The Blade, Running
The old village of Puckshire is called Mithromel by the Elves. Of course, the Elves have long stopped visiting this beautiful little forest town of roughly a hundred denizens; but it has not lost its importance for the Kingdom of Humans. The town, famous for its mead and creamy liqueur, attracts all kinds of travellers from all over the Realm, from as far away as the Mountains of Derthum, or the Bay of Hethland.
These travelers do all sorts of menial jobs at towns they visit: Drive out local bandit bands, take care of 6-feet-tall pests, and find lost items of sentimental value. Some just love the thrill of seeking abandoned towers of old, or even catacombs. There are still unclaimed relics from the War of the Serpent and the Civil War lying around.
The future is not set in stone, as they say. What these travelers will do, what they will face in the future will be based on the decisions they make. You reap what you sow.
Cozy two story building. Wooden. At one corner the innkeeper stands, cleaning mugs with a piece of cloth. Townsfolk, mostly humans are sitting around, noisily and happily drinking their meads. A middle-aged lady, possibly innkeepers wife, goes around asking the patrons if they need anything. You and a bunch of other strange looking travelers are sitting at the opposite side of the inn. The door is visible. You are all weary and tired and this inn is an excellent opportunity for you to sit and relax before you go on your ways. You start telling stories about your pasts.
This particular hook is unfinished, mainly because it naturally continued into what would eventually become The Covenant. For one reason or another, I seem to have been obsessed with swords and blades as magical items, which is why both of my high-fantasy campaigns seem to revolve around a sword-guffin.
This is also from the time when I really wanted to create my own ruleset for spells and such. So there’s not a whole lot of reference to D&D rules. I also particularly enjoy the flavor texts; I think they’re a nice touch.
The Adventurers are at The Bee & The Bear, the local inn of Puckshire. They are sharing a table, and their stories.
After the last Adventurer speaks, 5 Annoying Bandits break into the room.
Annoying Bandit – CR 1, AC 13, HP 9, Carries a sword, and thinks he wields it pretty well. 1d6, 18-20/Crit Level 1 Standard Mob.
AB 1: “Oi, Mack. Lovely night out there.”
AB 2: “Yea, Mack. Lovely night.”
AB 1: “Shut up, Joe. Where’s our payment Mack?”
Mack the Innkeeper looks at the Adventurers with begging eyes. The Adventurers can attack the Annoying Bandits, reason with them, intimidate them, or ignore them.
If the Adventurers ignore the hassle, Mack the Innkeeper takes a pouch of coins out of the pocket of his apron and hands it to Annoying Bandit 1.
Mack: “Times have changed indeed. I get robbed in my own business, and not a single soul raises a bloody finger. There’s no stopping these bastards, who knows who’ll they get next.” And then he goes back to washing cups, and doing whatever it is that an Innkeeper does. A random patron approaches the group.
Patron: Them’s the boys of the Blade they were. That Dark Elf’s got himself dug in at the Forest, and ain’t going no where. Mayor Jackson says he’d give big money to whoever brings the Blade’s Sword to him.
If the Adventurers decide to help Mack the Innkeeper, the Annoying Bandits either are killed, or they leave without making much fuss.
Mack: “Ah, so there are still some bloody good souls in this world! Thanks for helping me out strangers; but I don’t think that’s the last time I’ll see those bastards. They camp in the Great Northern Forest, just outside of town. I remember Mayor Jackson had posted something on the town board months ago. Maybe you can go check that out.”
On the Board it says: LOOKING FOR A BAND OF BRAVE SOULS. A terrible scourge calling himself The Blade has taken up the population of Puckshire as his victims. Whoever destroys this pestilence and his pack of mangy dogs, and brings back the Blade’s sword to the Mayor’s Office shall be rewarded accordingly. Signed, Mayor Jackson.
The Adventurers gear up and set out to travel. The Forest is less than an hours trek away from Puckshire. Before they know it they arrive at a path that dives deeper into the forest. An Adventurer with high Awareness can see that on one of the trees is carved the words: BEWARE, BANDITS.
Adventurers walk deeper into the Forest, treading carefully. They might choose to follow the path, but they will soon realize that the Forest is treacherous. It is as if the trees are alive, and they sense your presence.
While traveling around the forest, the DM should feel free to introduce a random encounter that is listed at the end of this document. Introduce a random encounter at this point; however, feel free to keep introducing these for as long as the adventurers are in the forest.
An Adventurer with high Awareness will see that a campfire is burning just ahead. Otherwise they will see it much later, and will not have the time to prepare. They see The Blade sitting by the campfire, holding the sword that has given him his name. He seems to be lost in his own reflection on the blade of the sword. There are some other bandits around him, but they all seem to be sleeping. [There are 5 Annoying Bandits sleeping. Requires Awareness to notice.]
The Blade – CR 2, AC 15, HP 15, His command over his sword is unmatched; yet the sword itself does not seem to belong to him. 1d8, 18-20/Crit Level 2 Elite Mob.
Annoying Bandit – CR 1, AC 13, HP 9, Carries a sword, and thinks he wields it pretty well. 1d6, 18-20/Crit Level 1 Standard Mob
The Blade is a handsome Dark Elf. He wears a black boiled-leather tunic, and wolf-pelt pants. The tip of his right ear is cut off, and there is a scar just beneath his right eye. He grins like a crazy-person whenever he fights. He is ruthless, and moves around his opponents with unmatched grace. His violet eyes pierce into the soul of whoever is looking. His silver hair is long and flows freely.
The Adventurers have the option to talk to him, attack him, come up with an elaborate plan to kill his sleeping pack, wake everyone up and attack only after then, set the forest on fire, etc.
At the end of the battle, you are able to loot The Blade. You acquire the Blade’s Sword.
The Blade’s Sword – The sword of a bandit. The design is Elvish; extremely elegant, extremely sharp, extremely lethal. It is highly unlikely that a bandit could have acquired such a beautiful sword through legal means.
Forest Encounter 1: Abandoned Temple
You come across an Abandoned Temple. Curiously, you recognize it as Elven architecture.You know that Puckshire is really close to Lake Bregath. You cannot help but wonder how old this building is.
You see a dagger inside the altar room. If you remove the dagger, the gates of the temple are shut close. 15 Shadowy Servants emerge out of nowhere.
If you survive the dagger’s trap, the dagger is yours.
Shadowy Servant – CR 1, AC 10, HP 5, A peculiar creature composed of living shadows. 1d6, +2 Shadow Damage Level 1 Minor Mob
Sacrificial Dagger – A dagger, which was used for very questionable ends. 1h, 1d6. Every two turns, 1d3 shadow damage.
DM: The old building looks like it could crumble down any second. Your instincts tell you to be wary of your steps.
Within the walls of the temple is only a rather large altar room, and nothing else. At the very centre of the room is the altar, which is a fountain shaped like a vicious snake with its mouth open. There is no liquid in the fountain. Mounds of wax, probably molten candles are littered all around the room; and some disconcerting stains.
Awareness: You see a sacrificial dagger sticking out of one of the mounds of wax. The hilt is shaped like a serpent. The blade still shines. This dagger was not abandoned.
Forest Encounter 2: Mysterious Monolith
You come across an eerie looking Mysterious Monolith. The Monolith is inert, and does not respond to you.
You see a Runic letter carved on the face of the Monolith. You decide to touch it, or interact with it. It starts glowing with a violet light, and is engulfed in black flames.
Nothing happens.
DM: The monolith seems to be a shard of pure obsidian. It looks unnatural, and makes you feel strange; afraid, but curious. The grass and roots in a five-meter radius around it have withered away. The trees also shy away from the monolith.
DM: The rune starts glowing like neon, a bright purple, almost white. And suddenly flames appear out of it, black flames. Soon the entire Monolith is engulfed in those black flames. The flames grow in intensity, and suddenly an explosion sends a beam of light into the night sky.
The monolith goes back to being inert.
Forest Encounter 3: Decrepit Elven Camp
You come across a Decrepit Elven Camp. It has not seen use in decades. It is highly unlikely that the Elves will miss anything you may find here.
You are free to loot anything and everything you may find in this camp.
DM: All around the camp are dilapidated Elven tents. Here and there you see the glint of shiny stuff under the tarps.
Elven Helmet – A helmet, dating back to the Civil War. Light Armour. +2 AC.
Elven Chainmail – A chainmail chestpiece, dating back to the Civil War. Medium Armour. +5 AC. No DEX penalty.