refer to
the city on a path of destruction; definitely not—still quite a nuisance."
nuisance." "Breached!" if the party gains access to the interior of the wagon.
e war wagon is designed to offer a CR 2 challenge. It has the
following statistics and actions:
SUMMARY
e nefarious master wrestler Dib, the goblin, is "terrorizing" WAR WAGON
the streets of the town (or city). Since his defeat in his roadside
fortress, the would-be chieain has ploed his revenge. AC 13
Gathering to him a new batch of dim minions, Dib has Speed 0
transformed a stolen merchant wagon into a machine of war. HP 65
e wagon is powered by several goblins inside who, while Damage Vulnerabi
Vulnerabilities
lities 
devoted to Dib, lack the strength to pedal the thing quickly or CR  2
 2 (450 XP)
consistently. Dib's plan to wreak a path of havoc through the
TRAITS
streets has resulted in something a bit more disappointing.
In this light-hearted and quirky adventure for four first- or We're Pretty Tired
We're T ired Boss
Boss       
second-level PCs, the party must confront the war wagon, gain          
entry to it, and defeat its defenders—the lives of several poed               
          
plants and a few market stalls depend on it!    
Rolling Death
Death        
FACING THE WAGON
          
 A wagon that otherwise
otherwise might haul crates
crates of food to
to market has            
been capped with a crude wooden turret. e carpentry evident here           
is suspect. e turret is comprised of old boards and rusted
r usted shields.  
erever gaps exist between the wagon and the turret, more wood Wood Strong, More Wood Stronger       
was hastily nailed on. Multiple slits in the walls of the wagon and its         
cap allow the passengers to see out into the street. Small dead animals Hiding      
Hiding
have been nailed to the wheels. e sad corpses turn slowly as the wagon
ACTIONS
lurches forward.
Excited          
e body of the wagon is a lile over 12 . long and nearly 7 .         
 wide. e
e turret sits on
on the back half
half and extends
extends the height
height
Blade Storm! Melee weapon attack         
of the vehicle to 10 . ere is a reinforced door on the le  Hit:       
side. It can be forced open with a DC 18 Strength (Athletics)          
check. ere is an emergency door on the turret that can be            
similarly forced open. e wagon will lurch around aacking   

IN YOUR CAMPAIGN IN MIDGARD


                     
                  
                
                  
                
   
                  
                
                   
                
  
        
          
   

2
 

FOUR 1ST- TO 2ND-LEVEL PCS

Fire the Cannons! Ranged weapon attack        WRESTLING MOVES
Hit:           
         
Dib and his crew were once ejected from their clan's stronghold
   for indiscriminate wrestling. ey have since continued the
sport and enjoy wrestling more than most things (looting and
BREACHED! murdering are still top of the list). Two goblins who are next
to the same opponent can coordinate and use their action to
If the wagon is reduced to zero hp, if the door is forced open, aempt a clothesline maneuver.
or if other conditions expose the goblins or force them to flee,
With surprising coordination,
coordination, two goblins clasp forearms and with
the wagon is considered slain and takes no further actions. e
 gleeful enthusiasm aempt
aempt to clothesline
clothesline you. ile
ile their motions are
interior of the wagon is very cramped and not suitable for toe
 practiced, their balance is suspect.
suspect.
to toe fighting. In general, the goblins then clamber out of the
 wagon and aack
aack the party on
on the streets.
streets. ey
ey are cunning Clothesline (requires two goblin actions). Melee weapon attack :
fighters and make use of cover, flanking, and combat tactics.        Hit:    
ere are between four (CR 1) and six (CR 2) goblins
goblins inside
 inside            
          
the wagon, including Dib. ey are loyal to their boss but are not
           
above fleeing if the fight goes badly. ey came to town in the 
 wagon in hopes
hopes of finding loot
loot and murdering
murdering citizens with
with their
amazing machine. ey are equally happy killing heroes and
taking their things. e goblins carry their normal equipment.

3
 

FOUR 1ST- TO 3RD-LEVEL PCS

ON THE STREET e crates at the back are marked in the goblin tongue with the
 word loot . e crates are entirely empty. e "cannon" is a heavy
e wagon is puering around a small monument and greenspace. crossbow in excellent repair and a stack of thirty bolts sits next
 People have fled the area,
area, though a few hesitant
hesitant guards watch on om a to it. A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check made while searching
safe distance. the wagon reveals a loose floorboard and hidden compartment
Monument: Pick an appropriate statue for the town. It provides
Monument:  which contains
contains a fat sack of silver coins (203
(203 sp) and a few boles
boles
partial cover. of cheap spirits (7 gp value).
Guards: Will not join the combat until the threat is clearly gone,
Guards:
at which point they arrive and deliver a few blows or try and REWARDS
look helpful. e residents are relieved Dib's wagon has been stopped. Aside
from the treasure found inside the wagon, the PCs are rewarded
WAGON INTERIOR  with free food and drink for
for several nights. A reasonable
reasonable bounty
e interior is cramped and hot. Scraps of food lier the floor, and a (25–50 gp) might be paid by the local guard or leader.
haze of goblin sweat fills your nose. A ladder at the back of the wagon
leads to the crossbow turret. A simple pedal drive is assembled toward WHAT’S NEXT
the ont with a mostly ineffective stick for steering
steering.. A few crates sit on e primary concern of the town is determining if this is an
the floor. Something has been wrien on one side of the crates. isolated act of chaos by one goblin or an opening salvo in a larger
offensive. Perhaps a goblin boss egged Dib on in an aempt to
ere is nothing obvious of value inside the wagon. Some
assess the town's defenses. at other strange assaults lurch
of the goblins made crude seat cushions from fur and moss.
down the old merchant road toward the peaceful community?

A STARRY BREACH
FOUR 2ND- TO 3RD-LEVEL PCS

"Out past the spires, in the tyrannical rays of the midnight sun, there Physical Traits:
Traits: Quil is a thin human male. He is only 30 years
are cracks in the surface of the ice. ose cold and lonely breaches—what old, but his relentless pursuit of the breaches, poor diet, and
stirs in their depths? at constellations twinkle on their rimy walls? relative isolation have taken a toll on his body. He is pale, frail,
e nomads knew. eir stories passed om  om mouth to ear. Imagine and limps slightly from an injury travelling to the north. His
what is lost in the transcription. ese dead pages full of ink—so much bloodshot eyes dart from place to place and sometimes linger—
earnest work, and to what end? As though this scribbling could capture glassy with thought. A wet cough has seled in permanently,
all the facets of a voice telling a story. I aim to visit one myself. e and his fingernails and hair show signs of malnutrition.
breaches in the ice. To have before me that which I have loved as I would Personality/Roleplaying: Quil is an obsessive. He first
Personality/Roleplaying:
a child. Bah, save your judgment—what stirs your heart to wander this learned of the breaches in his work as a scholar while studying
 far om comfort . . ." cosmology in a library back home. Recent visions have
inspired him to travel north, where he hopes to find one. He is
single-minded in his determination to discover and witness one
SUMMARY
e party arrives at an abandoned outpost in a frozen landscape.
these breaches. He believes they are key to understanding the
outer realms. He is prone to ranting about the constellations
e outpost appears to have suffered some strange aack. A half-
but is not insane—yet. Conversations with Quil are centered on
mad scholar from a distant city hides in the outpost; he is drawn
his studies of the stars. He is uninterested in small talk and only
to the region by his visions of a breach in the ice nearby—a
occasionally responds to queries about his past. He prefers to
breach he believes leads to the realms beyond the stars. Heading
talk about his research. Quil sees the party as a means to an end
east, the party finds that the breach is no simple chasm in the
and offers them everything he can to secure their assistance. He
ice, and its scaled guardian does not appreciate its work being
offers no credible threat to adventurers and can be killed with
interrupted. In this frozen and otherworldly adventure for
lile effort.
second- and third-level PCs, the party must overcome rimy
insects, a void dragon wyrmling, and the pull of the breach itself.  at He Knows:
Knows:
• Spires matching those in his visions rise half a day to the east
QUIL, SCHOLAR (MADMAN) of the ruined outpost.
You can cover your eyes, but the light finds your skin and troubles your • e breaches in the ice are connected to the outer realms
somehow.
sleep.
betweenTomorrow I search east. In my dreams, I saw the spires there and
them a breach. • Long dead nomads had stories of the breaches, talking about
starry magic.
 at He Wants MostMost:: To witness a fabled breach in the ice and
• e outpost was abandoned a few years ago aer some kind of
learn the truth about them.
aack or catastrophe; he arrived less than a week ago.

4
 

FOUR 1ST- TO 3RD-LEVEL PCS

5
 

FOUR 2ND-LEVEL PCS

THE QUIET OUTPOST  wizard spell scrolls)


scrolls) and money
money (a pouch with 34 gp) if they
agree to investigate the breach with him. He needs a night of
e outpost's edifices and low walls are made om a combination of rest and preparation before striking out.
wood and ice. e simple gate at the southern edge is intact and open
slightly.. Around and throughout the ruins are holes in the ozen
slightly Return of Rime Worm Grubs:Grubs: Just as the party seles down to
 ground. ere are no bodies, though
though even om a distance
distance supply crates
crates their watches and to camp for the night (or shortly aer they
and loaded sleds can be seen between the abandoned buildings. A thick arrive at the outpost), the rime worm grubs responsible for
layer of snow blankets the outpost. killing and dissolving the previous inhabitants of the outpost
return. e grubs arrive all at once, rising from the frozen
 Walls and Gate:
Gate: ere is lile to be learned about the outpost's ground and aacking. ere are two (CR 2) to three (CR 4)
fate from its defenses. (e grubs burrowed under the walls in grubs in the encounter. Add swarms of insects (tiny necrotizing
the night.) Masons and carpenters in the party recognize the  worms) to increase
increase the challenge.
challenge.
great skill that went into building the reinforced ice walls; the
technique is easy to pick up and may be useful to the party in THE BREACH
their future adventures on the ice.
 Icy spires rise like obelisks
obelisks around the long chasm
chasm in the ice. Small
Small
Holes: e holes are actually the entry and exit points for rime
Holes:
 points of light
light dance across the surface
surface of the spires, alternating
alternating between
 worm grub tunnels.
tunnels. PCs who originate from
from the region likely
likely
 enetic movement and stillness.
stillness. Steam
Steam rises om the chasm
chasm as some
know what they are. DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check
unseen heat melts the ice below
below.. Rainbow-colored light spills out
reveals the holes are made from a burrowing action, though
of the breach onto the snow at its rim. e light is hypnotizing and
there are no obvious claw marks—instead the snow and ice has
accompanied by a low hum.
undulating ridges, suggesting melting.
Buildings: e buildings are intact. ey are rough, frontier-like
Buildings: e Ice Spires:
Spires: ese 15–20-. fingers of solid ice (A, B, C, D)
structures with lile in the way of comfort. Most are small are currently acting as conduits for the dragon's void magic.
cabins for one or two occupants. A storehouse contains 30 days' ey store and deliver energy as required by the dragon as it
 worth of rations,
rations, a dozen full wineskins,
wineskins, and nine complete
complete further grows the breach. A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) checks

explorer's packs. A search of the outpost reveals the former reveals subtle claw marks
trace otherworldly on the
sigils. PCs whosurface ofend
start or the spires; thewithin
their turn marks
occupants le without taking their valuables. A total of 230 sp
and 75 gp is collected from pouches, sacks, and footlockers. 10 . of a spire must make a DC 12 Wisdom save or use their
reaction to move their speed toward the breach (or fall prone if
Quil: Quil is living in one of the buildings but will hide (Stealth
Quil:
no reaction available). A successful save negates further saves
14) under some furs when the party enter the outpost. He against this effect.
shows himself once he sees the party are explorers. With the
party's appearance, Quil sees an opportunity to be escorted e Breach:
Breach: e breach represents a voida void dragon wyrmling's
wyrmling's  
to the breach. He offers them his scroll cases (three first-level aempts at opening a portal to the space beyond the stars.
e wyrmling gains +1 AC and regenerates 7 hp at the start of
its turn as long as it is within 10 . of the breach. Once each
round, the dragon can call on the power of the breach to give it
IN YOUR CAMPAIGN advantage against a saving throw.
        e breach is 15 . deep. In the decades it has been here, the
     
    dragon has managed to open a 1-.-by-1-. ri at the boom of
        the breach. e breach calls to mortals who get close, inviting
           them to leap in. PCs who start or end their turn within 5 . of
        the breach's edge must make a DC 12 Wisdom save or fall (15 .)
 rime worm grubs 
grubs  void dragon wyrmling  into the breach. A PC who starts their turn in the breach must
 Tome of Beasts
   Tome Beasts     succeed a DC 15 Wisdom save, or they lose the ability to move
swarms of insects 
insects         or take any actions except to dig into the icy floor.
 white dragon wyrmling. e Void Dragon:
Dragon: Aacks anything approaching the breach.
        At the end
end of its turn, as a lair action, the dragon
dragon may cause
cause
          any spire to speak a dark uerance in the language of the stars.
    All PCs within 100
100 . of the spire
spire must make a concentrat
concentration
ion
check as though they had received damage.
IN MIDGARD
Quil: Unless physically subdued, the scholar is drawn into the
Quil:
        
breach in the first round, where he begins to dig. Void energy
         
from the breach kills him at the beginning of the second round,
          
and he is transformed into a dread specter
specter and
 and ally of the

   
     
  
   dragon. Quil is lost and aacks the party.
          
   

6
 

FOUR 4TH- TO 5TH-LEVEL PCS

REWARDS WHAT’S NEXT


e wyrmling has been working here for decades. Over time, is breach is not the only one. e old stories told of several
several groups of explorers and would-be heroes have fallen such breaches. Perhaps there are larger and more dangerous
 victim to the breach
breach and its guardian.
guardian. Amidst the
the frozen corpses
corpses gateways out there in the frozen wastes. at threat do these
are 300 sp, 111 gp, 2 uncommon potions, and a void-touched enigmatic portals pose to the region? Surely other, more
buckler (see "Appendix"). malevolent beings have learned of the breaches.

OOZE TOMB OF THE OATHBREAKER


FOUR 3RD- TO 4TH-LEVEL PCS

"We have drunk om the lake for a generation—its waters have CENTAURS' PLIGHT
quenched the thirst of chieains! Poison,
Poison, it is all
al l poison now . . ."  e party discovers the centaurs' plight while visiting a town
in the region. A travelling merchant brings the news as she and
her caravan have recently passed through the affected area.
SUMMARY e merchant can meet the party in an inn where they are both
 A small band of centaurs
centaurs have
have seen their
their water source fouled by staying or as the heroes purchase supplies in the local markets.
unknown magic. en word of their plight reaches the party, She reveals the following information:
they embark on a day's travel to the centaur camp. Along the
 way,, they encounter
 way encounter injured wildlife
wildlife and panicked
panicked bugbears.
bugbears.
•  A clan of centaurs
centaurs living nearby
nearby are plagued by strange
strange storms.
storms.
Terrifying storms beset the region, raining down acid and • e centaurs report their water source, a small lake, has been
oozes. Agreeing to investigate the small corrupted lake, the fouled.
adventurers discover a long buried evil has awakened—bringing • e storms bring black rain that smell of death.
 with it oozing undead.
undead. In
In this strange
strange and gruesome
gruesome adventure
adventure • To make maers worse, bugbear warbands have been aacking
for third- and fourth-level PCs, the party must navigate the the centaurs lately; they can spare no scouts to investigate the
 wilds, face the
the ooze storms,
storms, and confront
confront a reanimated
reanimated warrior befoulment of their lake.
 who betrayed
betrayed her god.
god. • She traded with them before arriving here, and they seemed
desperate.
e merchant also provides instructions to find the centaur camp.

7
 

FOUR 4TH- TO 5TH-LEVEL PCS

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE LAKE? down before dealing with the rest of the heroes. e tiger's
bodies show strange burn marks and scars. A DC 10 Intelligence
e entryway to the tomb of a long forgoen evil has surfaced (Investigation) check reveals the burns are fresh and acidic in
in the center of the lake. e tomb contains the buried remains nature. Each pair of teeth from the tigers fetches 50 gp.
of a hero who broke a sworn oath to her god. She and her
accomplices were buried alive by the god's followers many years Panicked Bugbears:
Bugbears: ree (CR 4) to five (CR 5) bugbears
bugbears are
 are
ago. ough her bones and flesh turned to dust long ago, her fleeing from the site of a recent ooze storm. eir trajectory
black heart persisted—growing in power and malevolence intercepts the heroes as they navigate a shallow ravine. e
through the years. Eventually the heart coalesced a new oozing bugbears aack recklessly, and heroes with a high Wisdom
body to inhabit, and in the process conjured strange storms and modifier, or those trained in Insight, recognize the creatures
are spooked. One of them is badly burned on its legs and
corrupted the small lake. struggles to keep pace with its brethren. e brutes carry a
e tomb is now open, and dead things crawl from it. e
 variety of pillaged
pillaged coins and jewelry
jewelry worth 200 gp
gp in total.
magical storms herald her re-emergence. You must choose a god
in the pantheon of your campaign and complete the story of the
betrayal in a manner true to your world. A few questions to help OOZE STORMS
complete the narrative quickly: e dark sky crackles menacingly. ough
ough no wind stirs the grass of the
•  o is the god
god that was betrayed?
betrayed?  plains, the clouds
clouds move rapidly toward
toward you. A few drops
drops of blackened
water fall onto your shoulders, and a strong scent of decay rises om
•  at was the nature
nature of the broken
broken oath?
oath?
the viscous precipitation. And then they begin to fall—masses of
•  o was the betraying
betraying hero?
hero?
coal-colored ooze.
•  at does the
the re-animated oathbreaker
oathbreaker want
want now?
 You may choose
 You choose when the party encounters
encounters the ooze
ooze storms.
TRAVELLING TO THE CENTAUR CAMP ey might be added to a combat to increase its challenge.
ey appear suddenly and with lile warning. Shelter is hard to
e camp is 20 miles from the town. e road toward the camp
find on the plains, but reward the party for ingenious plans to
is good and travelled oen. e party may use the road to travel
15 miles, at which point they will have to walk across the open mitigate and defeat
of ooze storms the
in the ooze storms. ere are two distinct types
region.
plain. e party should encounter a rancid rainstorm on the way
to the centaurs. Additionally, crossing the wilds is inherently Rancid Rains:
Rains: e sky crackles with lightning and clouds
risky, and challenging the heroes with a medium/hard difficulty gather. A viscous black rain falls on the region. Creatures
encounter or two is appropriate. caught in the rain are pelted with stinking droplets. e rain
 visibly affects the
the surrounding
surrounding flora, causing
causing it to wither,
wither,
Tigers in the Grass:
Grass: Two (CR 4) or three (CR 5) saber-tooth
blacken, and die. Exposure to the rain triggers a DC 12
tigers aempt to ambush the party as they ascend a small hill. Constitution save, taking 6 (1d10) acid damage on a failed
e tigers strike at one target initially, aempting to bring it save or half as much on a successful one. e saving throw is
repeated each minute the creature remains in the rain. A typical
rancid rain lasts 5 minutes.
IN YOUR CAMPAIGN Oozers: e oozer storm clouds are much darker than the
Oozers:
          rancid rain. A few oily drops fall but are quickly replaced by
         more menacing goopy tendrils that reach from the clouds to the
       
      ground.
the partye
andoozer storm
then one initially
(CR drops
4) or two (CRthree gray jellies at
5) ochre oozes at
oozes near
jellies  near
the
 gray thirsters 
thirsters  Tome of Beasts
Beasts   beginning of the second round.
  ghasts .
         CENTAUR CAMP
        
          e centaur camp consists of six massive tents built around a central fire
          pit. Everywhere are large sacks strung
strung together with
with leather strips. e
        exterior walls of the hide tents feature eshly painted symbols in white
          paint. Several
Several of the massive creatures
creatures greet you at the camp's periphery.
periphery.
  eir spears appear fashioned om whole slender trees.
e leader of this small centaur band is named Yarnak.
IN MIDGARD He joins his guards in greeting the party as they arrive at the
     
      camp. Yarnak is caught in a difficult position: he must keep his
          band together in the event the bugbears aack, so he cannot
           investigate the situation at the lake. e centaur camp is running
          out of water, however. ey are loathe to abandon the camp as it
      
    has history and meaning to them. He offers the party a tidy chest
         of gold (500 gp) and a pair of centaur wrist-wraps (see "Appendix")

8
 

FOUR 6TH- TO 7TH-LEVEL PCS

as a reward for dealing with the befoulment of the lake. He edge of the lake eventually results in an aack by the undead
provides the following information: drawn to the evil site.
• e lake is 2 miles from the centaur camp. Foul Waters:
Waters: A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check allows the
• e last visit made to the lake revealed the water had turned party to notice streams of viscous looking material pouring
brackish and foul smelling. from the tomb on the island into the lake. Divine casters
•  A strange stone structure
structure had risen from
from the ground
ground on a and heroes trained in Religion recognize the befoulment is
small island near the middle of the lake. necromantic
necromant ic in origin.
• e ooze storms are frequent near the lake. e ra can be used to transport the party onto the
island. e ra is visibly degraded. Unless repaired, the ra
DEAD LAKE disassembles and dumps the party into the water just off the
island. A DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows the
e small lake stretches out before you. Its water is the color of smoke party to repair the ra for use to and from the island.
and covered in sickly yellow
yel low foam. An old ra has been pulled ashore e water here is poison. Creatures who drink the water
nearby, its condition suspect.
suspect. In the center of the lake is a speck with a must succeed a DC 20 Constitution save or take 21 (6d6)
single tree. From a distance, you can see a half-sunken structure of some poison damage and be poisoned for an hour; a successful
kind; the dirt beside the grimy stone walls looks recently churned. save results in half damage. Creatures partially submerged or
e centaurs' watering hole is fouled by the evil risen in the exposed to the water in a substantial way must succeed a DC 12
middle of the lake. Animals avoid this area. Plant life along the Constitution save or be poisoned for an hour.
banks of the lake has blackened and died. Milling around the

9
 

FOUR 6TH- TO 7TH-LEVEL PCS

OATHBREAKE
OATHBREAKER'S
R'S TOMB
 A shadowed entrance
entrance into a small tomb
tomb has broken the surface
surface of the
 ground. ick black ooze flows om the tomb, across
across the island, and
into the lake. As you approach, a bony hand covered in oily black slime
 grasps the side
side of the entrance.
entrance. "o comes to welcome me?"
e tomb is small (10 . by 10 .) and half submerged in mud
and dark lake water. e walls inside the tomb are marred with
scratch marks made decades ago.

e Oathbreaker
Oathbreaker:
aempts : She
to engage thedoes
PCs not aack immediately.
in conversation—her She
aim is instead
to
determine if they might help her achieve her goal. Depending
on what she wants (revenge, salvation?), the party may agree
to help or may refuse and kill her. In combat she (mummy) is
joined by one (CR 4) or two (CR 5) gray oozes, which slough
off her repulsive form with a sickening wet sound. Slaying the
oathbreaker ends the fouling magic and ooze storms. e water
in the lake returns to normal within a month. Alternatively, the
oathbreaker may end her necromancy if the party aids her to
achieve her goal.

REWARDS
 As agreed, and provided the
the oathbreaker's
oathbreaker's magic has ended,
ended, the

centaurs provide the


(see "Appendix"). eparty
tombwith the gold
contains and centaur
no valuables; shewrist-wraps
and her
accomplices were stripped of their wealth before being buried.

Unquenchable : We will slake our thirst on your blood . . . ! e


Unquenchable:
betrayer was not buried alone. Her servants and accomplices WHAT’S NEXT
 were buried alive
alive with her.
her. ey died
died horribly of thirst,
thirst, laying Depending on the nature of the betrayal and the story you cra,
in the stony darkness, able to hear the lapping water of the lake there are many directions to go. Does the party embark on a
just out of reach. Two (CR 4) to four (CR 7) gray thirsters rise
thirsters rise quest to redeem the oathbreaker? Perhaps the tomb serves as
from the water and aack the party as they consider how to the entrance to a larger structure built under the lake—a grim
cross the water. repository for those who displeased their god.

ASSAULT OF THE STEEL HORDE


FOUR 4TH- TO 5TH-LEVEL PCS

"Surrender
"Surrender won't stop an arrow already loosed."  WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE GRAVEYARD
 A war machine hashas dug its way up into the graveyard
graveyard of the
the
town. Its passengers are soldiers in a war that ended a very long
SUMMARY time ago. ile most of the burrowing machines reached their
e earth churns in a city graveyard, revealing not the undead destination and met their fate, this one strayed off course. Its
but an ancient war machine. A great iron transport bores its way pilot and commander of the soldiers, was possessed by an evil
up from depths below, disrupting funeral rites and sending the spirit when the digger passed too close to the spirit's lair. e
citizens into a panic. With an opportunity to investigate and reap possessed commander has steered the transport in an erratic
the rewards of bravery, the party closes on the graveyard. ere course over many years, finally surfacing in the graveyard. e
they discover that the pilots of the strange vehicle are soulless soldiers are acting according to their protocols—they are at war
automatons who have spent an eternity burrowing toward the and, aer some delay, have arrived at the bale. e commander
balefront of a long-forgoen war. In this action-packed and lurks in the bowels of the war machine, ploing its next move.
griy adventure for fourth- and fih-level PCs, the party must
bale automatons, breach the iron transport, and put down its Unchecked, the the
citizens around soldiers and their
graveyard. leader
Killing begin people
as many aacking the
and
mad and malfunctioning commander.
causing as much destruction as possible. Built for war and
nothing else, the automatons play out their roles as soldiers in a
 war, regardless
regardless of their
their circumstances.
circumstances.

10
 

FOUR 6TH- TO 7TH-LEVEL PCS

YANSHA, CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD e Engine:


Engine: e engine is magical in nature. It radiates
e party is either sought out by the captain or can encounter enchantment magic. A DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check
her in the streets. She tells a harrowing tale involving heavily reveals that the magic is fading and that the machine's ability to
armored soldiers aacking citizen and guard alike near the continue travelling is compromised.
graveyard. She describes a great war machine bursting from the
ground in the graveyard. PERFECT SOLDIERS
 I've never seen such cold and calculated
calculated violence. ey don't make e burrowing war machine transports eighteen soldiers
mistakes; I didn’t see one swing of their hammers that didn't find a (animated armor)
armor) and one commander (fellforged
( fellforged).
). Twelve
home . . . it was a slaughter. soldiers are out performing maneuvers in the area around the

graveyard
commander.while
esix remainappear
soldiers behindastoblack-iron-clad
protect the vehicle and the
humanoids
THE WAR MACHINE
that march in unison and use every advantage the balefield
is massive iron and steel machine is divided into two discrete offers. e soldiers come in four varieties.
sections. e forward 30 . are dedicated to a rotating drill whose teeth Shield Bearer:
Bearer: In addition to its regular actions and traits, the
are noticeably worn. e back portion consists of a 50-. tube with three shield bearer's AC is increased by 2, owing to the massive grimy
large aached treads spread equidistan
equidistantt around the tube. Two outlines metal shield it carries. ese shield-bearing soldiers resist non-
suesting doors are set into the body of the machine. e very back of magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
the vehicle is a smoldering engine—what
engine—what magic fuels this impressive Hammerer: In addition to its regular actions and traits, the
Hammerer:
wonder of metal?
hammerer's slam aack is replaced with . . .
e machine consists of a 30-.-long, mechanical drill made Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack        
of magically durable steel mounted to the front of a 50-.-long  Hit:      
crew and passenger section. A great magical engine comprises Its multiaack action is modified to . . .
the back 10 ., which sheds bright light for 25 . around the Multiattack       
machine and dim light for another 50 .
e machine has a base AC of 18 and 175 hp. Its hardened 
Gunner: In addition to its regular actions and traits, the
Gunner:
metal exterior grants it a damage threshold of 15. It resists all cannoneer soldiers lose their multiaack action. It gains . . .
nonmagical damage and is immune to force damage. It has no
Hand Crossbow
Crossbow       
actions and cannot move.     Hit:      
e Doors:
Doors: ere are two doors in the midsection which can Its multiaack action is modified to . . .
only be opened from the interior. e doors have no visible
Multiattack        
hinges or handles. Forcing a door open requires a DC 20

Strength check. e doors open forcefully, and creatures caught
Scout: In addition to its regular actions and traits, the scout
Scout:
underneath them must make a DC 13 Dexterity save, taking
gains +7 to Stealth and its base move speed is 40 . It also
12 bludgeoning damage on a failed save or half as much on a
receives the following trait . . .
successful one.
Cloaked (3/day)
(3/day)       
e Drill:
Drill: Powered up and running, the drill allows the machine  
to pass through natural elements including dirt, clay, sand,
rock, and ice. e drill leaves a 15-.-diameter passage behind
it, which normally caves in within a few moments. Creatures APPROACHING THE GRAVEYARD
 who come into
into contact with
with the drill while
while it is operating e party encounters the soldiers before they reach the
(shoved, falling, and so on) must make a DC 13 Dexterity save, graveyard. ere are two units of six soldiers out wreaking
taking 40 slashing damage on a failed save or half as much on a havoc in the streets. A unit consists of two shield bearers, two
successful one. hammerers, one scout, and one gunner. You may assemble

IN YOUR CAMPAIGN IN MIDGARD


                   
                  
                 
                    
                   
                 

 
 
    
   
   
    
 
   
  
 
  
 fellforged
fellforged 
  Tome of Beasts
Beasts       
   wraith.

11
 

FOUR 6TH- TO 7TH-LEVEL PCS

the units however you wish, but be mindful of the increased ASSAULTING THE WAR MACHINE
challenge created by adding foes to the encounter. Additionally, e machine sits in the center of the graveyard. Two
Two soldiers with heavy
the modifications to the animated armor stat block increases
the challenge offered by these foes; a single unit should provide shields patrol the vehicle's entrance. A few crypts offer hiding places on
a medium to hard encounter (CR 7) for the party. Here are two the way to the machine, but the area immediately around it is clear.
possible encounter scenarios involving the soldiers: e graveyard has been trapped. Large explosive traps are sunk
Fortified Position:
Position: A unit of soldiers has taken over a two-story into the ground and are triggered by creatures moving overtop of
building. e gunner fires at anything on the street from the them. Spoing the traps requires a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception)
second floor and is in three-quarters cover. e building's two check. Dismantling a device requires an action and a DC 14
entrances are barred (AC 15, 30 hp) and guarded by a shield Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. ere are at least ten such
bearer and one or two hammerers. devices forming a perimeter around the war machine. Creatures
 within a 10-. radius
radius of a device when
when it is explodes
explodes must
Breaking In:
In: A unit of soldiers is on the street, aempting to
succeed a DC 14 Dexterity save or take 14 (4d6) fire damage; a
force their way into a home where a dozen innocents have taken
successful save results in half damage.
refuge. Uncontested, the soldiers break into the home within 2
rounds. A fight on the streets awaits the party as they intervene  A unit (see "Perfect
"Perfect Soldiers"
Soldiers" above) of
of soldiers protect
protect the
 vehicle and
and the commander
commander inside it (B).
(B). ey will rush to
 with the soldiers
soldiers using the
the environment
environment to their
their advantage as engage enemies—avoiding their own traps. A scout class soldier
much as possible.
patrols the perimeter of the graveyard in stealth. It waits for the
right moment to strike, preferring to aack once the party has
confidently engaged the rest of its unit.

12
 

FOUR 7TH-LEVEL PCS

Baling past the soldiers, the PCs may enter the vehicle.
REWARDS
is dark and cramped metal hall smells of oil and earth. A grating e soldiers carry no valuables, and the war machine contains
sound rises. ere, at the threshold between the forward cockpit and only the essentials for keeping the crew running. Two red
the main chamber, a hulking metal monster. Its head is bathed in corundum elemental gems serve as part of the power source for
enscorcelling crimson light. the machine. ey may be removed from their housing in the
(fellforged)) starts combat at the doorway
e commander (fellforged cockpit and used as normal.
(A). It seals the doors to the war machine in the first round
before hissing and charging any party members inside. It is WHAT’S NEXT
happy to fight in close quarters. e door can be opened by PC e story may continue in a number of ways. at was the
 who reaches
reaches the cockpit
cockpit (interacting
(interacting with the object).
object). (See "e outcome of the war these soldiers were supposed to be a part
 War Machine"
Machine" above
above for rules on forcing the
the door open.)
open.) e
e of? Local powers may wish the source of the war machine
 wraith inside the
the fellforged
fellforged armor has no
no intentions beyond investigated, starting a longer adventure that reveals the origin
murdering its enemies; it cannot be reasoned with or convinced of the automatons—and how many more such machines strayed
to surrender. off course?
 A DC 15 Intelligenc
Intelligencee (Investigation)
(Investigation) check
check made while
while
examining the cockpit reveals the decades-long course the war
machine took.

THE VOID WALKER


FOUR 5TH- TO 6TH-LEVEL PCS

"I watched it lope across the horizon of the wastes at dusk; that is the THE WALKER 
shape of the end." 
e walker is a prop for the action of this adventure. It is
simplest to make it a non-combatan
non-combatantt that is impervious to
SUMMARY aacks and spells. Ignore this instruction if you have the time to
 A great threat
threat lopes toward
toward a small city at the
the edge of a invent a fantastic way to incorporate the walker into a fight.
 wasteland. One
One of the leviathans
leviathans of the wasteland,
wasteland, a gigantic
gigantic  ile the walker
walker is the ultimate
ultimate threat, the
the villains in this
malevolent creature known locally as a “walker,” appears to adventure are the darakhul pilot and his minions. Without the
be on a course directly through the city. e PCs are called to darakhul commanding the walker, it recedes into its wasteland
heroism by the city’s council, who have learned that the walker and stops its destruction.
is being directed by a foul darakhul who has gained control ough it is a non-combatant, the walker’s presence should
of the creature and directs it from atop its shoulders! Scouts still be felt during the combat. Here are several tools for you to
have discovered a portal used by the ghoul to teleport atop the use during the fight to remind the party that they are riding a
 walker.. With a hastily
 walker hastily scrawled
scrawled map, the
the party must navigate
navigate leviathan nightmare.
the wild hills to locate the magical doorway. In this epic and
deadly adventure, the party must navigate wild hills, locate a THE WALKER’S CLAW
teleportation portal, and slay the darakhul and his minions on e platform leans suddenly. e walker raises one of its loathsome
teetering platforms built atop the shoulders of the walker. limbs, brandishing
brandishing its black talons, the claw sweeps downward.

A CITY IN PERIL  At least once,


once, and no more
more oen than
than is reasonable,
reasonable, the walker
aempts to slash and swat the bothersome enemies from its
e council of a city built at the edge of a vast wasteland has
shoulder. e walker’s accuracy is poor, and the massive claw
put out an urgent call for adventurers. e councillors have
threatens all creatures standing on the platforms.
learned that a darakhul has devised a way to command one of
the leviathans that dwell deep in the wastes. e darakhul is Sweeping Claw . On initiative 1, the walker sweeps its claw
directing the walker on a course that intersects the city in several across the platforms. All creatures standing on the platforms
days. A great dust cloud obscures the walker and blots out the must succeed a DC 14 Dexterity save or be struck by the claw
sun around it—evidence of dark magic. e walker’s arrival all for 11 slashing damage (2d10). Additionally, on a failed save, the
but ensures the city’s destruction. e councillors have offered creature is dragged along with the claw toward the neck for 15
5,000 gp as a reward to any brave enough to stop the ghoul and . Creatures whose trajectory would lead them off the platform
his walker. ey have obtained a map to the portal the ghoul must succeed a DC 10 Strength check or be knocked off the
is using to travel from the walker to the ground. e portal is platform and fall to the ground below.
located in a wild, hilly region nearby. ey provide the map to the
party should they answer the call.

13
 

FOUR 7TH-LEVEL PCS

SHUDDER  THE WILD HILLS


e floor begins to shudder and violently shake. e walker’s scream is e hills rise and fall, punctuated by gnarled trees and patches of briar.
deafening.  A light drizzle has set in,
in, and thin mist gathers
gathers in the low places.
places. A
strange cry sounds om far away.
Use this effect in the event the PCs unleash a very effective area
aack or just to add color to the combat. It affects all creatures e wild hills where the darakhul sorcerer opened his portal are
on the platform. dangerous and unexplored. ere is evidence that halflings lived
Shake and Wail.
Wail. On initiative 1 or in reaction to the fight here once a long time ago, and the party may discover the odd,
occurring on its shoulder, the walker violently shakes and wails. caved-in burrow. e map provided to the party is adequate for
 All creatures
creatures on the platform
platform must succeed
succeed a DC 12 Dexterity
Dexterity finding the portal within a day. e hills are filled with strange
save or fall prone. Creatures who fall prone next to the edge of and dangerous things. You may choose any number of the
a platform must make a DC 10 Strength check or fall off the following encounters as the party navigate the hills.
platform to the ground below. e wail forces a concentration Lowen’s Regulars:
Regulars: Lowen ( veteran
( veteran)) and three (CR6) to four
check (DC 10) on all casters. (spies)) have established a permanent camp
(CR7) henchmen (spies
in the Wild Hills. From this camp, they engage in all manner of
 villainy: banditry,
banditry, extortion, kidnapping.
kidnapping. e women and and men
appear as hunters initially. A DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check
suggests they are flatly lying when asked their business in the

14
 

FOUR 8TH- TO 9TH-LEVEL PCS

area. ey are not eager to die at the hands of a well-equipped e dust cloud hanging over the walker prevents sunlight from
adventuring party, but le alive, they will aempt to ambush reaching the platforms. A DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check
the party later in the day. A locked chest (DC 10) in the camp made on the dust cloud reveals it could be dispelled (DC 14
contains their spoils: 400 gp, 200 gp in uncut gems, and two to dispel). If the dust cloud is dispelled, the darakhul may be
potions of healing. forced to fight in direct sunlight. (Review "e Walker" at the
Great Hall of the Burrfoot:
Burrfoot: A wyvern has nested in the ruined beginning of the adventure to add the walker’s actions into the
remains of a halfling feasting hall dug into the side of a hill. combat.) e goat-men carry jade carvings of their foul god
 Approaching
 Approac hing the hall's entrance,
entrance, the party smells
smells carrion, and  worth 50 gpgp each. e darakhul
darakhul wears a silver
silver and gold pendant
pendant
a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check discovers fresh, dragon-like  worth 200 gp. He bears
bears a cloak of the empire (see "Appendix") on
tracks. e wyvern also uses a collapsed portion of the roof to his back, which can be taken and worn by brave PCs.
enter and exit its lair. e wyvern happily aempts to eat the e Staff : Only the ghoul may use the staff. If he dies or the staff
party as they wander by or through its nest. Inside the hall are a is lost over the edge, the walker stops its advance and retreats
few intact pieces of furniture and a +1 sling  with
 with 10 bullets. into the wastes where it originated.

THE PORT
PORTAL
AL REWARDS
e map has taken you to the far end of Shallow Valley in the hills. Near e city council rewards the party as promised. Alternatively,
the center of the valley, nestled between two trees, is a crackling yellow the party might accept an estate to form a home base for further
 field of magic. Several
Several humanoid shapes
shapes wander around
around the portal. An An adventures in the region.
empty wagon sits nearby.
is is the portal allowing access to the shoulder of the walker. WHAT’S NEXT
 A DC 12 Intelligence
Intelligence (Arcana) check
check reveals the
the portal is not
not e next step is determining what the ghoul intended. e city
permanent and will likely last only a few more days. ere are may be a target for the ghoul empire, who plot various ways to
three (CR 6) or four (CR 7) ogres
ogres guarding
 guarding the portal. e last overthrow or destroy the council. Additionally, what foul magic
ogre alive aempts to put its head through the portal to warn did the darakhul employ to manufacture the staff and dust
the passengers on the walker than intruders are coming. If the cloud? Something with strong magic must lie behind this lone
ogre manages to do this, the forces beyond the portal will not be ghoul’s efforts . . .
surprised when the party arrives
Travelling through the portal has no effect, though it is
unpleasant. It is reasonable for the party to cast spells in
preparation for a fight – using the portal does not dispel effects.
e party can arrive on the platform ready for combat.
IN YOUR CAMPAIGN
THE TEETERING PLATFORMS          
ree tiers of hastily built wooden platforms are installed on the            

shoulder of a leviathan walker.
walker. Several figures hold on to the sparse           
railing as the leviathan's steps make the ground teeter precariously. A         
 pale humanoid in dark robes holds
holds a blackened staff over
over its head—as it           

directs the staff, so goes the walker. 


 
  
  
     
 

Provided the ogre did not warn the travellers on the platforms,         
the PCs surprise their enemies. ey arrive at the portal (C). e         
platforms consist of three tiers and span an 80-.-by-50-. area.    
e portal is at the lowest tier while the darakhul “pilot” stands    darakhul ghoul 
ghoul  goat-men
goat-men 
  Tome of Beasts)
at the highest elevation. e platforms are 70, 75, and 80 .       wight
wight 
  minotaur.
above the ground.
Bale on the Shoulders:
Shoulders: e darakhul ghoul (located
ghoul (located at A) and IN MIDGARD
two (CR 8) or three (CR 9) goat-men
goat-men (located
 (located at B) engage the         
party on the teetering platforms. e ghoul uses his claw aack        
on prone opponents as much as possible. He and the goat-men          
 work together
together and retreat
retreat up the
the tiers to form
form chokepoints.
chokepoints.        
        
        
         
          
          
  

15
 

FOUR 5TH- TO 6TH-LEVEL PCS

HELL COMES A’ GLITTERING


FOUR 5TH- TO 6TH-LEVEL PCS

"For a cold-blooded killer." 


 Audience with the Mayor
Mayor:: e mayor (noble
(noble)) is a tall woman
dressed in rich clothing. Mayor Enkam is straightforward and
SUMMARY maintains eye contact during conversation. She has only the
Bodies are turning up in a city (or large town). e organs of best interests of the citizens in her heart. She is never without
the victims appear to have been turned to solid crystal; in a ( veterans).
her two personal guards ( veterans ). e mayor’s investigators
gruesome twist, the hearts of the victims have been carefully have come up empty handed, and she is open to the PC’s
removed. e mayor and the guard captain have hit an impasse assistance. She offers 1,000 gp if the party can solve the
in their investigation. Agreeing to assist in finding the murderer, murders. She provides the following information:
the party find themselves under aack by infernal assassins as • e six victims come from a wide range of backgrounds.
they follow the clues to a gemcuer's workshop. In this rich and • ey have been stabbed to death.
devilish adventure for fih- and sixth-level PCs, the party must • eir internal organs, eyes, and bones are transformed into
find and face a murderer and a charming devil. pure crystal.
• e hearts of victims are missing.
WHY ARE PEOPLE DYING?
• e high alchemist has not been helpful in the investigation so
 A gnome gemcuer
gemcuer has made a bargain with a gilded devil. e
e far but may have useful information.
devil has granted the young woman unsurpassed skill in her • e bodies of the victims are available for examination.
cra, and in exchange, she has agreed to provide him crystallized
• e guard captain has reached a dead end and is not sure what
mortal hearts. She and the devil are hiding in the gemcuing
to do next; he is available for consulting.
 workshop
bargain made of her formerthe
former
between master
master,, who
two is was her first
as follows: first victim. e
GATHERING CLUES
• e devil increases Jelfi’s skill at gemcuing to surpass both
rivals and mentors. e following provides guidance for handling the PCs'
•  Jelfi must sacrifice
sacrifice (murder)
(murder) one resident
resident of the city
city each week.
week. investigation into the murders. It is likely that the party will solve
the mystery and confront Jelfi at Kendrin’s Fine Works on the
• She must perform an unholy ritual that crystallizes parts of
second day, aer speaking with the high alchemist and Argus.
her victim’s body.
ey may decide to investigate the gemcuing shops on the first
•  Jelfi must remove
remove the crystallized heart of
of her victims and
and cut
day if they are clever. Improvise based on the party’s actions,
it into a beautiful stone.
using the following topics and scenarios as required.
• e stone is given to the gilded devil, who now lairs in the
basement of the workshop consuming the gems and jewelry.  You Know Too Too Much!:
Much!: At some point in their investigation,
likely in the evening of day one or when they are close to
A MYSTERY PRESENTED investigating Kendrin’s shop, the party is aacked by three
( bearded devils).
(CR 8) to four (CR 9) assassins (bearded devils). e assassins
e PCs hear of the murders while staying in or travelling strike wherever the party aempts to rest. ey may also lure
through the city. Inquiries made to inn keepers, guards, and them into an alley or uninhabited building by emulating cries
general citizenry lead the party to a conversation with mayor of distress. e assassins are sent by Jelfi’s patron; they know
Enkam, who can be found in her official office most days. nothing of the murders or bargain and are simply following
instructions.

IN YOUR CAMPAIGN IN MIDGARD


                  
          
    
                  
                       
           
        
             
 crystalline devil 
devil  Tome of Beasts
Beasts           
                    
           
         

16
 

FOUR 5TH- TO 6TH-LEVEL PCS

DAY ONE suitable background or who read infernal automatically


Speaking with the Guard Captain:
Captain : Mekno is a sturdy human identify it and its meaning: cage the soul.
male with shocking orange hair and beard. He is openly
frustrated by his inability to solve the murders. He is convinced DAY TWO
the murders are ritualistic. Strange chalk markings were found Speaking with the High Alchemist
Alchemist:: e high alchemist
near the murder sites. He suggests the party visit one of the is unavailable for a meeting on the first day of the party’s
sites to see for themselves. investigation. He agrees to meet with them in the morning on
Examining the Bodies:
Bodies: A DC 5 Wisdom (Medicine) checks the second day. Tembor the Green is no friend of the mayor’s.
confirms the victim died from stab wounds. A DC 10 Wisdom He lives and works in his laboratory and is aended by several
(Perception) check reveals that the heart was removed carefully, servants and apprentices. He is an old human with an arrogant
but the stab wounds are very rough and amateurish. A DC streak. e mayor slighted him by importing curative draughts
13 Intelligence (Investigation) check concludes that the stab once instead of ordering from him. He agrees to speak with the
 wounds were
were inflicted by someone
someone small in stature
stature and that
that party but will not give his assessment of the murders freely. A
someone with nimble hands must have removed the heart. DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) changes his mind; alternatively,
the party might explain the slight to the mayor who agrees
Examining the Murder Sites:
Sites: e party finds a chalk symbol
scrawled onto a nearby wall. A DC 10 Wisdom (Religion) or to apologize
properly to Tembor
convinced, to further
he informs thethe investigation.
party that kyaniteOnce
is known
Intelligence
Intelligence (Arcana) reveals it is an infernal symbol. Casting
for its purity—energy stored in kyanite would be pristinely
comprehend languages does not decode the symbol but does
preserved. Kyanite is not overly common. He also suggests
reveal its connection to the infernal alphabet. PCs with a
speaking with Argus at the Gemcuers Guild Hall.

17
 

FOUR 5TH- TO 6TH-LEVEL PCS

 Visiting the Gemcuers


Gemcuers Guild Hall:
Hall: Argus is the leave him to escape. He promises to leave, and a DC 5 Wisdom
second-highest-ranking member of the guild. He is a slender (Insight) check reveals he is telling the truth. Otherwise, he
elf with strikingly good looks. He knows nothing specific about gladly aacks the party. e devil may use an action to consume
the murders. He agrees kyanite is prized for its purity, but one of the six kyanite hearts. Doing so restores 25 hp and gives
he also reveals the crystal is difficult to cut and would chip or the devil advantage on his next aack.
shaer in all but the most skilled hands. He suggests visiting
the city’s jewelry and gemcuing workshops: the Emerald
Dove and Kendrin’s Fine Works.
REWARDS
 Jelfi has Anni’s lapidary guide stashed on the
the main floor of
 Visiting the Emerald
Emerald Dove:
Dove: Anni is a pleasant half-elf who Kendrin’s shop. e book is worth around 500 gp. Anni will
owns and runs a jewelry-making shop in a nice part of the city.
She is troubled to hear about the murders. She admits she has pay half as much for its return. e party must decide what to
do with the 5,000 gp worth of unfinished gems in Kendrin’s
never worked with kyanite. Her relationship with Kendrin has basement workshop. e mayor is pleased to pay the party the
soured since he accepted the unpopular Jelfi as an assistant. promised fee.
 Jelfi worked
worked for Anni for a few months
months but had more
more talk than
skill. She can’t be sure, but she thinks the gnome even stole an
old lapidary guide before her last day at work. WHAT’S NEXT
e uncut gems that the gilded devil did not eat are in the hands
 Visiting Kendrin’s
Kendrin’s Fine Works
Works:: e door is locked, and there is
of the PCs. Selling them in the city would incriminate them, and
no response to knocking. e door can be forced open without
smuggling that many gems might prove difficult. ere may be
a skill roll. Proceed to Hell Comes
Comes a’ Gliering once the PCs enter
infernal allies of the slain devil living in the city who take offense
Kendrin’s shop.
at the party’s actions.
 
HELL COMES A’ GLITTERING
e storeont of this workshop is dark. A few ornate displays sit empty

near the back of the chamber


building. chamber.. A single door leads to the back of the

e store has been emptied of valuables; the devil in the


basement has eaten most of them. e place smells of decaying
flesh. Old bloodstains mark the floor near the front. e
blood belongs to Kendrin, Jelfi’s first victim. His body was not
recovered, and the apprentice hid it in the basement. A stairway
in the backroom leads to the basement lair of the gilded devil.
e heavy steel door into the lower workshop is open.
e Murderer Revealed:
Revealed: Jelfi (spy 
(spy ) is hiding (Stealth 17) behind
the displays. en the PCs have entered the store and it's clear
she will be discovered, she confronts them:
“No, no,
no, no! I was promised unsurpassed skills! I’ll not be taken!” 

e PCsthem.
aacks have She’s
a moment
happyortotwo
selltoout
interact withdevil
the gilded Jelfi before
lairingshe
in the basement if she’s allowed to go free. DC 20 Charisma
(Persuasion/Intimidation) checks might diffuse the conflict,
otherwise—faced with imprisonment or worse, Jelfi aacks. She
has been given a guardian by the gilded devil: Jelfi carries a large
emerald that is in fact a crystalline devil in
devil in its gemstone form.
e two aack the party. Jelfi does have Anni’s stolen lapidary
guide which can be returned for a 200 gp value gem as reward.
e Devil in the Basement: Dwelling amongst the sacks of
raw stones in the gemcuer’s workshop is a gilded devil.
devil. He
has eaten the most valuable items; the six kyanite hearts of
 Jelfi’s victims
victims sit prominently
prominently on a small table.
table. e
e devil, having
heard the fight upstairs, has taken a relaxed position on the
main worktable. He welcomes the party to his abode and
apologizes for the smell. He explains the bargain he
made with Jelfi and expresses disappointment in
her. He flatly offers the PCs the remaining 5,000 gp
 worth of finished
finished precious stones to walk
walk away and

18
 

FOUR 5TH- TO 6TH-LEVEL PCS

NEITHER BY SAIL, NOR BY OAR


FOUR 5TH- TO 6TH-LEVEL PCS

"It sailed up through the fog, a black ship that le no wake. It’s come for Personality/Roleplaying: Captain Sara would have made a
Personality/Roleplaying:
the statue; it’s come for us all."  good adventurer. She is brave, cunning, and a natural leader. A
look from her silences most complaints from her crew. She is
SUMMARY loud, boisterous, and friendly. Her success at sea is owed to her
e party arrange for passage on a fast ship called the Silver professionalism, and she does not suffer fools aboard her ship,
 Slipper . e good Captain Sara agrees to take them aboard for a the Silver Slipper .
reasonable fee. e voyage, however, is marred by strange events, Chaing with the Captain:
Captain: e players may engage the captain
and the crew begin whispering about a dark statue taken aboard in conversation during the voyage. She is friendly and willing
as cargo. e statue is to be delivered to a port beyond the PCs' to trade stories. Asked directly about the statue, she reveals the
destination. en a fog rolls in one night, the ship is aacked by following:
evil agents of a dark god come to claim the statue. In this nautical • She’s been paid to take it to a port beyond where the party is
nightmare, the PCs must travel aboard the ship, interact with the destined.
crew, and save themselves from a boarding party of eldritch evil. • She was paid twice what she demanded.
• She agrees the statue is ugly but is convinced it’s harmless.
STRANGE CARGO
 A crude humanoid figure squats
squats atop a roughly
roughly carved pedestal.
pedestal. e THE VOY
VOYAGE
AGE
 figure and its base are made om one one piece of dark gray stone.
stone. e face
e voyage may be whatever length you choose. Ideally, the party
is brutish and scowling; its ears rise to a point
point,, and its teeth are jaed
engages in some downtime activity as they travel aboard the
and broken.
Evil agents of a dark god have arranged for a cursed statue to be  Silver Slipper . e
and reinforce the following events
dark influence ofcan
the be usedupon
statue to pass
thethe time
crew.
transported aboard the Silver Slipper . e statue is not intended
to make it to its destination but rather be picked up by an DRINKING WITH THE CREW
interceptingg ship filled with cultists. e statue is of great value
interceptin e crew of the Silver Slipper oen pass the time by playing
to the cultists. It rradiates both evil and magic, and weighs about  various drinking
drinking games. e games are simple
simple as rum does not
a 150 lb. e PCs are assumed to be immune to the statue’s more favor complication. e PCs might join the crew one night for
nefarious effects—the product of being seasoned adventurers. such revelry.
e crew, however, are not spared from its influence.
Pearl in the Deep:
Deep: is simple game requires two players.
CAPTAIN SARA One is a salty crew member, the other a brave PC. Each player
places 3 gp on the table. A soup bowl of rum is poured and set
Welcome aboard. Mind your step. e wind blows hard in our favor between the two players. Players alternate trying to flip their
today, iends! coins into the soup bowl. e player with the most coins in the
 at She Wants
Wants Most:
Most: To retire in her home town, rich and bowl must drink but also keeps the gold. Ties are decided by a

renowned. cursing contest


a coin into withisone
the bowl of the
a DC other sailors
12 Dexterity as judge.
check. Flipping
e cursing
Physical Traits:
Traits: Captain Sara is a middle-aged woman with long
grey and black hair tied back from her face. She carries herself contest is a contested Charisma check. Drinking a soup bowl
about the ship on a sturdy frame and dresses in practical and of rum triggers a DC 10 Constitution save to avoid becoming
 well-made clothes.
clothes. She dons an impressive captain’s
captain’s hat
hat with incapacitated for an hour. e sailors receive +3 to all rolls when
fancy embroidery when the sun is hot. playing the game.

IN YOUR CAMPAIGN IN MIDGARD


                 
                     
           Silver Slipper  
       
                     
   

           
   fext
fext 
  noctiny
noctiny 
  Tome of Beasts 
Beasts            
     mage
mage 
  berserkers.          
           
           

19
 

FOUR 5TH- TO 6TH-LEVEL PCS

FOREBODING SIGNS face is a mask of uncertainty and fear as he drives himself into
e following strange events occur while the party is aboard the exhaustion. e crew have no luck convincing him to cease his
 Silver Slipper . dancing, and he eventually collapses.

 Algae Bloom:
Bloom: e deck of the ship is covered in thick ropy e Staring Sailor:
Sailor: One of the sailors goes missing. e crew
algae one morning. e PCs arrive from below to find the enlist the aid of the party to find him; they fear he has fallen
crew aempting to scrub it clean. Nobody
Nobody knows how it grew overboard. Aer a brief search, he is found in the cargo hold,
so quickly. e algae radiates weak magic. A DC 10 Wisdom siing before the statue. He stares at it—transfixed. A DC
(Nature) check confirms it is natural, but its rate of growth 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check releases him from its hold.
suggests something is not quite right. Otherwise he stands up and returns to his bunk aer an hour.
He has no memory of the event.
e Sullen Captain:
Captain: Captain Sara retreats into her cabin. She
does not come out except to bark orders at the increasingly Swarm of Seabirds:
Seabirds: Six swarms of seabirds (swarm
( swarm of ravens)
ravens)
aack the deck of the ship early one evening. ough the
ornery crew. e dark magic of the statue in the hold has begun
to affect her mood and mind. She is stubbornly resistant to encounter is trivial for the PCs, it rales the crew, and many
begin murmuring about turning back to port.
conversing with anyone. She appears increasingly unwell as the
 voyage continues;
continues; her
her skin pales, and
and she looks
looks withdrawn.
withdrawn.
 Jigging at Midnight
Midnight:: One of the sailors awakens the whole ship MIDNIGHT FOG
 with furious jigging
jigging in the middle
middle of the night.
night. He too is being Near midnight on the eve when the black ship is to arrive and
driven slowly mad by the statue, and its effect is to force him assault the Silver Slipper , a patchy fog rolls in around Captain
into a maniacal dance. He takes no joy in the dancing, and his Sara’s ship. e fog masks the arrival of the dark forces come

20
 

FOUR 7TH- TO
TO 8TH-LEVEL PCS

to collect the statue. For the duration of the coming encounter initiative 20, there is a 50% chance that a crew member (bandit)
and as long as the ship remains in the fog, the deck is considered aacks a member of the party randomly. e crew member
lightly obscured. does not stay active as a combatant. ere
ere are a total of six crew
members running amok. A DC 17 Charisma (Intimidation)
NEITHER BY SAIL, NOR BY OAR  check sends them below deck, ending their random aacks.
 Bursting up onto
onto the deck, you see a great black ship
ship has sidled next to
the Silver Slipper. Neither
Neither sail nor oar can be seen propelling this dark EVIL GOES OVERBOARD
cra. Spiked,
Spiked, wooden planks have descended, and loping humanoid Successfully defending the Silver Slipper  ends
 ends the maddening
shapes have made their way across. e deck is filled
fille d with panicking effect on the crew. Captain Sara wants to toss the statue
crew, and the captain’s door remains shut. “We’ve come for it,” one of
the figures hisses. e ship is being boarded. overboard anditlet
not transport anyit sink quietly
farther. in to the her
Convincing darkotherwise
waves. She will
requires
e dark agents have come to collect the statue. e party’s rest magic or a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check.
is interrupted by cries from above deck. ey arrive on deck
(B) to find a boarding party intent on slaughtering the crew. REWARDS
( fext)) a second mate
e boarding party consists of a captain (fext For saving her ship, the captain offers the PCs free passage to
(noctiny ) and two (CR 9) to four (CR 10) crew
cre w (cultists). Combat their original destination and a free ride to another port if they
begins with the noctiny and the cultists forming a loose defensive so desire. Captain Sara believes herself to be indebted to the PCs
formation around their fext captain, having already made it onto  and should prove a useful ally for sailing to various destinations
the deck (A). e black ship sinks into the water and disappears as  when your campaign
campaign requires it.
it.
soon as the fext is slain. e noctiny wears a gilded pearl necklace
 worth 750 gp.
gp. e
e fext captain bears
bears the shark-tooth crown (see
WHAT’S NEXT
"Appendix"), which can be taken and used by the PCs.
e PCs may have made an enemy. e agents of the dark god
 Wild Eyes and Dark oughts:
oughts: e crew of the  Silver Slipper   are slain, and its prized artifact likely cast to the boom of the
are temporarily mad. e appearance of the black ship and sea. at other black ships sail in the god’s name? at evil
the statue’s evil aura have turned them feral. Each round on comes seeking revenge once the party makes it back onto land?

DARK NIGHT AT THE ODEUM


FOUR 7TH- TO
TO 8TH-LEVEL PCS

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our humblest show. e Night’s


THE THEATRE
 Promise eatre Troupe has rehearsed a wondrous
wondrous panoply of song
song,,
 poem, and soliloquy
soliloquy.. Lights dim; let the show begin!"   A semicircle of stone
stone bench-seating built to
to gaze upon an gilded
gilded and
ornate proscenium stage. Above you is a canopy of leaves and branches
with tiny glowing lights fliing here and there. Fey citizens filter in and
SUMMARY take their seats with you. Onstage, a number of performers make ready.
 A powerful evil plots
plots to corrupt
corrupt the fey audience
audience aending  A tall curtain conceals
conceals something toward
toward the rear center of the stage.
stage.
a theatrical performance. Her priests pose as convincing
performers who set the stage for their master’s arrival in the final  Allow the PCs to take
take their seats:
seats: they may sit together or
act. ile staying in the fey community and perhaps as partial separately. Eventually the lights in the canopy dim, and the
reward for some previous accomplishment,
accomplishment, the party is invited performance
performan ce starts with a happy tune.
to the performance. In this dramatic and deadly adventure for
seventh- and eighth-level PCs, the party witnesses a strange THE PERFORMANC
PERFORMANCE
E
performance and the corruption of the fey audience before e performance is divided into three acts. ere is no clear story
defeating a herald of darkness and her priests. to the performance. e acts are gestural and allow for as lile or
as much additional material as you’d like to include.
AN INVITATION

 A folded leaf reveals golden writing


writing when opened: "You
"You are most ACT 1: REVELRY
cordially invited to aend our celebration and performance in the  It was a festival
festival to celebrate
celebrate festivals, and
and even the mice danced.
Odeum tonight. —e Night’s Promise eatre Troupe" 
In the first act, three clowns appear on stage. ey engage in a
e party receives invitations to the performance by the leaders number of entertaining and humorous antics. ere is juggling,
of the fey city. e villainous theatre troupe have no idea that bawdy poems, obscene limericks, and other performances
the heroes are aending and are under the impression their meant to celebrate the silly and
a nd trivial. Toward
Toward the end of the
corruption of the audience will be unchallenged. act, the clowns play an energetic jig. Many audience members

21
 

FOUR 7TH- TO
TO 8TH-LEVEL PCS

stand and dance along with the performers. e PCs must ACT 2: PORTENTS
succeed a DC 16 Wisdom save or be compelled to dance as well. Winter came, and shadows grew; a new star rose in the night sky.
e dancing ends quickly, and there are no other effects. Be sure
to keep the mood light in the first act; feel free to bring your In the second act, two crones arrive onstage and deliver somber
own limericks to the table. monologues. e crones philosophize and praise entropy. e
theme of their performance is dark portents—the arrival of
unwanted gis, the grotesque faces of those in despair. Toward

IN YOUR CAMPAIGN IN MIDGARD


                   
             
      
                  
                    
                  

                   
                  
   herald of darkness 
darkness  Tome of Beasts
Beasts             
   medusa
medusa 
             

22
 

FOUR 7TH- TO
TO 8TH-LEVEL PCS

the end of the act, the crones begin talking with the audience uncontrollably, their bodies wracked by sobs. In their coherent
members. ey begin revealing information about the audience  moments, they can be heard complaining about the cold. PCs
that they should not know. Have
Have the crones announce facts about  within 10 . of a wailer must succeed
succeed a DC 16 Charisma
Charisma save or
the PCs that the performers would not know nor be capable become inconsolably sad. Affected PCs receive disadvantage on
of guessing. e tone of the second act is serious and slightly saving throws until the end of their next turn.
ominous. Bring your own grim verses to add tension to the act. rasher: rashers' limbs extend unnaturally, and their
rasher:
movements become unpredictable. eir twisting forms are
ACT 3: DARKNESS ARRIVES a danger to any who step too close. PCs who start or end their
“And now, to close our humble show—the lady of loneliness, the turn within 5 . of a thrasher, or whose movement passes
mistress of melancholy—our true master of ceremonies.
ceremonies.”” A performer beside a thrasher, must succeed a DC 16 Dexterity save or be
draws back the curtain and reveals an impossibly tall elf.
e lf. She smiles, pushed 15 . in a random direction and be knocked prone.
and it is dreadful and beautiful at once. “I bring you such gis . . .”  Dreamer: On initiative 15 of the first round, all dreamers project
Dreamer:
e woman is a herald of darkness,
darkness, and she begins to sing a low their waking dreams into the world via a burst of psychic
and frightening song. e fey audience clasp their ears or begin energy. e projections vary—some are clouds of buerflies,
to writhe ecstatically. Combat begins with the herald onstage (A) others are waves of blood, and still others are sail boats
and her two (CR 11) or three (CR 12) priests
priests spread
 spread out near the navigating stormy seas. ese projections have no mechanical
front of the stage. e herald uses her majesty of the abyss at the effect but provide an opportunity to fill the theatre bale with
beginning of the combat and shadow form to position herself strange objects and visions. ey remain manifested in the
best for embrace the darkness. e priests heal and assist the  world until
until the herald is slain.
herald in bringing down the PCs, whose presence has frustrated Devourer: e audience member’s mouth and teeth grow
Devourer:
the herald’s corrupting plans. Slaying the herald ends the large—its jaw unhinges, and it gropes blindly for something to
corrupting influence on the audience. satiate its sudden hunger. PCs who start or end their turn next
to a devourer are subject to . . .
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION  Bite
e audience begins to tremble, wail, and thrash. e song sung by . Meleepiercing
(1d6+4) weapon damage.
aack: +6 hit, reach 5 ., 1 target. Hit: 8
aack
the creature onstage has a strong effect on the fey around you. Limbs
elongate,, jaws unhinge—what shadows burst om their heart cages?
elongate REWARDS
e orations and singing of the herald of darkness have a Provided the party didn’t slay any of the audience, the fey
profound effect on the fey audience members siing beside the community reward the party with a ring of shooting stars. An
PCs. ile some are able to reject the corrupting gis offered escort to the limits of the fey’s domain is earned for slaying the
by the herald, many cannot. e audience members do not herald, and the party earn the favor of a fey community.
move and should be treated like hazards—though the party
can slay them automatically with any aack. e herald and her WHAT’S NEXT
minions are unaffected by the audience. Distribute corrupted fey
e herald’s ploy has brought her success in the past. Perhaps
throughout the theatre as you wish, and use the following effects
she and her priests have le a trail of corrupted fey, human,
to add flavor and danger to the encounter.
and goblin communities behind her. at might save these
 Wailer:: On initiative 20 of the first round, all wailers cry
 Wailer communities from the corruption?

THE TANGLED TEMPLE


FOUR 8TH- TO 9TH-LEVEL PCS

“Tell your secrets to the jungle.”  secrets. In this moss-covered and dark adventure for eighth-
and ninth-level PCs, the party explores an old temple, faces its
SUMMARY  verdant guardians,
guardians, and finds
finds the source
source of the strange
strange disease.
disease.
 ile travelling
travelling through
through a jungle expanse,
expanse, the party meet a
SMERA’S TALE
trader named Smera with a strange tale. Turned away from a
nearby outpost, the trader is now heading back to civilization.  A local trader meets the PCs as they travel or camp near the road.
Curiosity leads the party to the outpost, which has been ( thugs)) are returning to
She and her entourage of ten guards (thugs

destroyed.
 who A strange
built the place indisease
place supporthas
of taken
of the outpost’s
a scholarly inhabitants,
excavation of a civilization
living in theaer selling
jungle. She their goods to the
is a charismatic remote
woman communities
with a keen
nearby temple ruin. Following the path carved through the  wit and a penchant
penchant for drinking.
drinking. Smera
Smera was supposed
supposed to make
jungle by the excavation team, the PCs find the temple and its a stop at an outpost but was turned back a few days ago byb y its
inhabitants due to some sort of illness taking hold there.

23
 

FOUR 8TH- TO 9TH-LEVEL PCS

 I was paid well to bring


bring supplies to an outpost not far
far om here. Some
Some bien by this aack must make a DC 14 Constitution save or
scholars om away decided one of the old temples was worth their gold contract mineral rot. A successful save results in immunity to
and time. Built a stronghold of sorts—brought soldiers and servants contracting the disease for 24 hours.
and everything! Cut their path a few miles up the road.
THE AFFLICTED OUTPOST
Smera provides the following information:
• e outpost is in support of an excavation of some nearby e smoldering remains of the outpost sit before you. Its timber walls
temple site. appear torn apart in several places. rough the gaps, you can see the
• She is surprised anyone thinks the old ruins of the jungle are wooden edifices of the place in various states of ruin.
 worth that kind
kind of coin and effort. e exploration outpost built to support the excursion to the
• e location of the footpath leading to the outpost—about a temple fell to the infection several weeks ago. e workers and
day’s travel farther along the road. hired mercenaries fought against one another and against the
infected animals that prowl the region.
MINERAL ROT Exterior: e exterior of the outpost hints at the bales that
Exterior:
Upon contracting the disease, the creature feels immediately occurred here. A DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check
unwell and gains a level of exhaustion. During its next long deduces that some of the inhabitants of the outpost died while
rest, the creature must make a DC 14 Constitution save or trying to flee. Near the outpost is a recently cut path through
lose half its Charisma as its flesh begins transforming into a the jungle.
pock-marked,
pock-mark ed, stony surface. e disease can be cured by magic Interior: e outpost is destroyed. e living quarters and mess
Interior:
during this stage. hall have been badly damaged by fire. Small animals flit here and
e creature must repeat the save during its next long rest, there amongst the rubble and ash. Corpses lier the interior
fighting off the disease entirely on a successful save or space of the outpost. e women and men who dwelled here
succumbing to it on a failed one. Creatures who fail are changed died or succumbed to the mineral rot and fled into the jungle . 
into twisted moss and stone covered versions of themselves.
Storehouse: Several humanoid
Storehouse: humanoid figures sit staring
staring vacantly at the dirt
Mindless and malicious, the creature aacks any living thing it  floor.. eir clothing
 floor clothing has fallen away,
away, revealing a moss-covered,
moss-covered, stony
meets. From this point on, creatures bien by the afflicted must
crust spreading across their skin. ree (CR 8) or four (CR 10)
make a DC 14 Constitution save or contract the disease. Once
afflicted mercenaries sit panting mindlessly in the half-dark
fully transformed, only a wish spell  can
 can restore them.
of the storehouse. ey sprint at the PCs and aempt to bite
them. Treat the mercenaries as berserkers
berserkers with
 with the mineral rot
MINERAL ROT TEMPLATE disease template applied to them. ey do not use weapons;
Use the following template to apply the end stage of mineral rot instead treat their bite aack as follows . . .
to monsters faced by the party. e disease raises a creature’s
 Bite. Melee weapon aack: +5 hit, reach 5 ., 1 target.  Hit : 8
challenge rating by 1. Adjust encounters accordingly.
(1d8+3) piercing damage and the creature must make a DC 14
• Increase the AC by 2. Constitution save or contract mineral rot. A successful save
• e creature gains resistance to slashing damage from non- results in immunity to contracting the disease for 24 hours.
magical sources.
ere are still some intact supplies here: 20 days' worth of
• e creature is immune to disease and poison. rations, several barrels of good drinking water, and two healer’s
• e creature’s unarmed aacks are magical. kits can be found in the rubble.
• e creature gains extra hp equal to half its stated hp total.
• If it does not already have one, the creature gains a bite aack
 with hit and damage
damage ranges
ranges appropriate to its CR. Creatures

IN YOUR CAMPAIGN IN MIDGARD


        
          
                      
                   
                  
    vine troll skeleton 
 vine skeleton  Tome of Beasts
Beasts            
   trolls
trolls               
                    
          
    
                 
          
                  
  
24
 

FOUR 8TH- TO 9TH-LEVEL PCS

1—TEMPLE ENTRANCE 2—CHAMBER OF SEALED URNS


 A sliver of a passage has been excavated,
excavated, allowing
allowing access to the temple
temple e boom of the stairs opens into a great, circular chamber. e roots
interior.. e thin passage eventually opens into a small entry chamber.
interior of the jungle have penetrated this stony place, and a tangle of vines
 Piles of moss covered stones
stones sit against
against the walls of this place.
place. A stone spread down om above. In the center of the chamber are six stone urns.
staircase descends deeper into the darkness.  All but one are sealed tight.
tight. One urn appears opened;
opened; its lid sits on the
 floor nearby.
nearby.
e walls here are marked with glyphs and pictographs. A DC 15
Intelligence (Investigation) check suggests the glyphs are likely e urns contain the remains of ancient humanoids afflicted by
a warning of some sort. A DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) the mineral rot disease. Unable to cleanse the corpses properly
deduces that the temple was likely abandoned and sealed at some and afraid the disease would spread, the builders of this temple
point in the distant past in order to contain a threat. locked the corpses away—successfully stopping the transmission
ere is some equipment belonging to the excavation team on of the disease. e recent excavation unearthed the remains and
the floor here. Broken tools and spilled parchment cases lier allowed the disease to find new hosts.
the ground. Stone Urns:
Urns: Each urn contains the desiccated remains of an
Piles: e two piles of stones are the remains of most of the
Piles: afflicted human. A pictograph on the exterior of the urns shows

expedition team. e
together, forming twomineral
sentientrot hasof
piles fused the
limbs remains
and mossy crust. the stages
disease andoftriggers
the disease.
a DCOpening an urn risks
14 Constitution save contracting the
to avoid doing
e piles are shambling mounds (CR 9), and aack the party so. Each urn contains 200 gp worth of gold and silver jewelry.
once they arrive into the entry. e mounds aempt to grapple e valuables in the open urn have spilled out onto the floor.
the PCs and drag them down the stairs into the chamber below.
25
 

FOUR 8TH- TO 9TH-LEVEL PCS

e Tangle:
Tangle: e roots from above hide a malevolent guardian
( vine
 vine troll skeleton
skeleton).
). Awakened by the excavators, the
REWARDS
In addition to the jewelry in the urns, a  staff of the python  claers
creature descends and aacks the PCs, aempting to surprise
to the ground from the tangle once the guardian is defeated. It
them from its hiding spot (Stealth 19). e guardian remains
is very old and covered in glyphs similar to the ones found in the
aached to the tangle as it fights. On initiative 1 of each round,
entrance.
the guardian may take one of the following lair actions:
•  Vine Escape.
Escape. e guardian ascends into the tangle
and reappears in any unoccupied space in the chamber. WHAT’S NEXT
Opportunity aacks made against the guardian as it escaped e disease may have spread beyond the temple and outpost.
this way are made with disadvantage. One of Smera’s guards could easily have contracted the mineral
•  ip
 ip.. Two vines lash out from the tangle and aempt to trip rot, bringing it to nearby civilization. Alternatively, the temple’s
any creature standing in the chamber. Targeted creatures urn-filled chamber may provide access to a larger structure
must make a DC 15 Dexterity save or be knocked prone.  where the nature
nature of the disease becomes
becomes clear . . .

THE SPARKING SPIRE


FOUR 8TH- TO 9TH-LEVEL PCS

"at dwells at the top of that spire? Bad memories and scaled malice— SPIRE EXTERIOR 
stay away om there." 
e rocky spire rises om the sand, a great stone finger pointing at the

sky. A few gulls circle lazily above its peak, and the sound of the ocean
SUMMARY mixes with their cries. A few sculing things break into panic before
e spire has existed for as long as locals can remember. Rising  your steps, their pearlescent shells gleaming in
in the sun.
above the sand near the ocean, the spire is topped by a natural
e spire is roughly 500 . in diameter and rises 60 . into
cave system. Stories about the place circulate
ci rculate around the docks
the air. e rocky face of the spire provides many hand- and
and taverns of the nearby towns—dark tales of ritual sacrifice
footholds for those endeavoring to climb. e dragon has
and the worship of long dead gods of lightning and storm. Many
pushed the bones of the creatures it has eaten out of its lair, and
claim the victims of the old cult still crawl through the tunnels
they have formed a pile at the boom. All manner of sea-creature
accessible at the peak of the spire. Others say a new scaly threat
and humanoid remains are found in the large pile. A careful
now lairs there, and the storms of late have been most violent
search of the bones and a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check
near that place. In this explorative and perilous adventure
a dventure for
uncovers a few very long strands of black hair mingled in with
eighth- and ninth-level PCs, the party ascends a great rocky
the bones. e hair belongs to the drowned maidens who dwell
spire to face the place’s past and the blue dragon that presently
in the chamber outside the dragon’s lair. PCs who touch the hairs
resides there.
find them clinging and difficult to remove.

TO THE SPIRE CHARGED CORAL


Leading the PCs to explore the spire can be achieved in a number
e walls of the caves inside the spire are made from magical
of ways. e locals are generally afraid of the place and avoid
coral that feeds on electricity
electricity.. e coral glows, alternating vibrant
sailing by it, let alone walking near it. e spire looms large in
blue and pink. e entire cave system is lit with dim light from
the imagination of the people living nearby. e PCs might hear
this spectacular display. Creatures who come into contact with
of the spire as they travel the coastal region, though the stories
the walls must succeed a DC 14 Constitution save or be shocked
about the place vary from person to person.
for 7 (2d6) lightning damage. On a failed save, the creature is also
 Alternatively
 Alternativ ely,, the party may be sailing and spy the impressive
affected by one of the following effects (choose or roll randomly):
stony finger from afar—a single flash of lightning emanates
from its peak. Perhaps their own curiosity takes them to it.
• 1–2 Twitchy . e PC feels overly alert. ey receive advantage
on their initiative rolls but disadvantage on Dexterity checks
e caves at the top of the spire were once used for rituals of
for an hour.
a sinister and electric nature. It could be that the party is led
to the site by some priest who wishes its religious significance • 3–4 Humming.
Humming. e PC emits a constant audible hum. e
explored. You may of course add what details you need to weave hum is soothing and restores them to full hp, and they receive

the spire into your unique campaign. disadvantage on Stealth checks for an hour.
• 5–6 Buzzed.
Buzzed. e PC feels intoxicated by the electrical fields.
ey have advantage on saves against spells and effects that
cause fear, and they receive disadvantage on Intelligence
checks for an hour.
26
 

FOUR 8TH- TO 9TH-LEVEL PCS

Note: Once a PC has been affected by the coral’s electrical magic,


Note:
they are immune to the extra effects for 24 hours. However, they IN YOUR CAMPAIGN
may still take damage from coming into contact with the walls.         
 A DC 17 Intelligen
Intelligence
ce (Arcana) check
check suggests
suggests the coral
coral was            
once used as storage for magic energy. It seems likely the magic
animated the coral in unpredictable ways. A DC 17 Wisdom          
   drowned maidens 
maidens  Tome of Beasts
Beasts  
(Nature) check reveals the coral has adapted to live out of water   ropers.
and likely uses electricity to maintain itself.
         
Living Arcs:
Arcs: At random times, the coral manifests small      
     
humanoid-shaped beings of pure electricity (dust mephits).         
ese living conduits act unpredictably; they may aack the    
party, follow them curiously, or aempt to aid them. Use these
creatures to reinforce the mystery of the place. ey may come IN MIDGARD
to the defense of the dragon if the bale seems very one sided.          
        
1—THE MAIDENS’ POOLS            
          
is large, rocky chamber is punctuated with stalagmites and
        
stalactites.. e walls of this cave system appear to be made om stone
stalactites
        
and coral. e coral sheds dim blue light that crackles and hums. e
slight sound of lapping water is heard om farther inside.           
         
 A few of the unhappy
unhappy victims sacrificed in this strange
strange place           
remain trapped here; the pools in this chamber serve as the        
resting place for these bier spirits. e spirits are relatively
27
 

FOUR 8TH- TO 9TH-LEVEL PCS

neutral about the dragon’s decision to occupy the upper chamber • Spells that deal lightning damage have a 50% chance of
of the spire. e few explorers who have come before have been dealing maximum damage automatically.
trapped and eaten in these grim and watery caves long before • e dragon’s breath weapon is altered when used inside its
reaching the dragon’s lair. lair, increasing its recharge rate by one (recharge 4–6), though
Bier Cries, Spectral Sighs:
Sighs: e caves sound with the angry the damage of the ability remains the same.
and mournful cries of the dead. Each PC who hears the sounds e altar is powered by a massive pearl embedded in its top. e
must succeed a DC 14 Wisdom save or feel a deep sense of pearl is worth at least 3,000 gp. Removing it requires a set of
dread. On a failed save, PCs begin their next round of combat thieves' tools and a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.
frightened by the nearest enemy. e effect lasts until the end of

their next turn.


Floating in the Water
Water:: e largest pool contains two drowned REWARDS
Isondim has amassed a small hoard of treasure inside his
maidens,, who aempt to pull the PCs into the pool with their
maidens lair. ere are 1,100 sp and 700 gp spread about the dragon’s
grasping hair. e maidens receive advantage on hair aacks chamber. ere are also 1d8×10 precious stones of various
made while standing in their pool. types (25 gp value each) stored in ornate wooden boxes stacked
amongst the coins.
2—ISONDIM’S
2—ISONDIM’S LAIR 
L AIR 
e ceiling of this large natural cavern is almost entirely open to the WHAT’S NEXT
air.. In the center is a very old-looking stone and shell altar that sparks
air e altar is surely desired by a variety of creatures. Perhaps
occasionally.. A very big pearl has been embedded in the top of the altar;
occasionally Isondim’s presence prevented the others from aempting to
it crackles audibly. e coral walls here are aglow with electrical ener, claim it, and now with the dragon slain, an opportunity presents
shedding bright light throughout. ere are blue scales liering the itself. e
e magical pearl in the altar might be sought by
b y dark
 floor,, and the walls show evidence
 floor evidence of being scraped or
or clawed. forces who look to seize it from the
is is the lair of Isondim, the young blue dragon. He has grown party should they keep it . . .
 very aached toto the altar and enjoys its affect
affect on him and the
the
coral walls. He assumes the PCs have arrived to steal the pearl
and will likely aack them immediately. Isondim may engage
the party in conversation if they make a large effort to avoid
combat. He might spare them provided they offer him something
 valuable. He
He will not tolerate
tolerate deception
deception or exploration
exploration of his lair.
lair.
He begins combat in the skies above the spire and uses his breath
 weapon before
before landing and
and continuing
continuing his aacks.
Master of the Altar.
Altar . On initiative 1 of each round, Isondim
draws on the magic of the altar to do one of the following:
• Summon a living arc (see "Charged Coral" above) to assist
him. Isondim can never summon more than one living arc at
a time.
• Heal half the amount of damage he successfully dealt with his
breath weapon this round.
• Expel a shockwave emanating 30 . in all directions from
the altar. Any creature caught by the shockwave must make
a DC 15 Constitution save or be thrown 40 . away from the
altar. If the creature strikes a wall during this movement, they
take 1d6 bludgeoning damage for each 10 . they are thrown.
Remember that touching a wall has additional effects covered
in "Charged Coral" above. Isondim may only use this effect
once each 24 hours.

THE FULMINATING ALTAR 


ALTAR 
In the center of the old ritual chamber (now the dragon’s lair)
is the ancient altar once used in
i n sacrificial rites by forgoen
 worshippers.
 worshippe rs. e
e altar maintains
maintains some of its original
original
power, and its effects on creatures within 50 . of the
spire are as follows:
• Spells that deal damage have a 50% chance of dealing
lightning damage instead.
28
 

FOUR 10TH- TO 11TH-LEVEL PCS

VALLEY OF BLACK
BLACK TEARS
FOUR 10TH- TO 11TH-LEVEL PCS

"In this lost place, even the stones weep."  Dark Heart:
Heart: e PCs' thoughts become troubled the deeper
into the wood they go. eir fears and troubles begin to
manifest amongst the dead trees around them. Each PC must
SUMMARY name their fear and describe how they might overcome it.
 An evil oracular being
being has taken up
up residence in a lonely valley.
valley. Encourage the PCs to assist one another in overcoming their
e only access to the valley is through a thick, dead wood whose fear. You may summon an appropriate monster for them
shadows draw out foul memories from those who travel there. to fight or keep it strictly a roleplaying experience. If this
e oracle, Lurinax, has recently divined the season in which the roleplaying does not suit your table, you may instead ask the
 world will end.
end. is knowledge
knowledge is greatly prized by many,
many, so the PCs to succeed a DC 15 Wisdom save or be shaken by their time
evil fortune teller hides in his lair, protected by maddening winds in the woods, losing inspiration, and receiving disadvantage on
and the souls of those he slew to obtain his knowledge. In this their next ability check or aack roll.
grim and dark adventure for tenth- and eleventh-level PCs, the
party must travel the trail of shadows, face the manifestations of
THE VALLEY
Lurinax’s victims, and finally the evil oracle himself.
himself.
e woods open into a long and grim valley. e stone walls rise
LURINAX, MASTER OF VISIONS upward into a shiing grey sky. No evidence of the world beyond the
valley can be seen. It bends ahead and opens further.
further. A terrible wind
( spirit naga)
Lurinax is a powerful magical being (spirit naga) who has spent
blows through this place. Nothing grows om the blasted, slate ground.
centuries studying calendars and prophecies related to the end
of the world. He appears as a great spectral serpent with an old e valley stretches
stretches on for a lile over a mile. Lurinax’s lair is

man’s bearded
unhinged head. Twisting,
and disconnected shadowy
from arms
his scaly float
body. beside
Some say him,
he near the end ofbelow),
and Madness" the valley.
andTravelling hereliving
the air causes is dangerous
things to(see "Dust
become
 was once an elf wizard who wentwent mad aer discovering
discovering some extremely thirsty. Aer each half hour of travel, each PC must
uncommunicable mathematical truth. Others say he is a traveller make a DC 15 Constitution save or be compelled to drink half
from beyond the stars who has studied cataclysms on multiple their carried supply of water. If they fail this save and have no
 worlds. ough his origins
origins are unknown,
unknown, his nature is obvious.  water to drink,
drink, they suffer one level of exhaustion.
exhaustion. Other
Other PCs
Lurinax is a deeply evil creature—so evil that his very presence may offer their water to stave off this effect. Lingering in the
in the valley has transformed the nearby region. e dead woods  valley is dangerous;
dangerous; the threat
threat of the unnatural thirst
thirst may lead
and valley itself have been drawn partly into a demi-plane: a the party to move more quickly than is prudent.
place caught between the material world and a dark magical  As the party travels
travels through
through the valley
valley,, they are witness
witness to a
realm. Lurinax is not interested in bargains or convers
conversation.
ation. strange phenomenon. e walls of the valley begin sweating—
rough magical rituals involving the destruction of mortal the condensation collecting and eventually running down the
souls, Lurinax has recently discovered a shocking truth: the stony face. As it goes, the water collects the black dust that swirls
season in which the end of the world will occur. through the valley, creating a tear-streaked effect. e walls
 Wizards,, bards, madwomen,
 Wizards madwomen, colleges,
colleges, and scholars
scholars might be appear to weep these blackened tears. Touching the tears triggers
keenly interested in obtaining this knowledge. e party may be a DC 15 Constitution save to avoid being poisoned for an hour.
hired by some agent to explore the valley, and recover his tomes
in hopes of learning the truth. How the agent came to learn of DUST AND MADNESS
Lurinax’s discovery is unknown.  A howling wind blows
blows eternally through the
the valley.
valley. It shapes
shapes
 Alternatively
 Alternatively,, the PCs may find
find themselves
themselves on the trail
trail of small cyclones of dust and grit from the floor of this forlorn
shadows by accident as they travel the wilds pursuing their own place, blowing it here and there. e dust is made from the
ends. sundered souls of the unfortunate visitors who came before.
Lurinax has means to tear the spirit from the flesh, render it
THE TRAIL OF SHADOWS into something tangible, and crush it—destroying the creature
permanently. e dust in the valley contains traces of all the
rough the dead wood, a path uncoils. e lifeless branches above form
creatures Lurinax has annihilated in his search for knowledge.
a dense canopy, bloing out all but tiny specks of sky, which appear like
Use the dust and maddening wind described below to add
stars in the darkness. Shadows grow long here, and the dry air leaves a
tension and danger as the party traverses the valley.
bier taste in your mouth and a burning in your lungs.
 Annihilum:: e swirling dust can form a humanoid shape
 Annihilum
e path the
reaching through
valley.the
PCsdead
whowood is the
aempt toonly reliable
fly, scry, means of find
or otherwise  with a twisted visage
visage caught in eternal open
open mouth scream.
scream.
ese eyeless beings are evil and want to draw the life from any
an alternate route find themselves unable to pierce the obscuring ( air elementals)
creature entering the valley. e annihilum (air elementals)
magic of Lurinax. e trail of shadows leads the PCs from the protect the valley and appear in groups of two (CR 9) or
mortal world to the demi-plane of the evil master oracle. three (CR 13). A DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check made
29
 

FOUR 9TH- TO 10TH-LEVEL PCS

 while observing the


the annihilum suggests
suggests that,
that, while they
appear elemental in nature, the magic that created them is
IN YOUR CAMPAIGN necromantic. Each annihilum repeats the horrible pleading
          last words of their long dead living form. Even in combat, the
         monstrous beings beg those around them to let them live.
          
Mad Gusts:
Gusts: Every so oen, a powerful plow wind blows
       
through the valley. Creatures caught in the path of the wind
            
must succeed a DC 15 Dexterity save or be knocked prone,
          
taking 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage as they hit the stony
   
ground. Creatures knocked prone by the wind must also make
a DC 15 Wisdom save or be incapacitated for 1d4 rounds as they
IN MIDGARD
experience maddening
maddening visions caused by Lurinax’s magic.
         
         
LURINAX’S LAIR 
        
            A short stony tunnel leads to a massive cave in the side of valley. Large

 
     piles
on theoffloors
candles
andreveal hundreds of scaered
strange glyphs andthere;
sigilsskulls
painted
       
  walls. Bones are here and
       leer silently. A massive painted eye dominates the floor of the main
         chamber. A trick of the light gives it the illusion of moving—watching
 you as you arrive.
30
 

FOUR 11TH-LEVEL PCS AND UP

(spirit naga)
Lurinax (spirit naga) meditates near the back of the lair on a a foul mix of dried blood and powered bone. is alchemical
pile of splintered bone. He does not appreciate interruption and implement radiates magic and evil; it weighs 50 lb. and would
sees the PCs as lile more than fuel for his continued research. surely fetch a tidy sum to a collector of such things. A DC
 A large mortar and
and pestle sits
sits near Lurinax and is surrounded by 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check allows a creature to activate
 various arcane tomes. A pile
pile of armor and equipment taken
taken from the mortar and pestle—Lurin
pestle—Lurinax’s
ax’s remains could be slowly
his victims sits near his meditation mound. destroyed this way, ensuring the beast’s permanent death.
Ocular Sigil:
Sigil: e great eye painted on the floor of the room is
infused with protective magic. On initiative 20 of each round of REWARDS
combat in which Lurinax still has hp remaining, the eye stares e oracle has many tomes stacked up in his lair. Among his
at onearandomly
make chosensave
DC 17 Wisdom enemy of Lurinax.
or feel a sense ofat creaturedoom,
impending must research is a thin booklet bound in humanoid flesh. In it is a
simple statement wrien in the infernal tongue that details
suffering disadvantage on its aacks against Lurinax until the the season in which the world will end. Also in the stacks is an
end of its next turn. ancient text filled with elven prophecies. e book is actually a
Eyes of Lurinax:
Lurinax: Two gibbering
Two gibbering mouthers patrol
mouthers patrol the lair tome of understanding .
and join Lurinax in combat (CR 14). eir gibbering trait is
empowered by Lurinax, increasing the save DC to 12. e WHAT’S NEXT
mouthers uer a constant stream of nonsense prophecies,
Knowledge such as this is a dangerous thing. at might the
likely involving the PCs or their loved ones.
PCs do or be forced to do with the knowledge? o might work
Soulgrinder: Lurinax’s mortar and pestle is designed to grind
Soulgrinder: against them to take possession of Lurinax’s thin booklet?
the essence from a living creature. Its interior is coated with

A SHROUD FOR AGANATHA


FOUR 11TH-LEVEL PCS AND UP

"e shroud was a gi, brought by a traveller om the East. She said Provided the party assisted in the fight, the dwarves invite the
it had fooled the gods themselves in the past—thoug
past—thoughh who it was that PCs to receive thanks from Aganatha in the Hall of the Unmoved.
craed it, she could not say." 
HALL OF THE UNMOVED
SUMMARY  Powerful columns
columns rise om the stone
stone floor into the darkness
darkness above.
 A bargain struck between a dwarf chieain and a great divine Great metal braziers have been lit, casting light and smoke into the
power forms the heart of this adventure. e chieain, impressive hall. Tall
Tall banners depicting
d epicting an axe, a hammer, and an ornate
unwilling to step down from her position as ruler, seeks a way to chalice hang om the columns. Here and there, dwarves mill about; they
hide from the god. en the party rescues some of her kin, they regard you as they pass, nodding at the warriors with whom you walk
are offered riches for recovering a long lost magical shroud with this sturdy place.
the power to obscure mortals from the eyes of the gods. But e dwarves of the Unmoved happily trade with the PCs, who
recovering the shroud draws the aention of the god’s agents, may also rent a humble but clean room from the clan’s single
and the party must choose a side. In this storied and fate-filled inn: the Yellow Stone.
adventure for eleventh-level and up PCs, the party must bale e principal experience in the hall should be an audience
their way through a ruined dwarven armory before deciding the  with the chieain,
chieain, Aganatha
Aganatha the Ageless,
Ageless, who thanks
thanks the PCs
PCs
fate of the chieain. for assisting her scout with the giants and suggests they dine
 with her at the
the next reasonable
reasonable occasion.
occasion. If they refuse
refuse her
SOUNDS OF BATTLE invitation, the chieain likely aempts to speak with them about
e party hears the unmistakable sounds of a bale raging over her dilemma immediately, having recognized the PCs as possible
the next ridge. Investigating, they discover a small unit of dwarf allies in her personal plight.
losing a bale to five hill giants.
 warriors losing giants. Two of the giants have Feast with Aganatha:
Aganatha: e party is well fed and toasted by the
engaged the dwarves in melee while three more are positioned chieain and a dozen or so dwarves of import. Aer the meal is
on a nearby ridge, taking pleasure in throwing rocks down on over, Aganatha bids her brethren goodbye, ushering them out,
the baered defenders. Once the dwarves are aware of the party, so she might speak with the party alone. During this meeting,
the leader, a grim faced dwarf with a badly broken arm, signals she explains her situation and aempts to enlist the party's aid.
the rock throwers as the real threat. Her story can be improvised using the following information:
If the party assist the dwarves, the leader asks them outright •  A 100 years ago,
ago, her health
health was failing.
failing.
to take on the giants on the ridge. If they leave the dwarves to
their fate, ensure they encounter the five hill giants shortly aer
• Her people were fighting a war against orc tribes and
needed a strong leader.
leaving the scene.
31
 

FOUR 11TH-LEVEL PCS AND UP

• She summoned a medium from afar with the ability to hammer, and the chalice. Out of bale, she wears simple
speak with divine powers. clothing and a wide, leather belt with a dragon’s tooth on the
• For days, Aganatha and the medium aempted to contact buckle. In combat, she wears a suit of magical adamantine
the gods in hopes of granting Aganatha more life—enough armor with milky quartz adornments on the breastplate and
to lead her people through the wars. gauntlets.. e chieain is incredibly strong and, as her bargain
gauntlets
• Eventually, a divine being of unknown origins agreed to dictated, has lost none of her vitality to time.
grant Aganatha a whole century of vigor, and in exchange, Personality/Roleplaying: Aganatha is a warrior at heart.
Personality/Roleplaying:
 Aganatha would
would die and serve the
the being eternally
eternally.. Having survived numerous bales, she is extremely confident
• Her time is coming to an end, and the dwarf wishes to and unshakable. In her younger years, the bright fire in her

continue on as leader. spirit


of thewon her thefor
Unmoved hearts of her
almost 200people. Sheher
years, and hasrole
beenasthe leader
chieain
• She has found record of an ancient magical object with the
power to hide a mortal being from the gods: the Shroud of Oth is a part of her being.
b eing. She is direct and places lile value in
(see "Appendix"). e shroud was a gi to the dwarves, but it small talk and niceties although she has an excellent gallows
 was abandoned in an armory in one of the countless
countless wars. sense of humor.
• She would see the party retrieve it for her, and in exchange,  at She Knows:
Knows:
the dwarves would give them two objects of great magical • e location of the abandoned armory.
power. • e mountains around the armory are wild and dangerous.

AGANATHA, THE AGELESS CHIEFTAIN


JOURNEY TO THE ARMORY
 I’ve seen my clan through countless wars,
wars, invasions,
invasions, plagues, and
e armory is located 30 miles from the Hall of the Unmoved.
cataclysms.. Each time, the three banners of the Unmoved triumphed.
cataclysms
e mountains and hills of the region are difficult to traverse,
 I’ll not give up my rule for something
something as changing
changing as fate.
fate.
and the party’s normal travel speed is reduced by half. Use the
 at She Wants
Wants Most:
Most: To extend her rule over her clan. following encounters to challenge the party as they travel.
Physical Traits:
Traits: Aganatha is a broad-shouldered dwarf with Bulee Storm:
Storm: A flash storm precedes an aempted ambush by
emerald eyes and a permanent wry grin. Her white hair is 3 (CR 13) bulees
bulees,, who use the heavy rain and thunder to mask
 worn in three
three long braids,
braids, each tipped
tipped with a silver figurine
figurine their approach. e monsters leap on the party from above.
representing the three symbols of her clan: the axe, the
Eins in Love:
Love: e party hears a terrifying series of screams
and curses emanating from a cave in the mountains.
ing, they discover three eins
Investigating,
Investigat eins (CR
 (CR 10) feuding with
one another. eir conversation suggests that a love-triangle of
IN YOUR CAMPAIGN sorts exists between several of the heads, creating a confusing
         and loud confrontation.
           
          1—ABANDONED ARMORY ENTRANCE
           
  is long crumbling hall reeks of waste and rot. Humanoid and animal
bones lier the stony floor.
   skein witch  Tome of Beasts
Beasts   
  deva
deva         e entrance is the lair of six (CR 9) to eight ogres
ogres (CR
 (CR 12). eir
         leader, a smarter than average brute named Turg, wields a +2
sealed destiny  magical greatclub and has the maximum number of hp. e ogres
        
    have not explored the deeper sections of the armory; the cold
           winds and hissing
hissing are enough to keep them
them out. e ogres have
have
       erected crude walls at either end of the entry hall. ey defend
their lair with mindless violence. Once two or more of their
IN MIDGARD number fall in combat, the rest aempt to flee into the collapsed
        chamber—their fear of the PCs outweighing their fear of the
        depths. Any ogres who manage to escape can be heard dying
    
    horribly in the darkness of the collapsed chamber, slain by the
         wraiths that
 wraiths  that live there.
       
       
       
       
        
     
32
 

FOUR 11TH-LEVEL PCS AND UP


33
 

FOUR 11TH-LEVEL PCS AND UP

2—THE EMPTY HALLS swirling around its body. e skein witch (CR 13) does not
aack. Instead it aempts to explain that Aganatha cannot be
e air is stale here, and all is in ruins. ese rooms and passages might allowed to break the bargain. It demands that the shroud be
have once served as living quarters for those who worked the armory. A taken far away and that the PCs must not concern themselves
 few skiering things
things flee om your footsteps.
footsteps.  with the fate of the Unmoved.
Unmoved. ItIt offers to use its sealed destiny
destiny
e halls and chambers beyond the ogre lair are mostly empty. ability to entice the PCs to agree and explains the consequences
ey can serve as a place for the party to hunt down fleeing of this gi. Aer making its case, it awaits for the PCs'
ogres. A few dwarf-sized skeletons are found as the party moves response. It will aack if the PCs refuse its request.
through the place. A DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check suggests
they died of injuries caused by weapons of some kind. Before the RETURNING THE SHROUD
party reaches the collapsed chamber, they hear agonized screams  Aganatha is true to
to her word.
word. She rewards the
the party with two
two
and ghostly bale sounds that come from no specific direction. rare magic items (GM’s choice) and provides them and honorary
estate within the walls of her hall. e PCs make a powerful
3—THE COLLAPSED CHAMBER  ally who might assist them in a variety of ways in their future
is chamber once served as a storeroom for weapons and armor.
adventures. Aganatha uses the shroud to obscure herself from
 Dwarf-sized suits of
of plate and scale mail lie corroding
corroding in piles on the
the
the divine being.
 floor.. Empty weapon racks
 floor racks line the wall. e back quarter of the room
has collapsed and stony rubble prevents further access. REWARDS
e PCs are free to keep the Shroud of Oth for themselves.
dwarf-shaped  wraiths haunt
ree (CR 13) or four (CR 15) dwarf-shaped wraiths  haunt this
ough the great witch who made it will undoubtedly come to
chamber. Having freshly killed any fleeing ogres, the wraiths
reclaim it.
spend the first round of combat raising the fallen beasts as
specters.. e wraiths guard the Shroud of Oth (see "Appendix"),
specters
 which is kept
kept in a secret room
room (DC 14 to spot
spot the entrance)
entrance) WHAT’S NEXT
connecting to the chamber. e shroud is rolled around a Keeping theReturning
its creator. shroud leads to a confrontation
the shroud to the greatwith
witchthe minions
might of
result
platinum cylinder (worth 500 gp) stored inside a large silk bag.
Fate’s Enforcer:
Enforcer: Should the party recover the shroud, as they in further adventures as the witch has lost many such items.
Returning the shroud to the dwarf likely makes the divine power
leave the armory, they will be met by a divine agent. Sent by the
angry; the party may have to contend with its servants or make
power with whom Aganatha has made her bargain, the agent
amends by performing some other task.
appears as a floating faceless humanoid with magical strands

APPENDIX
CENTAUR WRIST-WRAPS
 Wondrous
 Wondrous Item,
Item, uncommon
uncommon (requires aunement)
aunement)
ese leather and fur wraps are imbued with centaur
shamanic magic. e wraps are stained a deep orange
color, and intricate motifs painted in blue seem to float
above the surface of the leather. e bearer of these
 wraps may call on
on their magic to
to reroll any aack
aack
made with a short- or longbow; the resulting
roll must be used instead. Once used this way,
the wraps must be held in wood smoke for 15
minutes before their magic can be used again.
34
 

CLOAK OF THE EMPIRE outline of a bent humanoid form


staring at it from a point
 Wondrous Item,
 Wondrous Item, uncommon
uncommon nearby. Ever-watching,
(requires aunement by any the crone-like figure
non-good-aligned creature) occasionally points at
is voluminous grey the bearer ominously. For
cloak has bright red trim each minute the bearer is
and the sigil from an hidden by the shroud,
unknown empire on they must make a DC
its back. e cloak is 12 Wisdom save or become
stiff and does not fold afraid and forced to remove it,
as normal cloth might. ending the hidden effect.
 enever the the bearer of
this cloak is struck by a
ranged aack, they may
reduce the damage from
that aack by their
Charisma modifier.

VOID-TOUCHED BUCKLER 
 Wondrous
 Wondrous Item
Item (buckler),
(buckler), very rare (requires
(requires aunement)
aunement)
is simple wood and metal buckler belonged to an adventurer
slain by a void dragon wyrmling. It sat for decades next to a
small tear in the fabric of reality which lead to the outer plains.
It has become tainted by the void and has acquired magical traits
       
   that reflect the cold chaos of the beyond. e buckler is a +1
            shield. As an action, its bearer may invoke the power of the void.
          For 1 minute, a swirling magical aura envelops the buckler: any
          creature that misses the bearer with an aack must make a DC
        14 Wisdom save or be frightened of the bearer until the end of
         their next turn; conversely, any creature that hits the bearer with
         an aack receives advantage on aacks
          against the bearer until the end
           of its next turn. is
       
    ability cannot be
   
        activated again
         
 for 24 hours.
      

SHROUD OF OTH
 Wondrous
 Wondrous Item,
Item, unique (requires
(requires aunement)
aunement)
e strands of this shimmering silk shroud swirl like wisps
of clouds. A plain golden band runs around the edge of the
shroud. Creatures auned to this shroud receive resistance to
radiant damage as long as the shroud is on or carried on their
person. e bearer may cast the shroud over its head to render
itself invisible to celestial creatures. Additionally, the bearer
cannot be targeted by scrying magic or abilities used by celestial
creatures. ile hidden by the shroud, the bearer sees the faint
35
 

PREPARED 2 !
PLAYER MAPS
CREDITS
C: Meshon Cantrill
C:
 A D:
D: Marc Radle
P : Wolfgang Baur
© 2017 Open Design
Kobold Press, Open Design, and their associated logos are trademarks of Open Design.
e 5E logo is used by kind permission of Sasquatch Game Studio.

Identity:  e following items are hereby identified as Product Identity,


Product Identity:  Identity, as defined in the Open Game License
 version 1.0a,
1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open
Open Content: All All trademarks,
trademarks, registered trademarks
trademarks,, proper names (charact
(characters,
ers,
place names, new deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, story elements, locations, characters, artwork, graphics, maps, sidebars,
and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content are not included in this
declaration.)

ISBN is 978-1-936781-75-1

KOBOLD PRESS
P.O. Box 2811
Kirkland, WA 98083
 www.KoboldPress.com
 

AN ADVENTURE 
ON EVERY PAGE Tome of Beasts brings
Beasts brings more than
400 new foes to 5th Edition,from
vicious dungeon vermin to
earth‑shaking personications of evil!
Flip to any page in the Tome of Beasts,
Beasts,
and you’ll nd an encounter that
players won’t soon forget...
Available now from
www.KoboldPress.com and
www.KoboldPress.com  and
better game stores everywhere!
©2016 Open Design. Kobold Press logo is a trademark of Open Design.
5E bullet is used by kind permission of Sasquatch Game Studio.

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a 6. Notice of License Copyright: You


Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You
the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reser ved. are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the
1. Denitions: (a)”Contributo
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have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material Distribute.
including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, 7. Use of Product Identity: You
Identity:  You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an
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terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend,
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5. Representation of Authority to Contribute:
Contribute: If
 If You are contributing original material as Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or Prepared 2: A Dozen Fifth Edition One-Shot Adventures. Copyright
Adventures. Copyright 2017, Open Design;
You have sufcient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. Author Jon Sawatsky.
36
 

SO,
SO, YOU R PL AYERS WENT
OFF ON A   TANGENT ?

A DOZEN 5TH EDITION ONE-SHOT ADVENTURES


FOR LEVELS 1 TO 11

Never fear— Prepared
Prepared 2 offers
2 offers GMs quick solutions to keep the game moving and
players entertained, while you gure out your next move. Here are short, one-shot
adventures for every environment, including:

• A goblin machine of war rampaging through the city


• Breaches in the ice opening the door to madness from the stars
• A blight of oozes across the land and a mysterious crypt at its center
• A long-forgotten boring machine and its crazed automaton pilots
• A wasteland leviathan is moving to crush a city
• A sinister cult comes a calling during a ship cruise
• A play in the feylands goes terribly wrong

A dragon's lair by the sea
and much more,
...and
... more, lavishly illustrated with maps by Meshon Cantrill

With Prepared 2,
2, designer Jon Sawatsky has created fantastic and highly playab
playable
le
5th Edition fantasy scenarios ready to use in any fantasy campaign setting, at a
variety of PC levels. Never be caught without a plot again!
These adventures feature monsters from the core 5th Edition
and from the Tome of Beasts.
Beasts.

PO Box 2811
Kirkland WA 98083

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