Adventure April 2024: Mystery in the Myrskyt Mountains

In this adventure the characters are tasked with finding out what has happened to Iroh, a friendly, if ancient, volcano elemental that wanders the Myrskyt Mountains. There are any number of ways that the players can learn of this.

From the Dwarf Clans

The forges are actin funny. Some flare up hotter'n the fires o' creation, burning your iron to slag or worse, others wont light at all. There's some in the mines that say the rocks ring wrong sometimes as well. Something has the earth frettin. Normally we would ask Iroh ta look into the matter, but he ain't been seen for several months, and that in itsself is worryin.

From the Fae

The voice of an Honored Elder has been lost from the song of the world. While his melody is ever changing, never before has the voice of Iroh fallen silent. We beg of you to search for our lost friend, his continued silence bodes ill for us all.

From the Vampires

We have a pressing matter in need of... outside intervention. A rebel vampire has taken up hiding somewhere in the western Myrskyt Mountains. His heretical actions and indiscriminate killings are stirring up the locals, and Hunt has been called in both Favortown and the dwarven strongholds. While our Chapterhouses will of course be safe, such activities could pose a problem to our caravans, and as such our reputation. If you could track down and remove this nuisance you would be appropriately compensated.

Regardless of where you recieve the information from, you are pointed to the town of Copper Creek to start your search.

Copper Creek

As you crest the final rise, the valley containing Copper Creek opens up before you. Nestled just below the tree line, the malachite in the rocks and the ever-present fir trees tint everything a slight bluish-green. The mostly stone buildings blend well into the surrounding landscape, but the chimney smoke betrays a surprising population.
With summer in full swing the town in bustling with life, as merchants from around the world negotiate with the famous dye-makers for this years batches, samples of various cloths laid out to show the beautiful hues of blues and greens, as well as the more rare colors made from mountain flowers in the region.
There are two main inns off the town square, although judging by the stables they are likely full. There is also a church on the third side of the square, though it is not dedicated to any one god in particular. The final landmark in town is a wizard's tower on the southeast slope overlooking the town. Several farms can be seen on the far side of the valley.

Copper Creek by Drunkenpanda951 with MidJourney

As you begin your final approach to the town there is a loud CRACK and brief flash from the trees to the side of the road, and then a goat with iridescent horns runs across the path, followed by a youth shouting "Get back here Stew! We lost enough o'ye over the winter, and you'll overheat if we don't clip that wool!"

Talking with Villagers

Asking after Iroh

Ask the Local Dwarves

There is a Dwarfhall in Copper Creek, something that is a little strange considering there is no mine in the area. THe nearest tunnel is a 4 day hike into the mountains. The dwarves here are crafters of weapons and armor, using the local malachite imbue items with lightning magic. Yet they are having issues. It is hard to work local stone using magics, as they behave in inconsistent ways. Here, too, the forges are acting wierd. And though they have not yet grown to be noticible by the locals, the dwarves will warn of tremors starting in the region. The origin of these tremors is The Wreck.

Talk to the Local Farmers

"See that there smudge" the farmer says, pointing to a mountain several peaks away from Copper Creek. "That there is the Wreck. Its not every day, but sometimes you see smoke risin from there. I reckon the ghosts up there finally got the thing workin again. Shame that its in 3 pieces... or so I'm told. Can you imagine, somethin as grand as our church and the inns put together, flying through the sky. Still, I'd imagine smoke that far above the tree-line counts as somethin strange."

Visit the Wizards Tower

The local wizard is somewhat concerned. In the winter, magics started behaving strangely. Spells of fire or earth magic have become affected by what they can only assume are wild magic currents. To illustrate the point, the wizard will attempt to light a candelabra nearby (this can fail entirely, appear to take more effore, or create an outsized effect at the GMs discression). Research has revealed that these waves of wild magic emanate from The Wreck, a ruined ship, theoretically of Storm Giant origin, located further into the mountains.

Asking about Vampire Activity

Merchants in the Town Square
Attempting to track the most recent guard to go missing will lead up into the mountains.

Talking with merchants, or their guards, reveals that the journey was significantly more dangerous than in years past, but only once people had entered the Myrskyt Mountains. Guards vanishing into the night, others found dead in the morning, drained of blood and with a hand or foot missing. On nights where the mist sits heavy in the valleys some entire caravans have disappeared.
"Aint right. This used to be easy money, accompanying the merchants up from Silmere. Theres no real bandits to speak of and predators tend to avoid caravans unless its been a particularly hard winter. Something unnatural has moved in. Strange thing is most things like that avoid anyplace Iroh might show up." - grizzled caravan guard

Talk to the Local Farmers

Inquiring about the youth that you saw on the way into the village will lead you to the nearest of the local farms. The owner will confirm that the winter was indeed harder than usual on the local herds. More goats were lost, but the bodies were rarely found, and those that were found were...strange. A single limb snapped off at a joint, but not a drop of blood to be seen. The matter was brought to the local wizard, but he said the killing were not magical in nature, nor part of any ritual with which they were familiar. Once merchant traffic picked up again the goats stopped disappearing, so the farmers dropped the matter.

The only other information of note is that no oine has heard from Jim "The Badger" yet this year. Jim is a trapper who usually winters near the high mountain pastures that some farmers use in the summer as graze-land. His first visit to town (with heavy winter pelts) is months overdue.

Visit the Church

A paladin or cleric can pray at the church for guidance and will receive an appropriate form of guidance. There is also a small grove adjacent to the church where a druid can recieve similar guidance. This guidance will not necessarily be a direct order to "go here" but could be something like a sunbeam highlighting the mountain top after the PC leaves the church, or an injured animal taking shelter in the grove.

Journey into the Mountains

It seems that your group will be journeying into the mountains.



Step 1: Figure out the Villain

1. WHO: A Villain (name, class, level, race) Tortle Vampire: Bosch of the Lilly
2. WHAT: The Villain’s evil goal restore The Wreck to working order
3. WHEN: A deadline soon
4. HOW: How are they trying to achieve their goal? by binding Iroh the volcano elemental to the presumed engine room
5. WHY: Why haven’t they already achieved this? Iroh does not like being bound, and they dont understand the workings of the ship
6. MOTIVATION: Why do they want to achieve their goal? They believe the ship is a magical weapon they can use against the Fae Courts in the ongoing Twilight War
What are three effects of the Villain’s plot that the players will interact with?
1. vampire agents selling bad maps/acting as guides to mislead the party
2. vampire spawn and corrupted local wildlife
3. An ancient and derelict ship coming to life
1. Setting up
Where does the adventure start (and why)?
2. The Hook
How does the party hear about the problem? (Often the effects of your Villain’s plot)
What are the motivations to help? (2+ which resonate with your players!)
Financial/Equipment gain
Moral/Deity gain
Exploration/Information
Reputation
Personal stakes (e.g: family, friend, NPC-revenge etc.):
Character quests Getting out of trouble:
Step 3: The adventure begins Location 1: Progression 1: Obstacle 1: Location 2: Progression 2: Obstacle 2: Location 3: Progression 3: Obstacle 3:
Step 4: The Twist Choose a complication! What is the big surprise/reveal/twist before your climax?
Step 5: Climax Where does the final encounter with the villain take place? How will you add an extra challenge for the party?

Step 6 Epilogue
If the villain has been defeated, how will the world change? Is there an additional reward for the party? Which loose ends to the story need resolving? Does this set up a subsequent adventure/one-shot?