The people of Orașnou are desperate. The village is on the brink of starvation and has little chance of surviving the harsh winter. Even if they had enough food and supplies, Lord Strahd’s taxes are due, and the ruler of Barovia does not accept excuses as payment. The Burgomaster and others in the village have recently learned of a wealthy estate that might have enough resources to solve both of Orașnou’s problems. It is a temptation he cannot afford to resistor can he? Part Nine of Misty Fortunes and Absent Hearts
Zhentish soldiers, Maerimydran drow, and Sharran cultists have forged a dark alliance to subjugate the peaceful land of Shadowdale. Elminster's tower lies in ruins, Lord Amcathra governs at the sufferance of the dale's conquerors, and the very Weave of magic in this embattled land seems to fray with each passing day. The Zhentish yoke lies heavy over Shadowdale—but the Dalesfolk are ready to fight for their freedom, if only they can find true heroes to lead the way!
The PCs intervene in an attempted murder and are hired to find out what made a guy go mad. This leads them to search for Yenejg Togan's tower/a strange merchant in the nearby forest, where they discover that bugbears have moved in. After exploring the tower, finding the "merchant", and dealing with the bugbears and the lamia that caused the incident in the first place, they were still unable to get into Yenejg's inner sanctum without a key. The PCs return with the key and figure out how to use it to enter Yenejg's sanctum. They then explore it, dealing mostly with traps, and finally discover the resting place of the treasure Yenejg stole from the town. This adventure begins with a skill-based roof-top chase and can include some complex non-combat interactions with potentially hostile NPCs. It includes some semi-interesting traps as well as some nifty puzzles. No villain to speak of. Fool-hardy adventurers can get themselves killed, but some caution will result in only one extremely hard fight, and even that can be avoided if action is taken quickly. Pgs. 74-107
The Soulmonger is shattered and its pieces scattered across the peninsula of Chult. Dire forces seek those shards for their own nefarious purposes, and the Red Wizards are rumored to have found a number of them already. Can you wrest those necromantic artifacts from the hands of the dread mages? Part One of the Broken Chains Series. A Four-Hour Adventure for 17th-20th Level Characters.
An elder warlock from the goblinoid swamp village of Urzin has been kidnapped by soldiers of the Dwendallion Empire. Now the machinations of an evil imperial inquisitor might unleash an evil that could threaten the garrison at Fort Venture and the goblinoids of Urzin alike.
What's happened to the Pearl Tower -- an ancient lighthouse built to warn ships away from a treacherous reef? Ships are disappearing, and the busy part of the trading season is just about to start. Could someone have taken over the lighthouse and wrecked the ships?
"The Keepers of the Celestian Order, valiant defenders dedicated to destroying horrors from the Far Realm, have trapped a beholder in its lair. However, the evil aberration has proven far more dangerous than expected, and the Keepers need the help of adventurers to end the threat of Omaranthax once and for all. This Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game adventure, created for Free RPG Day 2012, pits player characters against a mutated beholder and its vile underlings. Although set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, the adventure can be easily adapted to any* D&D world." *: The adventure mentions that it is suitable for any setting touched by the Spellplague.
Despite the bitter cold that reigns here nine months of the year, the Timberway Forest has long been a source of prosperity for civilized folk who live nearby. Many trappers and hunters spend the better part of the year within its borders, stockpiling furs and meat to trade in the frontier towns to the south, where they spend their winters. Most feel that the value of these commodities makes braving the Timberway Forest worth the risk. Recently, though, a small group of trappers and hunters has awakened a terrible new menace in the forest. Based in a remote hunter's abode called the Bluerock Lodge, they hunted the animals of the woods more out of a deep-seated desire to be cruel than a need to feed themselves. In particular, they focused their hateful attention on the local Timberway lion population. Timberway lions are rather small (more like leopards), but they are known for being lithe and wary. Still, the trappers had the advantage of intelligence and tools, and before long they had slaughtered the entire pride save for its leader. As the winter worsened and game grew ever more scarce, this last surviving lion began to starve. At that point, the darker forces of nature took notice, and the Timberway Forest gained a predator like no other. Frozen Whispers is a short D&D adventure for four 3rd-level player characters (PCs). The scenario is set mostly in and near a remote hunter’s lodge in a snowy forest. The scenario can be placed in any cold area of your campaign world that features a remote tract of woodland—a copse of trees near the arctic circle, a swath of taiga near the treeline on a high mountainside, or even a normally temperate forest caught in the grip of an unnaturally snowy winter. As always, feel free to adapt the material presented here as you see fit to make it work with your campaign.
Many Cannith creation forges were lost on the Day of Mourning, but a rogue artificer has uncovered one of those that pursued some of the most experimental and dangerous research during the Last War. But while seeking the forbidden knowledge in the forge, this explorer awakened a dark power that was more than she could handle, and that now threatens the region. Pgs. 4-34
An old elf has wandered into the city from the jungle--prattling on about his long-lost daughter to anyone whose ear he can bend. Though most in Port Nyanzaru dismiss him as mad, he speaks the truth. Can you find and save his daughter?
No Loose Ends is a mini-adventure that has a single encounter, based on a group of orcs (or ogres based on level) setting up an ambush for the players by setting up a fake bridge that they attempt to collapse under the players before attacking. The cloak of elvenkind is optional, it is included only in the higher level adjustments. Pgs. 17-18
The Approaching Swarm is a short adventure. The party can consist of any mix of classes, but it should include at least one character that is good in wilderness settings, such as a druid, ranger, or barbarian, and at least one cleric. The adventure takes place in a swampland that is near a small settlement. The characters have just arrived in the small settlement of Crivdall, which is a fort on the edge of a huge, dangerous swamp. In the dead of night, a small armada of monstrous vermin attacked the characters and their hosts, and the PCs may have spied a mysterious figure that controlled their actions.
A pall hangs over the frontier town of Wellspring, casting this once-vibrant place into corruption and death. Strange people stalk the streets and unexplained murders occur each night. Nagging fears that more horrors will spill forth from the Kadagast Mountains instill a pervasive paranoia within the townsfolk. Suspicious people watch their neighbors, and temple attendance has never been higher. Folk keep to themselves, hiding in their homes. They avoid darkened streets, lock their doors when night falls, and shutter their windows to close out the screams and shouts echoing in the dark. If the grim threats pressing the town are not stopped, the fl ame of Wellspring might very well flicker out.
What begins as a simple expedition to explore an ancient jungle temple sends adventurers headlong into a search for the Dragon's Eye, an artifact created ages ago by demons in order to gain power over dragons. But where exactly is this mysterious artifact, and why do the Cloudreavers and the Emerald Claw think the adventurers already have it? Only Lady Vol knows the truth. Her deadly cat-and-mouse game leads the characters from the wilderness of Q'barra to the wild coasts of the Lhazaar Principalities and the soaring peaks of Argonnessen. There, at last, they can learn the secret of the Dragon's Eye and foil the lich queen's plans... if they survive!
Temple of the Gleaming Sands is a short adventure for four 5th-level characters that features monsters, spells, and items from the newly released Sandstorm book. You can use this scenario to introduce the new material on deserts and arid wastelands into your campaign, or you can just use it as a site-based adventure in a desert area. The scenario is set in a remote area of the desert that very few humanoid travelers visit. The temple from which the adventure takes its name has lain forgotten for centuries and is now inhabited only by monsters who use it as a base. The area around the temple should be inhospitable enough to discourage humanoid settlement.
Despite the shaky alliance that exists with the elves of the Quivering Forest, they do not suffer trespass in their realm lightly, especially from common folk from nearby Phlan. A woodworker's recent blunder into the forest might set off a diplomatic incident. Can you help find him and mollify the aggravated elves?
East of Beregost, nestled in the outskirts of the Wood of Sharp Teeth, Durlag’s Tower has intrigued and yet stymied adventurers for decades. Stuffed full of mechanical traps and arcane wards, and rumored to be inhabited by fiends, very few have managed to extract any REAL treasure from the former home of Durlag Trollkiller. However, a powerful item in the ancient fight against the giants is said to be housed there, and the cloud giant Baron Rajiram has committed significant resources toward recovering it. After a pleasant tea in her garden, SEER calls upon you to beat him there and put a stop to his efforts! Continued in Durlag's Tomb.
Your foe seeks to unlock the Iron Door beneath the Peaks of Flame and open the way for the Eater of the World. You must find your way through the maze of tunnels and stop them, or it will be the end of all things. Part Four of the Broken Chains Series.
Bugbear Fight Pit is a mini-adventure with a single main encounter that follow the Bugbear Jeeshank tricking the players into a trap with the challenge of single combat to stop his activities. If the players fall for it, they will be faced with a large number of ranged attacks, and additional clever tactics and use of the terrain. Pgs. 15-17
Two hundred years ago, the great dwarf smith Durgeddin the Black built Khundrukar, a hidden stronghold for his war of vengeance against all orckind. For years Durgeddin labored, until the orcs discovered Khundrukar and stormed the citadel, slaying all within. Legends say that Durgeddin's masterful blades and glittering treasures were never found.