Crown of the Kobold King (days 5-6)

The heroes faced a horde of yapping kobolds and other foul denizens in the cramped warrens and mining shafts below.

On level two, masonry gave way to rough-carved tunnels with low ceilings and gaping caves full of jutting stalagmites below and looming stalactites above. The passageways between most areas, while comfortable for kobolds, were tight quarters for medium creatures, and several accessways require medium heroes to squeeze.

The shaft dropped down into a large, mostly square chamber. A doorway opened in one wall, while two other walls had been broken through from the outside. Cramped, narrow tunnels beckoned from beyond the breached walls. Two bloodscales awaited the heroes, mounted on the backs of disgusting toadlike monstrosities called slurks. As soon as anyone descended the shaft they attacked, but the heroes had no trouble dispatching them.

The next dour stone chamber was filled with empty crates and splintered barrels. Stone rafters criss-crossed the ceiling above. This area was once home to a family of chokers lurking among the old crates and boxes stowed in this dark chamber. When the kobolds rose up from the warrens below, war broke out between these two groups of monsters. After a week fraught with casualties on both sides, the kobolds won out, slaying all of the chokers but one, who fled to the shadowy rafters above. Now the poor creature lay between some boxes, barely alive, a kobold's barbed spear still stuck in his back. The choker gurgled pathetically when approached, unable to defend himself. When Hrol took pity on the choker and removed the barbed spear, the thing looked on him with confused, grateful eyes, and dragged itself into the corner to rest.

The cramped passageways ahead opened to a large cavern filled with rocky overhangs and jutting boulders. The boulders offered a lot of cover for anyone who wanted to take advantage of them. Merlokrep's cruel mining foreman, Lekmek, worked a gaggle of slaves to death in search of "shiny good-good" for Vreggma. Sadly, gold is not on the menu in these glum mines, whose walls are riddled instead with veins of iron ore. Lekmek was short for a kobold, with spindly little chicken legs that contrasted bizarrely with his tremendously muscled upper body. His broad shoulders and thick python arms were perched precariously on his wobbly stick-legs. His face was squat and mean. His snout was stunted as if pushed in by a shovel. Heroes familiar with Boss Teedum back in town were disturbed by Lekmek's striking resemblance to the ugly human. When the heroes ventured here the foreman ordered his slaves to attack with their picks as he waded into melee with his. Lekmek wielded his pick two-handed. He was too ornerly to flee. The slaves fought like devils against the heroes. After this fight, the heroes decided to rest before they moved further into the warrens.

The walls and floor of the chamber they entered after resting was covered with a semi-transparent slippery gray slime that resembled mucous. Two narrow tunnels led south out of this cave, while a flight of steps led up to the north. The walls of this cavern were covered in the foul-smelling crusty slime secreted by slurks, and the floor was slick with their nasty belly grease. The floor was slippery, with anyone moving through here risking falling prone. Kapmek, the Honored Slurk-Wrangler of the Truescale tribe, spent most of his time here with his goo-slick charges. Kapmek, a green-scaled kobold with an overly long snout and swathed in black leather armor, was mounted on slurk-back. Another slurk also roved about the slimy cave. It had the corpse of a bloodscale kobold stuck to its back. Kapmek and his slurks leapt to attack the heroes when they enter this chamber. Kapmek kept his distance on slurkback and pelted foes with shots from his crossbow, managing to kill one of the heroes' kobold allies before he was defeated.

Into the Darkness (day 5)

When the kobolds opened the door for the heroes, six stone platforms with well worn knee rests carved into them were spread through this large chamber. The kobolds here were charged with scouting the upper halls and reporting obvious threats to Merlokrep and his elite bloodscales below. Kerrdremak is a hunched-back kobold with dark blue scales. One of his ears is immensely oversized (a birth defect) and droops under the weight of several human finger-bone earrings. These grim trophies jangled obscenely whenever he nodded his head. When Kerrdremak was convinced to aid the PCs in any way he nodded frantically (accidentally calling attention to the dangling fingerbones), claiming "Kerrdremak always likey pink-skins, me never hurt huu-mans!"

The heroes smashed the door to the next chamber, where a ten-foot diameter pit occupied its center. Directly over the pit a long chain fed through complex pulley system before disappearing into the depths. When the kobolds were pushed into he warrens below this area, and forced to make constant trips to the surface to gather food and fresh water, they grew tired of constantly scampering up the walls of the pit. The kobolds used a large cauldron, several lengths of chain, and pulleys stored on the sub-basement to construct a rudimentary pulley-operated elevator for ease of travel between the two levels. Six kobold sentries commanded by an elite dark talon hunter were posted here to guard the elevator. When the Dark Talon detected the heroes' entrance he staged an ambush, ordering two of the kobolds to hide in the cauldron elevator while he slinked into the shadowed alcove by the entrance. He ordered the other four kobolds to hold their positions, luring the heroes into their trap. Kerrdremak cast spells and shied away from melee. The Dark Talon fought to the death. The other kobolds leapt out of the cauldron to attack. When more than three of their number were slain, the kobolds fled. The kobolds purposefully rigged this elevator to malfunction if too much weight was placed inside. The elevator operates safely with less than 600 pounds in it, easily allowing the transport of a few kobolds and a prisoner, but an armed and armored party of adventurers is likely to cause the elevator to plummet to the bottom 30 feet below, dealing damage to anyone inside. The heroes used the elevator in smaller groups.

Into the Darkness (days 4-5)

After a harrowing encounter, the heroes manage to destroy the cube without any casualties. The suit of mithral plate needed a good wash to rinse off the acidic residue of the cube but was otherwise functional. The +1 battleaxe shed light and bore the inscription "Glintaxe". Jeva has heard the ballad of the Glintaxe at least a few times:

Glintaxe, mighty hero of the dwarven race,
Seeker of heirlooms lost without trace,
He ventured the deeps where old evil sleeps
He perished in the halls of some dark place.
His restless spirit still stalks the night,
His shining axe still glows bright,
I've seen his ghost, and this is no boast,
I've ne'er laid eyes on a more fearful sight.

The heroes asked Kibbo and Jarrdreg why they were gathering the obsidian obelisk, to which they answered for its reflective qualities. Vreggma, Chief Consort and "Only One Allowed to Nag-Nag His Greatness" is having slaves construct a black mirror in her quarters.

After resting, the heroes enter a room with three stone tables in the middle, while the long benches that once stood next to them had been knocked askew and overturned. This chamber was the site of a heated battle between kobold warriors and a few of their captives, who escaped their holding pen on the kobold warrens and made it to here before being overtaken. When the heroes entered, a halfling was grappling with a kobold warrior and two kobolds had a half-elf girl backed into a corner. They looked like they were attempting to recapture her without harming her too badly. A human boy was crying under a table and clutching his head. Four kobolds rushed to engage the heroes. When two of their numbers were slain, the kobolds tried to flee, with two of them succeeding. The warrior grappling with the halfling though hurled javelins from afar, and was then tripping foes with his flying talon. This kobold was brainwashed to fight to the death. The halfling employed his bardic performance to help the heroes during the fight, while the half-elf girl distracted the kobold by throwing rocks. Edgrin Galesong, a chubby halfling and bard extraordinaire, is a member of the Gray Eagles, an adventuring troupe based in Falcon's Hollow who ventured into the wood a week ago seeking treasure. The Gray Eagles were swarmed by a large hunting party of kobolds. Most of Edgrin's companions were killed, but he and a half-elf wizard named Tyran Moonsilver were captured alive and dragged back as captives destined either for eating or sacrifice. Originally dejected by the death of his friends, Edgrin consigned himself to his fate, but when the children were hurled into the holding pen with him Edgrin grew determined to help them escape. The bard and Tyran overwhelmed their guards with more than a little help from the courageous Kimi Eavewalker. As they sprinted for freedom, Tyran and Hollin were felled by spears, but the other children and Edgrin made it to Droskar's Crucible. They took a wrong turn towards some smoking tunnels, where Edgrin watched helplessly as a hulking dwarf there dragged little Jurin Kreed into the darkness. The escapees reversed direction but the kobolds, fast on their heels, caught up to them in this mess hall. Edgrim and Kimi decided to make a stand and buy Mikra and Savram time to escape. The heroes found the overweight halfling and brave little girl fighting for their lives against a band of evil kobolds in a pitched battle. Edgrin is a sweaty, moon-faced little halfling whose heart is as big as his stomach. His once debonair, brocaded, green-velvet doublet and silk leggings are torn and covered in grime, and his lute still hangs on a strap at his side, although he splintered it on a kobold's skull in defense of the kids. Edgrin is all courage and spitfire, willing to die to save any of the children. Edgrin does all he can to aid the heroes' efforts to save Tyran and the rest of the kids. He told them Savram fled the mess hall towards the north, and disclosed the fate of Jurin Kreed, who was taken alive by a hulking dwarf. Kimi is a black-haired young half-elf girl with fierce green eyes wearing a leather hunting vest, slacks, and high hard boots, looking like a miniaturized adventurer. Her bravery flows from her need to protect Mikra, who she treats as her kid brother although he is older than her. Kimi could not be dissuaded from helping the party save the other children.

Next to the mess hall was a once well-appointed kitchen that had suffered from long neglect. Shelves covered in broken stone and other refuse lined the walls, while across the room an old rusty cauldron rested in the ashes of an ancient fire. The refuse on the eastern shelf concealed two potions of owl's wisdom.

The next room the heroes approached was behind a locked strong wooden door. A malcontent of the Truescale tribe named Kerrdremak held court here over five kobold warriors. Consternation at his tribe's many recent tragedies has caused Kerrdremak to unceasingly express his laments to the other five. The group is rife for rebellion, although Kerrdremak is too spineless to suggest it. While approaching this chamber, Hrol, who speaks Draconic, noted Kerrdremak's disillusionment and appealed to it and earned some allies against the Kobold King.

Into the Darkness (day 2-4)

When Wrackomelor pressed Jeva to talk about the fire, she weaved a harrowing tale of hearing her only friends wail as the flames melted their faces. When asked about Elara, she insisted the headmistress was a wonderful woman "who only did what was best for us orphans, no matter how much it hurt..." When asked about her horrible scars she said, "It was for my own good! She did this to us to make us better, she said". Tears followed fast. Wrackomelor did not believe her story about the night of the fire, and after Hrol detected a dim evil aura on her, he pressed her for the truth. Jeva admitted that she was detained in the basement by Elara the night of the fire for being bad. She claims she lost consciousness and when she came to, she was in the woods and the orphanage had already burnt down. The heroes decide to keep an eye on her and allow her to lead them to the kobold lair for now.

Following the tracks of the kobolds, and guided by the strange wild orphan from the forest, the heroes continue on their way to their barge from their last foray into the wood. Unsettlingly large crows loom into the branches cawing ominously as the heroes pass but otherwise not harassing them in any way. The next morning an ophidian predator crossed the path of the heroes. The moorsnake was too lethargic to attack and merely slithered away. At night, though, it slipped into camp and attempted to constrict Mrunk. The heroes dealt with the hungry animal swiftly.

As the heroes journeyed closer to the base of Droskar's Crag, the shadows of the wood deepened. When they emerged from a bleak treeline of twisted elm they caught another glimpse of the old monastery. Tall grasses and chunks of stone debris have all but overtaken this small yard. Off to one side, a wooden stable has collapsed into a mound of rotting timbers and moldy straw. The outer wall on the east side has also collapsed, leaving a ragged hole. Bits of foundation work only suggested the monastery's original layout, fading memories of a world long ago crashed under the unforgiving heel of time. When the heroes picked about the clearing they found little of interest beyond the ancient stonework and fallen stable. They found a small broken spear with a wicked barbed tip, with a slight oily residue sticking to it. When they scoured the ruins they found the top of a broken staircase half obscured by uprooted bushes. As they descended into the black, the constant woodland background noise seemed to liquefy in the murk below the surface. Replacing it was the occasional quasi-discernible whisper, moan, hiss, or intermittent echo of jangling chains.

The sub-level of this ancient monastery has a spartan interior. Smooth halls stretch between cold-stoned chambers. The stairs descended more than 20 feet below the surface and no sound penetrated from above. The monastery walls are masonry, and there are few sources of light. The monastery warps sounds in strange ways.

The stairway opened into a large rectangular chamber. The stone walls of this area were covered with intricate carvings of dwarves toiling in mines or smithies. In the center of the chamber stood the bottom half of a broken obsidian obelisk. Crude picks, hammers, and other tools lay scattered around the chamber. Kobold slaves gathered the obsidian. When the heroes arrived, two kobold slaves toiled near the west doorway, trying to drag a 60-pound chunk of the fallen monument behind them. Four kobold warriors accompanied them. The slaves used their slings and avoided melee. The warriors hissed and sputtered when they detected the heroes and rushed to attack. The heroes managed to subdue and tie up all the kobolds. When the heroes subdued the whimpering slaves (named Kibbo and Jarrdreg), they realized that they might prove invaluable, if irritating, allies. Kibbo referred to Hrol as Great Liberator and Jarrdreg applied the title of Great Lady Chief Bore-to-Snore to Seoni whom he saw cast sleep. The kobolds are lick-spittles. They know all about the "pink-skinned blood bags for the crown" and were happy to talk. According to them, the children were dragged down to the lower level. Wrackomelor, who reads Dwarven, pieced together and dusted off some of the broken chunks of the monument to read the following: "...Toil is the only true path to salvation. Those who will not work shall have their blood boiled in the Dark Furnace for all time...there is no decadent paradise awaiting us after death, as our corrupt forefathers claimed, only industrious labor in Droskar's Forge awaits the faithful, this great work is its own reward...the unfaithful, they will serve in the end, their blood and bones shall stoke the fires of our industry...the world will burn to the glory of Droskar."

As Kibbo and Jarrdreg led the way, an evil hiss rose from the darkness ahead. A floating dwarven form shrouded in full plate rounded the corner. The air about this dwarven specter shimmered eerily, and the walls and floor sizzled and smoked where it passed. The thing's boots scorn the earth, gliding a full foot above the masonry floor. It dragged a cruel bloodletter axe in the air behind it. The kobolds have seen the "flying dwarf ghost" and are terrified of it. They tried to flee at its approach. The mithral armor and glowing axe (locked to the gauntlet) approached the heroes. When the heroes attacked with a ranged weapon first they immediately noticed that it hit an invisible cube before it reached the armor. The glow shed by the axe refracted through the cube, creating a ghostly shimmer. The cube moved towards the heroes and engulfed Hrol.

Seekers of Lost Children (day 1-2)

The heroes discovered five sets of child-sized footprints meandering northwest towards the orphanage. Their first stop in their quest to find the missing children was Elara's Halfway House, the scene of the infamous dare and the last place any of the children were known to be. The halfway house stands on a small hill about 8 miles outside of town, right on the edge of the wood. Elara's motives for building the orphanage so far away from the relative safety of town are a matter of some speculation in the village. Her isolation cost her her life and the destruction of everything she built.

As the heroes approached the site of the burned orphanage, they saw its blackened husk lying atop the hill. Charred timbers are strewn among piles of caked ash and the only edifice left standing is a soot-stained stone arch. A small stuffed doll lies below the arch, her face seared off and her patchwork dress spilling dirty stuffing. Beside her, a troop of half-melted tin soldiers stand in formation, their bodies twisted and deformed by the blaze that claimed their owner's life.

There was little of interest among the debris here, but the heroes found a charred trapdoor beneath an inch of ash at the center of the ruins. The lock was melted shut, but the door was badly damaged and easily smashed open.

The heroes breached the door and the stench of rot belched forth from this rank cellar. A chipped, blood-stained oaken table rests against one wall, with all manner of blades and barbed instruments laid out on it. A single pair of rusted shackles is bolted into the opposite wall, whose bricks are stained in a bloody account of pain and cruelty. The robed corpse of a woman on the floor is the source of the reeking stench of decay.

The woman did not die by fire. An examination of her corpse revealed the nature of her death (throat torn out) and a band of discolored skin on her ring finger.

Her corpse now plays host to the brood of spiders nesting in the basement. As soon as Wrackomelor approached the carcass, a swarm of spiders scuttled from her nose, eyes, mouth, and rent throat. Their proud mother lurked in a ceiling corner and descended to protect her children. After the heroes dispatched the spiders, they found two masterwork silver daggers and a damp rotten bundle of herbs among the implements on the table.

The heroes had tracked the children this far, and when they searched the area around the orphanage, they discovered a campsite not far from the ruins. A large, makeshift tent lies shredded on the ground beside a crude fireplace of flat stones. Signs of a struggle are everywhere, with broken twigs, crushed foliage, scraps of clothing, and patches of blood on the ground. The heroes also found a few reptilian scales around the fire pit. The reptilians made little effort to conceal their tracks through the forest and the heroes began to follow their trail.

Following the tracks of the reptilians, the heroes at last entered the perilous Darkmoon Wood. Even at high noon, little light breaches the rocky eaves and thick forest canopy, making night one with day.

On their second day of travel through the forest, the heroes happened upon the fresh corpse of a large wolf. On the branches above they noticed a manticore which hadn't seen them yet, so they decided to avoid it.

The heroes resumed the tracks of the reptilians and as they were trying to figure out how to cross the river, they noticed a teenage girl stalking them. When the heroes discovered her, she introduced herself as Jeva, a traumatized survivor of the orphanage fire. She begged the party for food before breaking into tears. Jeva was the young daughter of a well-to-do family of potters living in Falcon's Hollow. Her parents dead, Jeva ended up at Elara's Halfway House. Her ragged clothing hung off one shoulder to reveal horrible scars, and she avoided questions about them.

When asked about the missing children from Falcon's Hollow, Jeva was eager to help. She witnessed the kids' abduction because she was stalking the band of children herself before the kobolds attacked them. She was happy to help the heroes find the kids, and could show the way to their lair, Droskar's Crusible.

Jeva is a rail-thin, green-eyed girl of fourteen years, although she is particularly diminutive for her age. Her mouse-brown hair is a tangle of twigs and brambles and her face is smudged with dark stains. Her back, arms, and legs are covered with brutal scars.

Lighting the Way (day 1)

The heroes wanted to learn a few things about the disappearance of the five children. They find out the following about the missing kids:

Kimi Eavewalker: Daughter of the famed elven ranger Idris and a beautiful seamstress named Kitani, Kimi has not seen her father in two years. The ranger is constantly away adventuring and tracking down relics for a mysterious patron. Kimi has grown into a fearless tomboy. Kimi is the protector of this band of friends, often scrapping with boys twice her age who try to bully the others. She usually wins these bouts, and many of the town's children are afraid of her.

Hollin Hebbradan: Hollin is a freckly-faced ten-year-old boy missing his two front teeth (from a bad spill off the waterwheel at the old mill). Hollin's mother died in childbirth and his father was savaged by an owlbear two years ago. Now Hollin's older sister, a beautiful young red-haired woman named Ralla, looks after him. The two have struggled to make ends meet and rumor has it Ralla works on one of the pleasure dens on Mud Street to keep food on the table. Hollin is a skilled woodcarver and he manages to earn a few copper pieces hawking his statuettes.

Mikra Jabbs: The thirteeen-year-old of the town butcher, Colbrin Jabbs, Mikra's difficult birth resulted in several mental deficiencies. He cannot read and believes almost everything he is told. Mikra is well-liked by everyone. His bright smile wins the hearts of almost anyone who meets him. Though the oldest of the bunch, Mikra is looked after by the others.

Jurin Kreed: Son of the wealthiest, most powerful, and evilest man in Falcon's Hollow, Jurin Kreed is a boy of eleven. Jurin behaves insufferably, snarling at the other children and threatening to have his dad's bodyguards beat them if they don't do everything he says. People wonder why the other children don't simply avoid the spoiled bully. Jurin spends many hours at the Jabbs' house.

Savram Vade: Son of the mysterious wizard Sharvaros, Savram is a quiet, withdrawn nine-year-old boy, whose bright eyes betray intelligence far beyond his years.

The heroes convince a few neighborhood kids with loose lips to reveal "the secret dare" taken by the five missing kids: to spend the night at the burned-out ruin of Elara's halfway house up on a mournful hill next to Darkmoon Wood.

The heroes asked around about the burnt orphanage, and they learned that a middle-aged silver-haired human woman named Elara opened the orphanage ten years ago, hard on the heels of the Gobliblood War. The atrocities committed by marauding bands of goblins left dozens of children without parents, and Elara took in droves of them.

Elara was a selfless woman who spent the greater part of her life caring for those no on else wanted. The fire was a horrible tragedy.

The fire started out of nowhere and spread so fast, by the time the town's volunteer brigade arrived all that was left was a smoking ruin, every child dead, and Elara burnt to cinders. Hard to believe a blaze that fierce could start as an accident. The locals were always afraid for the safety of that place. Elara built her halfway house far away from town and much too close to that haunted wood.

The last few months or so before the fire people claimed to hear all manner of clatter from the orphanage at night. Screams they say. Terrible screams. Some even claimed Elara lost her mind, took to torturing the children in the dead of night. That's why she built the place outside of town.

Darkmoon Wood (days 5-14)

After retrieving all the ingredients needed, the heroes rushed back to Falcon's Hollow without further delay. Three inexpert and slightly drunk human hunters traveled the forest, trapping rabbits and tracking larger game, specifically dunlied. The heroes got lost, so these woodsmen pointed them back to their path with somewhat questionable expertise. The heroes crossed the water on the return trip with the construction of a crude raft.

On the next day, the heroes got lost again, and two wolves viciously attacked them on sight, but both wolves fled when one was severely wounded.

When they finally made it back to Falcon's Hollow on the third day of travel, Laurel was glad to see them and immediately set out to brew the remedy. Laurel payed the characters their due and offered them a discount on any future services.

Hrol offered his services to the Church of Iomedae for the next 2.5 years, in return for atoning for breaking his code of conduct.

After a week of quiet, Lady Cirthana of the Church of Iomedae informs Hrol that the whole town is talking about some missing children, and she tasks him with finding them.

Ruined Monastery (day 5, part 2)

Among the other relics in the kobold's room, the heroes found a ruby. When they placed it in one of the depressions in the desecrated shrine's anvil, a wave of positive energy washed out form the altar, hitting everyone in the room and causing an unearthly dwarven choir to spring up from the darkness before fading away. All creatures in the room had their wounds healed and their morale heightened. A pair of creatures had taken up residence in this chamber and roosted on the ceiling above. The creatures waited until the entire group was inside the chamber before dropping down to strike. Just before the creatures dropped down to attack, the illumination in the room dropped one step. Each creature targeted a different foe, attempting to grapple as quickly as possible. The creatures were in their lair and fought to the death.

North of the desecrated shrine is a long hallway which ends with a ruined dwarven statue. The statue is smashed and barely recognizable as a dwarven monk. His stone hammer rests on the ground next to the shattered remains of his head.

The first door from the hallway leads to a small study that looks like it has been lived in recently. Gnawed bones litter the floor and tufts of gray fur can be seen here and there. An old stone desk sits in the center of the chamber, scratched and cracked in many places. The stench of wet fur hung heavy in the air. It was the den of a pair of wolves, the consorts of the large wolf in the adjoining chamber. The pair attacked as soon as they spotted intruders. They howled loudly so as to alert the large wolf in the adjoining chamber of intruders. The wolves singled out one opponent but were swiftly killed by the heroes. The desk is completely empty except for a few scraps of ancient parchment and an old quill. One of the drawers has a secret compartment, though, that the heroes found. Inside was a masterwork handaxe, a small pouch containing 100 pp, and a prayer book. The book is written in Dwarven and describes the worship of Droskar. A small note on the inside cover reads "Torag is no longer worthy of our devotion. Only Droskar can deliver us from the failings of King Garbold".

The adjoining ruined chamber has gaping holes in the roof that allow faint light to enter. One of the stone columns that once supported the ceiling is toppled, its broken pieces littering the floor. A thick patch of black mushrooms hides in the nearby corner, giving the room an earthy scent that was barely noticeable above the stench of wet fur. This chamber was the home of a large wolf who saw himself as the ruler of the ruins. He was a cunning foe that recognized the heroes as a serious threat the moment they entered. With his consorts wounded or dead, he was cautious in dealing with the intruders, His first act was to spring from hiding atop the ruined column, baring his teeth in an attempt to demoralize them. The heroes were unimpressed so he spoke, demanding to know why they had disturbed his rest. After a sorry attempt at diplomacy by Wrackomelor, Hrol lost his patience and attacked first. The large wolf singled out Wrackomelor in combat, targeting him. This was the large wolf's home and he fought to the death to protect it. Tucked behind the pillar were a few things of value hidden by him, including a bag with 354 gp, a masterwork light crossbow, a ceramic vial and a crystal wand. In the dark corner of the wood grew a small patch of ironbloom mushrooms, six in all.

The second door from the hallway leads to a small chamber dominated by old cobweb-covered racks and armor stands. What must have once been a well-tended armory is now devoid of arms and armor. A secret door is located on the northeaster corner of this room. Four masterwork bolts were underneath one of the racks.

The secret door swung open to reveal a short corridor with a wall of bars running down one side. Four rusted doors open in this wall into four cramped cells. The locks on the cell doors have rusted away, making them easy to open. While all of the cells contain the bones of long-dead dwarves, three of them were actually skeletons that rose up to attack the heroes as soon as they opened the last cell door. The skeletons moved to attack the nearest living creature. They used their claws and they were wearing leather aprons. They fought to the death. The only skeleton here that does not animate lies in a peaceful posture on its simple straw cot. On one of his hands was a simple golden ring with a large red gemstone in it that sparkles with an inner fire. Growing inside the skeleton's ribcage was a pair of ironbloom mushrooms.

Ruined Monastery (day 5)

The door to the room north of the entry hall was stuck. With a loud crack, the door finally gave way and opened, shattering an ancient wooden chair propped against it on the other side. The room beyond is dark and smells deeply of dust and decay. The mummified remains of a dwarf rest in the middle of the chamber. Wearing the garb of a blacksmith, the dwarf has the shattered shards of a glass vial in one hand and a scrap of ancient parchment in the other. Written in dwarven, the parchment reads, "Forgive me, dark father of the forge, my toils shall never be enough". Tucked into the belt of the long-dead dwarf is a silver light hammer with an unknown religious symbol carved into the head.

The small room south of the entry hall has a few moth-eaten rags hanging on pegs and a single soiled hat resting on a table.

The double doors leading into a chamber southwest of the entry hall are shattered and broken, one of them lying on the floor. The room beyond is in an equal state of disrepair. What was once a library is now a shattered mess with one corner being completely collapsed and dominated by a wide pool of stagnant water. Thick fungus grows on most of the books that still remain on the shelves lining the walls. The fungus that lines the shelves in this room is hazardous if disturbed. When Tok moved the books the fungus let off a puff of spores that damaged his constitution. In addition, he has strange shadows and flittering movement appear in the corners of his vision. Atop one of the bookshelves is a single tome that has managed to avoid the destructive fungus. This book is written in Dwarven and contains hymns to Torag. The book is beautifully illustrated. Folded into the last page of the book is a scroll.

The door leading into the chamber across the library from the hallway was locked. The device was quite ancient and Hrol broke down the door. This small chamber appears to be some sort of sitting room, complete with a single table and a pair of chairs, both in relatively good condition. Resting atop the table is a half-eaten crow next to a crude knife and a cracked mug. A net sprung up near the ceiling held a number of stones and a small metal anvil, which fell on the room when the heroes kicked in the door. The heroes, thinking this trap was made to warn a creature further in the ruins, bluffed cries of alarm and pain, without much success.

The small cramped chamber past the guest quarters holds two beds (one of which is covered in bird bones), a small sack, and an array of old tools. The other bed looks recently slept in. A kobold hid under the bed, gaining total cover. The kobold used the cramped space to his advantage whenever possible, preventing others from entering the room. He focused his attacks on Mrunk, but was eventually bested by the heroes, who nevertheless stemmed his bleeding. On the spare bed is a complete set of masterwork artisan's tools useful for Craft (stonemasonry). In addition, these is a small sack containing 62 gp in assorted coins and a single ruby gemstone.

Ruined Monastery (day 4-5)

The heroes continued their trip through Darkmoon Vale, when a giant mosquito crossed their path and soundlessly attached itself to Tok. The heroes killed the disgusting insect before it could do him any serious damage.

After exploring Darkmoon Vale, only one ingredient remains to be found: ironbloom mushrooms. These small toadstools are known to be a dwarven delicacy, but there are no dwarves living in the area. As such, the heroes' only hope of retrieving these mushrooms is to search the ruins on the other side of Darkmoon Vale.

Unfortunately, predators have taken up residence in the ruined building. Unless otherwise noted, none of the chambers inside the monastery are lit. All of the rooms have 10-foot-tall ceilings at the minimum, but since most open up to the sloped roof above, many reach a height of up to 20 feet. The walls are all stone, with the interior walls being 1 foot thick and the exterior walls measuring at least 3 feet thick. All of the doors are strong wooden doors, and many are swollen stuck.

Sitting squat at the foot of an imposing mountain, a ruined monastery came into view between ancient gnarled trees. Made of simple stone blocks, worn smooth with the passage of time, the stout building is falling apart. Sections of the slanted shale roof have collapsed and portions of the outer wall have crumbled. Weeds and wild thorn plants run rampant across the field leading up to the place, leaving only the slightest indication of a path that ends at the ruined front doors. Beyond, an overgrown yard sits in shadow.

The old path that leads up to the ruins ends about 50 feet from the monastery. Before entering the yard, the path passes between a pair of old stone statues. While one of them is little more than rubble, the other is relatively intact. The 5-foot-tall statue is incredibly worn but it can still be made out as a dwarf holding aloft a great stone hammer. Moss and creeper vines cover most of its surface.

Tall grasses and chunks of stone debris have all but overtaken the small yard. Off to one side, a wooden stable has collapsed into a mound of rotting timbers and moldy straw. The outer wall on the east side has also collapsed, leaving a ragged hole. Three doors exit into this yard – a pair of double doors to the east, a single door to the north, and a lone door leading into the squat tower in the southeast corner. A few lone razrocrows roost at the tower and caw at anyone who enter their domain.

This yard lies in ruins. Searching the tall grasses revealed a few interesting clues. A well hides in the northwest corner of the yard, with 10 feet of rope dangling into it. The water is more than 30 feet down and is brackish. Lying next to the well is a body. Valeros revealed that this body was devoured by a rather large animal.

The ruined stable hides a few ancient bones, but little else of value. The heroes revealed that these are the bones of a pony.

Although the tall grasses obscure most trails, Tok revealed faint signs that some creatures do enter the main building through the double doors. Some of these tracks looked reptilian while others are clearly made by four-legged mammals. The reptilian trail always leads to the entrance and then out into the wild while the mammal tracks leave by either the main entrance or through the hole in the eastern wall.

Hiding inside a rotting backpack at the base of the well were the remains of a week's worth of trail rations, a set of thieves' tools, 50 feet of silk rope, a small coinpurse with 42 gp in assorted coins, and a small blue vial containing a potion of cure light wounds.

The door leading into the tower was stuck. A rather aggressive monstrous spider dwelt in this room, hiding in its webs. The moment the door opened, the spider dropped down to attack. Its webs allowed it to move throughout the tower, but did not hinder the heroes' movement. The spider fought to the death

Atop the 30-foot-tall tower is an open trapdoor that leads into the interior. Thick webs covered much of the ancient crates and barrels stored inside the base of the tower. A rickety wooden staircase ascended along one wall to reach an open trapdoor above.

The wooden staircase leading to the roof of the tower was not safe. When Hrol attempted to climb the stairs the staircase collapsed.

While the supplies in most of the crates and barrels in this room have long since rotted away, one small crate contained a masterwork short sword wrapped in oilcloth.

Beyond the double doors off the yard is a small dark hall. Littered with mounds of debris and a year’s worth of dead leaves, it is clear that a narrow path winds inside. There is nothing of interest in the piles of dirt and leaves.

Pews of darkwood lie tipped over and covered in dust on either side of this ancient shrine off the entry hall. At the far end sits a large ceremonial anvil, but its surface is defaced and ruined.

The anvil was identified as an item devoted to Torag. Of particular note is a space upon the altar containing five small depressions. 

Darkmoon Vale (day 2-4)

The hobgoblin attempted to flee while his hawks fought to the death. During that fight, the heroes were assisted by a mysterious and slightly intoxicated gnome priest of Cayden Cailean, Wrackomelor, who joined their quest. Mrunk managed to incapacitate the hobgoblin and the heroes left his fortune to the fates afterwards.

Hrol removed the fox from the trap. The pitiful animal put up no resistance.

The fox was badly injured, it's hindquarters slashed by the hobgoblin's trap. Hrol and Wrackomelor saved and treated the fox, nursing it back to health.

Later on that same day, a giant mosquito crossed the path of the heroes and soundlessly attached itself to Wrackomelor. The heroes killed the disgusting insect before it could do him any serious damage.

The next day, the heroes found a rare, glowing mold covering the undersides of several large rocks deep in the forest. Valeros and Mrunk managed to harvest enough of the mold without destroying it to serve as two separate light sources. Once removed from the rock, the mold continued to glow with the brightness of a torch.

Later that day, the dense trees and thick brush of the forest give way, parting seemingly in respect for the titanic darkwood tree that dominates a clearing. Several times taller than a temple minaret, in one direction the obviously ancient tree reaches into the sky with branches like a giant’s arms, while in the other it plumbs the earth with roots thicker than a man’s waist. Its limbs broad and strong, its bark thick and so richly colored as to almost be black, and its leaves the size of bucklers, the giant thing is less a tree and more a cathedral of boughs and branches.

Despite its serene nature, the glade was not without danger. A rare serpentine creature made its lair in the branches of the massive darkwood tree.

When the heroes entered the glade, the creature was hiding among the tree's limbs and branches near its trunk. When the heroes approached, it charged from the tree, pouncing on Mrunk and almost killing him. After a harrowing encounter, the heroes managed to slay it while it attempted to flee.

Focusing on the elder darkwood's trunk, the heroes revealed a small patch of elderwood moss Laurel described. The growth was easily collected by even the most unskilled hand.

This elder darkwood tree is the most ancient of its kind in Darkmoon Vale according to Milon. The clearing is roughly ovular, The elder darkwood has low, easy to climb branches that extend from the trunk in every direction. Valeros and Mrunk eventually scaled the tree's height, gaining a commanding view of the entire forest. During their climb they noticed three bodies hanging in the high limbs.

The heroes investigated the bodies in the elder darkwood to find the corpses of three medium-sized humanoids. Although the bodies had been stripped of nearly all their flesh, their equipment still dangled from their half-devoured carcasses. The heroes searched the bodies and found the following items which remained in useful condition: two light crossbows, two short swords, a suit of hide armor, a masterwork shortbow, a signet ring with the image of a flaming hawk, 9 gp, 12 sp and eight days' worth of rations.

On the next day, the sounds of the forest become suddenly distant as the trees part, opening into a small, almost perfectly circular glade. The nearest stands of pine, eyln, and darkwood – all typically sturdy woods – twist away from the clearing, as if bent by some impossibly strong wind or seemingly in an attempt to flee despite their paralyzed roots. At the glade’s center squats an ugly cottage, little more than a pile of twigs, shoots, and ivy stacked upon mud walls. From the thatched roof hung bundles of gnarled roots, old dried beast carcasses, and knucklebone bangles, all clattering together like gruesome wind chimes. A dozen small thatched fetishes – each shaped like a tiny man, imp, or rearing serpent – stand propped in the yard, keeping guard before a rickety plank door.

This cottage was home to the witch Ulizmila according to Milon. Although her works still spoil in this glen, Ulizmila was long since gone.

When the heroes approached the cottage they could see that its moldering door had rotted off its hinges but still blocked the way within. Hrol easily hefted aside the barrier.

Inside, the cottage is dank, reeking, and filled with shadows. Haphazardly hung shelves line the walls, covered in all manner of clay jugs, clouded bottles, strangely cut rocks, rotted bunches of herbs, and a museum of other crude curios and remnants of a bone grinder's artifice. A rusted iron cauldron dominated the hut's single room, its ash-covered surface shaped with a relief of capering fiends and leering devils. Across form the door, against the far walls, stands a high-backed chair made of wicker, the gigantic curved tusks of some monstrous beast, and thousands of human teeth. In the chair sits what looks like a corpse wrapped in filthy burial linens, its form padded with pungent herbs and sprouting patches of think white mold. This ominous shape is actually only a bundle of branches, mud, and linen.

The cauldron in the cottage was a unique animated creature. It attacked Wrackomelor when he disturbed Ulizmila's possessions. The heroes managed to destroy it.

Due to the volume and disorganization of the cottage's contents, it took 20 minutes to locate the rat's tail. Besides the rat's tail, there were several other items of hidden value in the hut. After a minute searching Hrol and Valeros uncovered statuettes and rare stones. Detect magic revealed the only magic item that remained here, a disgusting shrunken head.

Darkmoon Vale (day 1-2)

The heroes were compelled to plot their own journey to and through Darkmoon Vale. Since none of them were familiar with the area, they needed to make a stop at the Lumber's Consortium Camp.

The Lumber Consortium Camp cuts an ugly scar of stumps into a dense stand of proud darkwood trees. Five sturdy-looking buildings - seemingly a bunkhouse, meal hall, office, barn, and smithy - stand with numerous wide carts and sleds amid the sawdust-covered clearing.

The camp appears callous and unrelenting. Hrok inquired the first band of surly loggers they encountered after woodsman Milon Rhoddam.

Milon Rhoddam is a blunt and quiet man. His nephew has taken ill with blackscour taint and, when the heroes explain they 're trying to find reagents to brew a cure, he gladly sketched them a rough map of the forest, marking the location of where he believes Ulizmila's hut, the oldest tree in the forest, and the dwarven ruins stand.

The entire journey, from Falcon's Hollow to the Lumber Camp, to various forest locations and to the old dwarven ruins, is just over 37 miles in length. The entire journey will take five days, plus any time spent exploring or days spent resting. (C) on the map denotes the eldest tree in the forest, while (D) is Ulizmila's hut.

On their first day in the forest, the heroes happened upon a dead tree streaked with multicolored dye. Three humanoid-shaped small figures made of gnarled wood were pinned there.

The first time the characters drew near the lake, Tok heard an animal's whimpering a short distance away.

Not far from the edge of the forest-shrouded lake, a fox with large ears and bright orange fur lay bleeding, its hindquarters caught fully in the jaws of a crude iron trap.

Although the fox here has obviously been snared by a hunter's cruel trap, the beast's cries are part of a ploy meant to lure greater prey. A hobgoblin with a prodigious cleft palate lurks in the nearby treeline, watching over his catch with his bow and waiting for greater prey.

All but Tok are surprised when the hobgoblin attacks, He is accompanied by two trained hawks, one of which Valeros killed. Tok approached the tree the hobgoblin was on, and afterwards he leapt from its perch.

An Elusive Antidote (day 1)

The three heroes arrive in Falcon's Hollow, one to aid with the plague, another passing by and deciding to rent his skills in aid, and the last, Tok, afraid that he is himself afflicted.

After a short interaction with the patrons of the local tavern, where Tok is politely but firmly declined service because of his cough, Tok and one of the heroes learn that the local herbalist, Laurel, is aiding the families of the sick as best she can - although her proscriptions are little more than bed rest and a pungent black urdroot tea. The owner of the tavern directed the two heroes to Laurel's shop, the unmistakably named Roots and Remedies. The line stemming from Laurel's shop made a useful first-time meeting place with the last hero.

Creeping ivy and full window boxes cover the façade of the rugged-looking, two-story shop bearing the faded sign “Roots and Remedies”. A line of twenty-some somber townsfolk – some with pale, wheezing children, others seeming to be precipitously near tears – stretched from the open door.

It took nearly an hour for the heroes to reach the door of Roots and Remedies. Once inside, the clutter and disrepair of the shop showed the recent traffic. And Laurel visibly overworked herself at the store's rear, brewing remedies for the ill.

The smell of burnt earth and spicy incense chokes the air of the cramped, mud-tracked shop. Bunches of dried herbs hang from the ceiling, along with dangling pots, presses, alchemical apparatuses, and glassware of more arcane purposes. Pouches of rare plants, jars of colored glass, and all manner of dried, preserved, and jellied animal parts fill high shelves and tables doing double duty as displays and workspaces. In the shop’s rear, a rail-thin woman with severe-looking spectacles and hair pulled back tightly busied herself between an overpacked rack of herbs, a table covered in stray powders and measuring equipment, and a pot loudly bubbling over with thick gray froth. Over the din of her work and without looking up, the woman impatiently shouted, “And what’s your problem?”

The heroes conversed with Laurel and she told them anything they needed to know about the blackscour outbreak, how many people are afflicted, and - especially - how it's not her job to treat every cut and scabbed knee the daft people of Falcon's Hollow come crying to her about.

According to Laurel:

• Blackscour is just a fungus that's not good for anything. Hard, bitter, and sharp, it likes the water and gets people sick if they drink it down. She had never heard of it growing around these parts, though, until now.
• Blackscour taint is a sickness, almost like any other, but the afflicted get the mold growing in them. It starts eating away at their chest and belly and is damned determined to stay. Their body near turns itself inside out trying to hack the stuff up, but all that does is cut their guts up...bad.
• More than thirty townsfolk have blackscour taint, though at least three times that think they've got it.
• There isn't a cure around here. Laurel gets these folks what she can and waits to see what good it does.
• Laurel's grandmother's book has a brew in it that says that it's good for this kind of thing. A weird concoction that sounds more like hoojoo than real medicine.
• This medicine is some rare roots and concentrations, most of which Laurel has here, but there's three she doesn't. Elderwood moss, which she's never heard of, but her grandmother says it only grows on the oldest tree in the forest. A specially pickled root called rat's tail. And seven ironbloom mushrooms, stunty little things that only grow in dark places thick with metal. a favorite among dwarves,
• For the elderwood moss, there's gotta be an oldest tree in the vale. Laurel doesn't know where it is though. The rat's tail and mushrooms are even longer shots. Way north, towards the mountains, people say there used to live a bunch of dwarves. They're not there anymore, but their forges should be. If the heroes can find ironbloom anywhere around here, that would be their best bet. As for the rat's tail, Ulizmila, the witch that lives deep in the woods might know. She's a crafty, mean thing that knows all sorts of strangeness. She might even have one. Laurel doesn't know what Ulizmila might want for it, but Laurel doubts it would come cheap. Her grandmother traded her sight to the old crone for a few pages of what she knew, and that was years and years back, and Laurel doesn't know a soul who got nicer as they got older.
• They have no time to get the ingredients! People are dying every day! All they can hope to do now is treat who they can and hope to save the gravedigger some work.
• Laurel is not doing all this for free. If nothing else, this whole thing has been good for business. If the heroes come back with everything she needs to brew the medicine she will cut them in: 30 gp each.

Laurel suggested the heroes head to the Consortium Lumber Camp to the east and look for Milon Rhoddam - the most experienced woodsman in the Lumber Consortium.