1A Farewells & Into The Wilderness
Write a one-shot adventure for your world that is ready to run for a Game Master.
The 15th Day of Firesun 18854KR
Read to the PC'sThe Celebrations and feasting ended when the moon was at its brightest in the night sky, the drinking however lasted until the new sun began to rise in the east above The Frostfangs (The Frostfall Mountains). Family and friends enjoyed their remaining time with their young kin who were about to embark on the Tribes Ritual Life Quest, The Coming of Age Ceremony, once completed rejoining The Tribe of The Black Stallion as adults and full members of their chosen class, be it warrior, hunter, priest or druid. This year sees the most tribal young folk participating in the Ritual in more than eighty years, with over seventy individuals (72 to be exact) arranged into twelve groups of six. Included in these groups are the Player Characters (The Companions), with the Chieftains own Son Mennon leading this group.Read to the PC's
Since dawn the other groups have been departing the Tribe, seen off by loved ones wishing them well and to return safe. Now is the time for Mennon and his group, which consists of two of his childhood friends Galba and Ghalia, and three others Hama, Nala and Obba, who are not as well known to them, to begin their quest into the wilderness. The Companions finish packing their horses, checking weapons and gear, making sure they have everything they need for the months ahead. All the family members are their to see the group off with hugs, kisses and arm gripping (Customary action of greeting or farewell, when two people grip the other person by the forearm firmly), they mount their horses and leave the encampment, heading out across The Wintermist Plains.Read to the PC's
The Wintermist Plains The Wintermist Plains stretch for hundreds of miles in all directions and are made up of fertile grasslands, scrub plains, rolling hills, natural wooded areas, and marshland the closer you get to The Eye of The Moon (Lake/Inland sea) and The Frostfall River.
Survival In The Wilderness
Adventuring in the wilderness presents a host of perils beyond the threats of monstrous predators and savage raiders. See Wilderness Survival. Read to the PC'sThe Companions had left the camp around mid-morning heading North, hoping to travel between 18 and 30 miles before setting up camp for the night. Mennon and Galba lead the party, followed by Hama and Ghalia, with Nala and Obba bringing up the rear. Mennon had asked his father for advice on where they should journey too, it was decided they should make their way North heading for the great river (The Frostfall), it would be good for food (fish), fresh water, and protection (having the river protecting your back at night). The party should follow the river East for many weeks, then make their way South again until they reach The Wintermist Woodlands where they can make an encampent to last the winter months (The Tribe of The Black Stallion will also be in this Woodland over the winter season).
Weather
You can pick weather to fit the adventure or roll on the weather table to determine the weather for a given day, adjusting for the terrain and season as appropriate. See The Weather of The Realms. Read to the PC'sBy midday the sun is high in the sky bringing a pleasant warmth, even in the high summer the temperature barely rises above 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit in The Northern Regions, the Far North being even colder. In Deep winter the temperature can drop to between -30 and -40 degrees Celsius/-22 and -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The party take a short rest after 4 hours of riding, letting the horses graze while the PC's eat a meal and stretch their legs. After about an hour the party mount up and continue on their journey Northward. By late afternoon the party decide to set up camp for the evening after covering roughly 20 miles in their 8 hours of travel, 9 including the rest stop. The party pitch two Yurts, one for the party, and the other for the horses to keep them sheltered and secure. The party decide on setting up watch guards, two persons together on watch for four hours, beginning early evening when it is still fairly light (around 7pm).
Who Hours Mennon & Nala 7pm to 11pm Ghalia & Hama 11pm to 2am Galba & Obba 2am to 6am
Random Encounters of The Wintermist Plains
You decide when a Random Encounter happens, or you roll. Consider checking for a random encounter once every hour, once every 4 to 8 hours, or once during the day and once during a Long Rest-whatever makes the most sense based on how active the area is. If you roll, do so with a D20. If the result is 18 or higher, a random encounter occurs. You then roll on the appropriate random encounter table below to determine what the adventurers meet, re-rolling if the die result doesn't make sense given the circumstances.Random Encounter Table (Day)
| D20 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | A Wolf Pack |
| 4 | A Boar (Giant) |
| 5-7 | A Herd of Deer, Elk or Wild Horses |
| 8 | A Hyena Pack |
| 9-10 | A Tribe or Clan (Roll on The Tribe/Clan Encounter Table) |
| 11-12 | A Goblin Scouting Party |
| 13 | A Goblin Warband, Tribe or Clan |
| 14 | Gnoll Scouts |
| 15 | A Orc Hunting/Raiding Party |
| 16 | An Orc Warband |
| 17 | A Gnoll Warband |
| 18 | A Winter Wolf |
| 19 | A Hill Giant |
| 20 | A Dragon |
Random Encounter Table (Night)
| D20 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | A Swarm of Bats |
| 4-6 | A Wolf Pack |
| 7-8 | A Tribal Hunting Party (Roll on Tribe/Clan Encounter Table) |
| 9 | A Poisonous Snake |
| 10 | A Hyena (Giant) |
| 11 | A Hyena Pack |
| 12 | A Tribe or Clan (Roll on Tribe/Clan Encounter Table) |
| 13 | A Goblin Hunting Party |
| 14 | A Goblin Warband, Tribe or Clan |
| 15 | Gnoll Scouts or A Orc Hunting Party |
| 16 | An Orc Warband |
| 17 | A Gnoll Warband |
| 18 | A Winter Wolf or A Frost Giant |
| 19 | A Hill Giant, Hill Troll or Cave Troll |
| 20 | A Dragon |
Tribe/Clan Encounter Table
| D8 | Tribe or Clan |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Tribe of The White Mare |
| 2 | The Herd of The Northwind |
| 3 | The Tribe of The Ram |
| 4 | The Tribe of The Running Horse |
| 5 | The Tribe of The Sheep |
| 6 | The Tribe of The Black Stallion |
| 7 | The Windrider Clan (Near The Frostfall River) |
| 8 | Other (DM's Choice or Roll again) |
| 1-3 | Chromatic |
| 4-6 | Metallic |
| D10 | Chromatic Dragons | Metallic Dragons |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Black | Brass |
| 3-4 | Blue | Bronze |
| 5-6 | Green | Copper |
| 7-8 | Red | Gold |
| 9-10 | White | Silver |
The Ages of Dragons
| D8 | Category | Size | Age Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Wyrmling | Medium | 5 Years or less |
| 3-4 | Young | Large | 6 to 100 Years |
| 5-6 | Adult | Huge | 101 to 800 Years |
| 7-8 | Ancient | Gargantuan | 801 Years or more |
The 16th Day of Firesun 18854KR
Read to the PC'sThe Following morning after anUneventful/Eventful (If Random Encounter Happened) Night, the party awake to a day of light rain, which makes the mood of the PC's not so great as they pack up camp. It was decided the night before whilst the party ate some of their dry rations (Oat Biscuits, Goat cheese, and jerky (Dried Venison) that they would partake in some hunting.
Lets Go Hunting
The PC's can try out their skills to track and hunt for a Deer or Elk (If the rolls are not going the PC's way, allow them to find a Deer, but they will still need to bring the deer down with arrows (Allow them to kill the Deer) Read to the PC'sThe Deer is brought down with arrows, Mennon and Obba prepare the Deer for travel. The party set off North again hoping to reach the wooded area they can see in the far distance which will make a great place to set up camp.
The Smell of Blood (A Wolf Pack Attacks)
Read to the PC'sAs the party travel through a slight hilly region, they can see the woods not to far away now... Suddenly the air is filled with the howling of wolves as a pack leap into attack catching the characters by Surprise... The pack must have followed the scent of blood from the slaughtered Deer and now they concentrate on Mennon who has the Deer secured across the rump of his horse.DM
The wolf pack is rather small and only consists of 6 wolves (1 for each party member). If the lead/Alpha Wolf is slain the morale of the pack will fall and they will try to escape the fight.
The party should be able to defeat the wolf pack and gain some wolf fur, claws and teeth from them.
Read to the PC'sAfter Combat the party make there way towards the wooded area, now more wary, keeping their eyes open for any surprise attacks from man or beast. They reach the woods within the hour and prepare to make camp. The Yurts are set up, wood is gathered for a fire, water collected from a small stream, re-filling waterskins, and some snare traps are laid by Mennon to hopefully catch some woodland creatures during the night. After eating and relaxing, then preparing their gear for tomorrow the party bed down for the night, choosing watch shifts like before. You can use the same watch partners as the night before or have different pairings tonight (I would pair up different so the characters can get to know each other more).
The 17th Day of Firesun 18854KR
DMUneventful unless you roll any Random Encounters (personally i wouldn't have any encounters today).
Read to the PC'sThe party pack up the camp, eat a cold breakfast, and Mennon checked the snares finding nothing (better luck next time). The weather Today is Light Rain almost all day, but the characters are quite well sheltered from the rain by the trees. The Party manage to travel 10 miles today, slow going due to the thick underbrush. The party take one rest stop during the day, resting and eating a cold meal. At the end of the day when the party make camp, Mennon sets some more snares and then the party enjoy a hot meal of venison strips and bread. The watch is set for the evening with Ghalia and Mennon taking the first four hour shift.
The 18th Day of Firesun 18854KR
Read to the PC'sAt dawn the party begin to break camp, packing up the Yurts, and packing gear. Mennon checks the snare traps to find he has caught two hares this time. The party eat a cold breakfast of bread, cheese and some fruit (apple and pear) then mount up and continue on their journey north through the woodlands. The party decide to stay within the woods to provide cover from unwanted eyes and to forage and maybe hunt while travelling. The sounds of woodland animals can be heard all around, birds singing and flapping their wings, squirrels scuttling up the trees and jumping across branches, making them sway and creek, and hares and rabbits scurrying through the underbrush, escaping from the oncoming horses.DM
The party can forage and hunt in these woods if they want to, use the provided foraging table in The Wilderness Survival article.
Natural Resources
Berries, Herbs, Fungus/Mushrooms, Spell Components (Flowers, Bark, etc), Wild Fowl, Hares, Rabbits and Squirrels, Deer, Elk, Foxes, Wolves, Firewood and fresh water Streams. Read to the PC'sThe party have been travelling through the woods at a slow pace, foraging as they go for over two hours, Mennon thinks possibly not much longer than an hour to go before they come to the end of the woods. Earlier all of the sounds of the woodland could be heard, but now only the sound of the horses snorting and their hooves on the packed earth and underbrush. The horses seem troubled, they sense something. From behind in the distance can be heard creatures running through the underbrush, the party prepare themselves drawing weapons, ready for a fight.
The Hunting Pack (A Wolf Pack Attacks)
DMThe wolf pack is small and only consists of 8 wolves. If the lead/Alpha Wolf is slain the morale of the pack will fall and they will try to escape the fight.
The party should be able to defeat the wolf pack and gain some wolf fur, claws and teeth from them.
Read to the Pc'sAfter the wolf fight, the party continue onward hoping to reach the end of the woods as soon as possible. The party know it has begun to rain, hearing the rain on leaves and feeling odd raindrops hitting the exposed skin of faces, arms, legs and hands. Another hour passes and the party reach the edge of the woods. The characters decide to stay within the trees and take a Short Rest, recuperate and eat. It's about midday when the party mount up again, heading out from under the trees into the steady light rain, wrapping their cloaks more tightly they press onward hoping to travel another 12 to 15 miles before setting camp for the night. The party managed to travel 12 miles, they now feel tired, sore, sodden, and hungry and dismount and begin the daily routine of setting up camp. The camp is set, a fire is burning within the Yurt and the party are drying out. Nala cooks a stew, using the hares that Mennon caught, some herbs and mushrooms they foraged, and vegetables that were brought with them. That evening they sit around the fire telling stories and eating lovely hot stew. The party work out the order of the watch for the night with Obba and Hama taking the first four hours.
The 19th Day of Firesun 18854KR
DMUneventful unless you roll any Random Encounters (personally i wouldn't have any encounters today).
Read to the PC'sThe weather today is warm but Light Rain falls for most of the day. After breaking camp and a breakfast of hot watered oats (porridge) the party make good speed across the plains. The party stop for a Short Rest after travelling for five hours, consuming a cold meal of bread with cheese and venison strips. That evening the party make camp in a small gully on the edge of some small hills, the terrain has steadily become more hilly as the day wore on, but they managed to travel 22 miles today. The party are in good spirit even though it has rained most of the day, now they can relax and enjoy the lovely venison stew that Nala has cooked up this evening, using up the last of the mushrooms they foraged in the woods, along with some other vegetables, and dipping chunks of bread in the rich gravy. The party decide on the watch shifts for the night and the first four hour shift is taken by Galba and Nala. Before Mennon sleeps he shows Obba and Hama how to set snares, that night twice as many snares are set (They could wake to a nice surprise in the morning).DM Before the characters go to sleep use this time for downtime activities. The characters can make things if they have the relevant tools for the job, like arrows or carved objects or jewellery (necklaces of beads, semi-precious stones, claws or animal teeth). Let the characters decide what they want to do during any downtime moments.
The 20th Day of Firesun 18854KR
Read to the PC'sThe Low Hills
The party break camp early, Mennon, Hama and Obba check on the snares they had set the night before, they have been lucky again catching two hares, two wild fowl and a rat (The rat is discarded). They eat a hot breakfast of porridge, it warms the stomach and keeps hunger away for several hours. The weather is mild, about 8 degrees Celsius but feels more like 4 degrees because of the wind that blows through these hills. The ground had a frost this morning and a low mist covers the ground up to about one foot, so far it is not raining. The party travel slowly through this hilly region, making sure the horses don't lose their footing on the rough, rocky terrain.DM After four hours of travel through this region i wouldn't roll for Random Encounters, unless you really feel it is necessary (Use wolves, Hill Troll or Cave Troll only), the party will be involved in several combat situations soon enough. Read to the PC's
The party travel for four hours, not making great distance (only 8 miles) when the rain begins to fall (lightly). The party stop for a Short Rest and a cold meal of oat biscuits, cheese and fruit. Sounds can echo in hilly terrain, so the characters try their hardest not to make too much noise.DM Roll for perception (Wisdom) checks to see if any characters notice small figures on a hill in the distance (It would be nice if some PC's notice the Goblin Scouts or the party will be surprised and will be under arrow fire first).
The Goblin Scouting Party
Read to the PC'sMennon and Hama notice in the distance ahead some figures (maybe four) on the north-eastern most hilltop, they let the other party members know and make plans on what to do next.DM There are 8 Goblin scouts on the hilltop, all with shortswords and bone daggers, 3 also have shields made from wood & bone. All the Goblins have ranged weapons, 4 have short bows (quiver with 12 arrows each) and 4 have slings (pouch with 20 stones each). Combat will probably be Ranged weapons for a few Rounds or until one side runs out of missiles first. (The Goblins begin with Half-Cover, unless the PC's find cover they will be in the open, atmost they too can find Half-Cover) If the PC's don't think to flank the Goblins (attack from the sides or from behind), maybe give a few hints on what might work. (It will take 3 Rounds to attack from the sides or 5 Rounds from behind) It would be nice if the PC's engage in Melee quite quick, maybe within 4-6 Rounds. Goblins are not known to be very courageous and will try to run if they lose half of their numbers, if caught they will surrender rather than fight. After the fight the PC's can search the Hilltop and will find a weak spot in the earth/rock which will lead to The Hidden Tomb of Felios Isarius if the characters break through, unless it has already been found by two PC's or one PC and atleast two Goblins all standing/fighting together on the weak spot which will collapse dropping all of them 40 feet below, On a successful Dexterity Ability Check the creature manages to stop themselves falling through the hole, failing that taking 10 (4D6, 1D6 for every 10 feet) Falling/Bludgeoning Damage to each creature and knocked Prone. While the creature is falling there is one more chance at a Dexterity Ability Check to slow their descent, if successful taking only half Damage. Using a rope which needs to be secured by iron spikes the characters can easily climb down into the chamber below, a light source will also be needed.
The Hidden Tomb
DM You have reached the End of The Hidden Tomb.A Wolf Pack Circles (A Wolf Pack Attacks)
Read to the PC'sThe party exit the Tomb through the ceiling, the same way they had entered, into an afternoon of heavy rain.The horses tied up at the base of the small hill are making an awful noise and stamping their hooves. Straight away Mennon knows the horses are under attack, first thinking it must be more Goblins.....Then the howling begins....A Wolf Pack.DM The wolf pack is small and only consists of 6 wolves. If the lead/Alpha Wolf is slain the morale of the pack will fall and they will try to escape the fight. The party should be able to defeat the wolf pack and gain some wolf fur, claws and teeth from them. Read to the PC's
After the wolf attack the party decide they will make camp here, at the base of the Tomb hill tonight. The party set up the camp, prepare a fire and Nala starts to prepare the evenings meal. Wild fowl stew with vegetables and bread. It has been a very tiring day with all the fighting so it is decided an early night could be for the best. Watch shifts are discussed and Ghalia and Obba take the first four hour shift.
The 21st Day of Firesun 18854KR
Read to the PC'sMennon and Nala took the last watch, the whole night being uneventful which gave the party a good night of rest. The breaking down of camp starts early, just after dawn, a quick breakfast of porridge is consumed then the party get underway, wanting to leave these hills behind them. The temperature had dropped during the night, mist lingered on the hills, the morning was cold and frosty, but at least it was dry, it wasn't raining yet.DM I wouldn't roll for Random Encounters, unless you really feel it is necessary (Use wolf Packs, Hyena Pack, Hill Troll or Cave Troll only, within the Hilly region). Read to the PC's
The party travel for six hours covering just over 10 miles of terrain and reach the end of the hilly region, looking ahead the terrain returns to scrub plains and grassland. The party take a Short Rest keeping a watchful eye on the hills behind them for any surprise attacks. A cold meal of oat biscuits, cheese and fruit are eaten, the horses are fed and watered then the party mount up again wanting to put some distance between themselves and the hills. The party travel for five more hours covering 15 miles when it is decided the horses need a good rest, so the PC's stop and make camp for the night. The Yurts are up, the fire is burning, Obba found a small bubbling stream and collected water, returning to camp for all the waterskins and then going back to the stream and refilling all of them. Back at camp Galba and Hama rubbed down the horses, brushing away dirt, sweat and any parasites, paying close attention to their legs and hooves. Mennon went with Ghalia and they laid snare traps together, after Mennon showed her how. Nala prepared the evening meal, she enjoyed to cook and it looked like she had become the party cook, tonights special was hare stew again with vegetables and almost the last of the bread. After the meal, Mennon took out his Lute and began to play, Galba joined in with his Drum, to everyone's surprise Ghalia began to sing. Ghalia had a good singing voice and the song she sang told of a maiden in love with a man, the man loved the maiden but both did nothing about it not knowing the other felt the same way. Ghalia and Obba took the first four hour watch that evening.
The 22nd Day of Firesun 18854KR
Read to the PC'sThe party are up at dawn and consume a breakfast of porridge and fruit before breaking camp, it is not too long after eating that it begins to rain lightly and the temperature is not more than 5 degrees Celsius. It takes just over an hour to pack up everything and be on their way. The party travel across the plains, in the rain that has become steadily heavier in the last three hours, but the temperature has risen to almost 10 degrees Celsius. The party have made good progress considering the weather covering almost 9 miles and can see in the distance another woodland area, the Wintermist Plains have many scattered wooded areas. The party head towards the woodland deciding they will take rest before entering.
Into The Woods
Read to the PC'sThe party reach the woodland after covering a total of 11 miles in four hours. They decide to build no fire and eat a cold meal of venison strips, the last of the bread and some cheese just within the shelter of the trees. After the Short Rest of about an hour the party decide to walk the horses and forage while travelling. Travel through the woodland is very slow as the underbrush is thick, making up for this slow pace the party manage to forage plenty of berries, mushrooms, root vegetables and herbs. Mennon and Hama leave their horses with the rest of the party and scout ahead, Mennon wants to teach Hama some hunting techniques. The pair get further ahead of the party than expected, Hama spots a Deer, they follow at a distance. Without warning the Deer bolts towards them with an arrow in its flank, that's when they hear the voices of the Goblins. Attack or Hide, Your decide?..
The Goblin Tribe
Read to the PC'sFrom the clearing ahead come running Six Goblins with Bows and Spears. COMBAT or STEALTH? In the clearing ahead are a Tribe of Goblins living in rough hide tents (20), surrounding a central fire pit.DM
The Boneshield Clan (Goblin Tribe)
1 Chieftain (Goblin Boss) Gruuka
4 Bodyguards Grib, Borl, Grick and Hak
17 Warriors Total (Only 11 here at the moment, the other 6 will return (if not dead) within 4 Rounds)
Females, Elderly & Children are not counted (51)
All of the Goblin Weapons are of low quality, made from Iron, Wood and Bone, except Gruuka's Spear and his bodyguards Shortswords. The Tribe named themselves for the Wood and Bone Shields they carry. TREASURE:Scattered Throughout the Tents: 2 Jugs of Wine (Average) worth 30sp each, Root Vegetables, Various Copper Plates, Cutlery, Jugs and Bowls worth between 3-9gp each, Idols (Wooden,Goblin Deities), Gruuka's Bronze Spear, 4 Iron Shortswords (Good Quality), A mixture of hides and skins (Fox, Bear, Boar, Rabbit, Wolf and Beaver) worth between 10-60gp each, 4 Oil flasks (Leather), 2 Clay Jugs of Oil (Large), Various clay pots of Salt, Herbs and Spell Components and leather purses containing a total of 183gp (3 per adult), 305sp (5 per adult), 427cp (7 per adult) and 6 Onyx Gems worth 10gp each. (All the coins are a mixture of Thentian, Pelosian and Amorian).
Gruuk's Chest (Locked): A Silver Flask (Wine, Good Quality) worth 30gp, A Twisted Gold Bracelet worth 50gp, A small pouch of Jade chunks (9) worth 8gp each and 3 Leather purses containing a total of 102gp, 205sp, 403cp, 8ep and 1pp (A mixture of Thentian, Pelosian and Amorian).
Gruuk wears: A Twisted Gold Bracelet worth 50gp (Twin of the other), A Gold Ring shaped like a snake with onyx eyes worth 30gp, A Silver Ring set with a chunk of Jade worth 15gp and a Gold Earring worth 3gp. Gruuk also carries a brass key on a leather thong around his neck (key to chest).Read to the PC'S
Here Ends the Adventure Farewells & Into The Wilderness.
by Jan Huber
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Very well done! I like the pacing this sets for the adventure!
Thanks Buddy, yeah i was going for a day by day feel to the starting adventure of my campaign. I didn't want too much combat, just enough. The Hidden Tomb was an added thing, the party may not even find there way in, you never know, lol. I'm glad i managed to finish the adventure in time, i'm a bit gutted i haven't finish the character articles though. oh well, you can't always get everything done. Aemon
True, you can't always get everything done ... but really... what you did get done? This was massive! :D
Your not wrong about massive, Over 15k words in this article... "Na wander ma fingars ar Urtin"