Unwelcome Spirits

An elder warlock from the goblinoid swamp village of Urzin has been kidnapped by soldiers of the Dwendalian 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. “Unwelcome Spirits” is a Wildemount adventure that takes characters from 1st to 3rd level, and which introduces them to Wildemoun'st desolate and foreboding Eastern Wynandir region.
If your players are using the heroic chronicle to create their characters (see chapter 4), you can talk with them about creating characters with ties to Urzin or nearby Xhorhasian settlements. Alternatively, characters from elsewhere might be traveling to Urzin, whether individually or as a group. Since this adventure ties directly to the Kryn Dynasty's conflict with the Dwendalian Empire, you can also ask each player to consider their character’s stance on the war and how the war might tie into their background.

Story Overview

Trouble has come to the roaming village of Urzin, which slowly ambles through the wastes of Xhorhas atop the massive, mossy shells of horizonback tortoises. The village’s elder seer, the goblin warlock Bol’bara, has gone missing. Three nights ago, while foraging by night for rare alchemical ingredients, Bol’bara was beset by a cadre of Dwendalian Empire soldiers near the foothills of Brokenveil Bluffs. On the orders of an imperial inquisitor named Parson Pellinost, the goblin warlock was forcefully escorted to the local garrison for questioning—and for magical experimentation.
What neither the imperial forces nor the goblinoids of Urzin know is that Bol’bara was performing a series of rare communal rites near a site of major arcane significance. With those rites interrupted, she is now in the throes of possession by her patron, a shadow demon known as Trush. If its dark power is set free, Trush could wreak havoc across the wastes of Xhorhas, using Bol’bara as its worldly vessel.

Adventure Summary

In the political absence of the champion chief of Urzin, Sunbreaker Olomon, the village’s proud and protective acting leader is Ogre Lord Buhfal II. Buhfal seeks to resolve the plight of the missing warlock, Bol’bara, which he worries will threaten the frail alliances among the village’s restless goblinoids. He and his advisors suspect the nearby imperial outpost at Fort Venture has something to do with Bol’bara’s fate. However, Buhfal knows that goblinoids advancing on Fort Venture will draw reprisals against Urzin, so he seeks an outside group who might more easily seek the warlock there and bring her back to help safeguard the settlement.
At Buhfal’s behest, the characters must chart a course to the Brokenveil Bluffs with the help of a hobgoblin guide, locate Fort Venture, and extract Bol’bara. Unfortunately, the reckless aims of the imperial inquisitor Parson Pellinost and his lackeys work to undermine their efforts. Without a timely interruption, the torturous interrogation of Bol’bara will lead to her possession by Trush, her shadow demon patron—and to a series of calamitous arcane events. Trush’s demonic rampage will start at Fort Venture before wending its way back to Urzin—and it’s up to the adventurers to do something about it.

Setup and Starting Points

Before starting the adventure, work with your players as they talk about why their characters have come to Urzin. Details regarding this unique settlement and its politics can be found in chapter 3. The horizonback tortoises that give the village its mobility are detailed in chapter 7. Goblinoid or orc characters might be residents of Urzin, but characters of other races are probably visitors to this remote settlement—and are probably feeling very much out of their element.
This is also a good time to figure out if the characters already know each other or if this adventure is the first time they’ve met. If none of the characters are goblinoids, they most likely already make up an adventuring party and have traveled to Urzin together.