Rumors fly up and down the river. People have vanished. Bodies have appeared, horribly mutilated. Death stalks the streets of Zobeck, and the people are afraid. Will you stop the killer before he strikes again, and again … and again?
Bodies are turning up in a city (or large town). The organs of the victims appear to have been turned to solid crystal; in a gruesome twist, the hearts of the victims have been carefully removed. The mayor and the guard captain have hit an impasse in their investigation. Agreeing to assist in finding the murderer, the party find themselves under attack by infernal assassins as they follow the clues to a gemcutter's workshop. In this rich and devilish adventure, the party must find and face a murderer and a charming devil.
The trouble began several weeks ago when a duergar excavation team went to work in a long-abandoned temple. Drawn to the temple by stories of riches and artifacts, the duergar hired several giants as laborers before cracking the temple’s sealed doors. The largest of the giants, a loathsome Thursir mutant named Huppo, used his acidic vomit to expedite tunneling into the temple’s collapsed hall of worship. Then, Huppo found the horn—an unusual instrument made from a single piece of stone, with a mouthpiece so intricate only a master carver could have made it. The horn became the giant’s obsession. Seeing only the horn’s potential sale value, the dwarves demanded Huppo turn it over to them, but Huppo refused. To force compliance, the dwarves stopped feeding the gluttonous brute, but Huppo had already found his own source of food; in deep areas of the temple, worms were chewing out of the rocks, and Huppo ate them by the fistful. He also played the horn. Then, after several days of blowing the horn and devouring the strange worms, Huppo released a belch so noxious the dwarves had no choice but to lock him in a sealed chamber and carefully consider their next move. The horn’s call, however, had caught the attention of passing nomadic orcs. They set up camp outside the temple entrance in the hope of finding the horn and its player. That’s the current situation at the temple: the giant refuses to stop blowing the horn and belching out deadly clouds of stomach gas; the dwarves are frightened and edgy while their leader is obsessed with malevolent whispers; orcs are threatening to overrun the place; and the population of worms grows steadily as something awakens deep in the stone beneath the sanctuary of belches.
Meet the Trollkin… And Drive Them Into the Sea! The trollkin and their shaman have come to a village by the sea, stormed its walls, and taken all the villagers as slaves and property. They have eaten their way through the saltfish, devoured the herd of sheep, and might be planning to eat the PCs next. Then, one escaped villager begs strangers on the road for help… And gives them the chance to shine as true heroes striking down raiders of pure evil. The Raven’s Call is an adventure for 3rd level characters that brings mythic power and a true rescue story for 5th Edition, and introduces locales and NPCs that players will never forget. It offers new monsters and new magic in the unique style of Wolfgang Baur, one of the leading RPG adventure designers.
A shadow goblin lair suitable for four or five 4th-level characters. A growing band of goblins led by a powerful shadow goblin named Hurkl are demanding a toll to travelers on the Dancing Shadow Path. When the heroes are chasing a fugitive through the area and come across the toll...what will they do?
"The Clockwork Tower" is an azza gremlin lair suitable for five 3rd level characters. This adventure can be completed in one session.
A small band of centaurs have seen their water source fouled by unknown magic. When word of their plight reaches the party, they embark on a day's travel to the centaur camp. Along the way, they encounter injured wildlife and panicked bugbears. Terrifying storms beset the region, raining down acid and oozes. Agreeing to investigate the small corrupted lake, the adventurers discover a long buried evil has awakened—bringing with it oozing undead. The party must navigate the wilds, face the ooze storms, and confront a reanimated warrior who betrayed her god.
"Monument of the Thunderer" is a desert half-dragon lair intended to challenge a party of four 7th-level characters. Near the city state of Makuria, on a small island in the middle of the Green Nuria River, an immense stone sculpture of a dragon watches over the mighty Red Cliffs and the waterfall that pours off them. The monument was built by ancient worshipers of the Mharoti conqueror known as Zulatil the Thunderer, but now serves as a base of operations for a band of sinister thugs who call themselves the Red Cliff Raiders.
"A Triangle in Shadows" is an umbral vampire lair suitable for a party of four 15th-level characters. Magic weapons are highly advised. This adventure can be completed in one session. The City Fallen into Shadow is the domain of the fiendish umbral vampires, and they are rarely found outside it. But one named Caragorn has fled the city after coming between the lovers Philadon and Zenobia. Philadon and Caragor, however, are secretly meeting at Caragorn's tower behind Zenobia's back. Zenobia suspects them of collusion, and is seeking out the two male umbral vampires to get revenge.
The follow up to the ratfolk warlock lair, A Rat Among Us, Part One. It is suitable for four or five 3rd-level characters. The lairs can be run separately or together as one longer adventure. The Demon Lord of Rats is making his play for control of the city. Will our stalwart adventurers find the source of his power and thwart him?
The infamous Scorpion Prince ruled his domain centuries ago, but the lands are still desolate, a testament to his poisonous influence. His terrified subjects rejoiced in his death but also feared he would return if not interred properly. To ensure the prince's happiness in the afterlife and his tomb's security, his people erected a great monument and created trap-filled chambers to house and protect his body and his wealth.
Hada the Black, a necromancer who was apprehended during an investigation of five missing orphans perished last night in the custody of city officials. The inquisitor who questioned Hada is certain that the children are still alive. After the characters hear of a contract offered by the city guard, they discuss the situation with the inquisitor. The tired and disheveled man smooths his crimson robes as he speaks.
Multiple groups seek a thug’s girlfriend through the streets and alleys of Zobeck. The adventurers’ lives may depend on finding her first.
A bargain struck between a dwarf chieftain and a great divine power forms the heart of this adventure. The chieftain, unwilling to step down from her position as ruler, seeks a way to hide from the god. When the party rescues some of her kin, they are offered riches for recovering a long lost magical shroud with the power to obscure mortals from the eyes of the gods. But recovering the shroud draws the attention of the god’s agents, and the party must choose a side. In this storied and fate-filled adventure for eleventh-level and up PCs, the party must battle their way through a ruined dwarven armory before deciding the fate of the chieftain.
The first part of two lairs—a ratfolk warlock lair and a rattok demon lair—suitable for four or five 3rd-level characters. The lairs can be run separately or together as one longer adventure. Demon Lord of Rats is looking to corrupt the city with his influence. They have grown in number and now seek to infiltrate and influence the guilds of the city.
"Bloodwood of the Cruor Circle" is an alseid and blood hag lair suitable for four or five 10th-level characters. This adventure can be completed in a single session. The Cruor Circle, a coven of dark druids led by a blood hag, has taken over control of the local alseid herd with the power of the blood. Within the forest, those who do not make proper sacrifices are stalked by the alseids and taken to the Bloodwood. Within the Bloodwood, captives become blood sacrifices, empowering the creation of sap demons, blood ponds, and other twisted products of the dark druids.
The mountains are the border between our kingdom and the realm of the fire giants. Look far eastward. See how the peaks turn black? Their forges must burn night and day to mark the mountains so. Some mornings, sunrise dims from the smoke and soot. Long have we watched the pass and tallied our fortunes at its stillness. Recently, though, there are signs our luck is turning. Fiery orbs sail through the night skies and land too near these woods. Scouts report deep craters shrouded in smoke and ash. One sits a mere hour’s walk from this outpost. I fear the enemy makes ready some terrible weapon . . .
In the small hamlet of Riverbend, the miller’s wife is missing, and the locals suspect the husband himself was involved. But all is far from what it seems. Ellessandra, the missing woman, is actually an elf from the Summer Lands. She came to live in the human settlement when the miller made a dangerous pact with the River King, the lands’ powerful sidhe ruler. Now, the player characters must unravel the truth behind Ellessandra’s disappearance, piece together the involvement of a young fey lord, and dive into the fey courts of the Summer Lands to stop a raid that would surely spell Riverbend’s doom. All the while, Arthurian intrigue and mischief runs high among the fey lords and ladies in this mercurial, open‑format adventure from acclaimed adventure designer Wolfgang Baur!
The General who commanded the successful and profitable Crossroads Mercenary Company turns up murdered in his home, on the very eve of his scheduled announcement of which of his ambitious captains he’s chosen to succeed him as commander-in-chief. Every one of those commanders was in the house when the murder occurred, so they’re all suspects. If that’s not enough to keep things exciting, the clock is ticking down to zero. The General made a pact with devils years ago, and unless the murder is solved quickly, an infernal gate will open, allowing devils to flood through the General’s mansion into the world at large.
The noble dwarf Wulfstan vom Meer seeks adventurers to travel on his one remaining ship to the clan’s village, and to protect his vessel against any threats at sea. When they meet the White Worg Reavers, he wants the party to negotiate for the loan of two longships and their crew. Vom Meer offers 500 gp to anyone willing to undertake this task. It seems like easy money. However, the Wolfheim clan has troubles of its own—a group of trollkin bandits known as the Mossback Raiders have been competing with the White Worgs for territory west of Wolfheim. Their rivalry is coming to a head. When the PCs arrive at the White Worg homestead, they learn that the reaver dwarves are recovering from a recent attack. Their homestead has been sacked and vom Meer’s kinsman, Knud Stoneson, has been slain. Without a family connection, the clan’s chief will agree to vom Meer’s proposal only if the PCs will help rid them of that troublesome band of trollkin. If the PCs are to succeed in their task and help vom Meer, then a reavin’ they must go! This adventure for the 5th Edition of the world’s first RPG is meant for four 2nd and 3rd-level characters. Designed by Lou Anders, with cartography by Dyson Logos and cover art by Phil Stone.