Dark Tower Ascent Campaign Book (175 pages)

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<div class='cover-header' style="top:150px;font-size:350%;">Dark Tower Ascent </div>

<div class='cover-header' style="top:297px;font-size:250%;">the mind of a god is a dangerous place</div>

<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:325%h ">A dual-level west marches campaign (pickup games)  for 5e by Hyperdrift</div>

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# Contents
###

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- ### [<span>3</span><span>Campaign Setting</span>](#dark-tower-ascent-campgain-setting)
- ### [<span>5</span><span>Campaign Overview</span>](#campaign-overview)
- ###  [<span>6</span><span>Species</span>](#species)
  - [<span>7</span><span>Crel</span>](#species-crel)
  - [<span>8</span><span>Chelli</span>](#species-chelli)
  - [<span>9</span><span>Dwarfken</span>](#species-dwarfken)
  - [<span>10</span><span>Edar</span>](#species-edar)
  - [<span>11</span><span>Orbyx</span>](#species-orbyx)
  - [<span>12</span><span>Perlu</span>](#species-perlu)
  - [<span>13</span><span>Zantir</span>](#species-zantir)
- ### [<span>14</span><span>New Classes</span>](#new-spells-metamagic)
  - [<span>14</span><span>Royal Guardian Warlock Patron</span>](#new-spells-metamagic)
- ### [<span>16</span><span>New Spells and Metamagic</span>](#new-spells-metamagic)
  - [<span>16</span><span>Cantrips</span>](#new-spells-metamagic-cantrips)
  - [<span>18</span><span>Far Realm-Influenced Spells</span>](#new-spells-metamagic-far-realm-influenced-spells)
  - [<span>19</span><span>Corion Metamagic</span>](#new-spells-metamagic-corion-metamagic)
- ### [<span>16</span><span>Campaign Chapters</span>](#campaign-chapters)
 - [<span>17</span><span>Chapter 1: The Crel Mystery </span>](#campaign-chapters-chapter-1-the-crel-mystery)
 - [<span>18</span><span>Chapter 2: Edar Advance </span>](#campaign-chapters-chapter-2-edar-advance)
 - [<span>19</span><span>Chapter 3: Invasion</span>](#campaign-chapters-chapter-3-invasion)
- ### [<span>20</span><span>DM's Guide</span>](#dms-guide)
 - #### [<span>20</span><span>Adventurer Backstories</span>](#dms-guide-adventurer-backstories)
 - #### [<span>21</span><span>Class Adaptations</span>](#dms-guide-class-adaptations)
 - #### [<span>21</span><span>FAQ's</span>](#dms-guide-faqs)
 - #### [<span>22</span><span>Running Chapter 1: The Crel Mystery</span>](#dms-guide-running-chapter-1-the-crel-mystery)
 - #### [<span>23</span><span>Rimskar Peaks Setting</span>](#dms-guide-rimskar-peaks-setting)
  - - - [<span>24</span><span>Finding Rojborn's Second Bastion</span>](#dms-guide-rimskar-peaks-setting-finding-rojborns-second-bastion)
  - - - [<span>28</span><span>Second Bastion NPC Options</span>](#dms-guide-rimskar-peaks-setting-second-bastion-npc-options)
  - #### [<span>39</span><span>Starky's Cove Setting</span>](#dms-guide-starkys-cove-setting)
  - - - [<span>41</span><span>Arriving at Starky's Cove Bastion</span>](#dms-guide-starkys-cove-setting-arriving-at-starkys-cove)
  - - - [<span>50</span><span>Starky'S Cove NPCs</span>](#dms-guide-starkys-cove-setting-starkys-cove-npcs)
  - #### [<span>54</span><span>Forthcoming Chapters and Settings</span>](#dms-guide-forthcoming-chapters)
 - #### [<span>55</span><span>Mindspace Realms</span>](#dms-guide-mindspace-realms)
 - [<span>56</span><span>Ego</span>](#dms-guide-mindspace-realms-ego)
 - [<span>57</span><span>Id</span>](#dms-guide-mindspace-realms-id)
 - [<span>58</span><span>Super-Ego</span>](#dms-guide-mindspace-realms-super-ego)
 - [<span>59</span><span>Halls of Memory</span>](#dms-guide-mindspace-realms-halls-of-memory)
 - [<span>61</span><span>Subconscious</span>](#dms-guide-mindspace-realms-subconscious) 
 - #### [<span>63</span><span>Roll-A-Map</span>](#dms-guide-roll-a-map)
 - #### [<span>65</span><span>Map Area Discoveries</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries)
 - - [<span>65</span><span>1. Edar Forward Post</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-2-edar-forward-post)
 - - [<span>69</span><span>2. Hunting Camp</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-2-hunting-camp)
 - - [<span>70</span><span>3. Religious Site</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-3-religious-site)
 - - [<span>71</span><span>4. Abandoned Site</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-4-abandoned-site)

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- - [<span>72</span><span>5. Lod (Planar Fragment)</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-5-lod-planar-fragment)
  - - [<span>73</span><span>6. Natural Spring</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-6-natural-spring)
  - - [<span>75</span><span>7. Unique Animals</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-7-unique-animals)
  - - [<span>76</span><span>8. Outlaws and Renegades</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-8-outlaws-and-renegades)
  - - [<span>77</span><span>9. Hermit</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-9-hermit)
  - - [<span>78</span><span>10. Active Settlement</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-10-active-settlement)
  - - [<span>79</span><span>11. Government Operation</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-11-government-operation)
  - - [<span>81</span><span>12. Valuable Resources</span>](#dms-guide-discoveries-discovery-12-valuable-resources)
   - - #### [<span>81</span><span>Mountain Geographies</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies) 
  - - [<span>82</span><span>1. Rolling Foothills</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-1-rolling-foothills)
  - - [<span>83</span><span>2. Wide Canyon with River</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-2-wide-canyon-with-river)
   - - [<span>84</span><span>3. Steep Canyon with Climbs</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-3-steep-canyon-with-climbs)
  - - [<span>85</span><span>4. Narrow Canyon with Rappels</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-4-narrow-canyon-with-rappels)
  - - [<span>86</span><span>5. Alpine Valley with Meadows</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-5-alpine-valley-with-meadows)
  - - [<span>87</span><span>6. Aspen Slope</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-6-aspen-slope)
  - - [<span>88</span><span>7. Barren Highlands</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-7-barren-highlands-above-the-treeline)
  - - [<span>89</span><span>8. Alpine Lake</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-8-alpine-lake)
  - - [<span>89</span><span>9. Gentle Pass</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-9-gentle-pass)
  - - [<span>90</span><span>10. Icy Peak or Glacier</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-10-icy-peak-or-glacier)
  - - [<span>91</span><span>11. Alpine Slopes</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-11-alpine-slopes)
  - - [<span>92</span><span>12. Shady Canyon with Woods</span>](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-12-shady-canyon-with-woods)
  - #### [<span>93</span><span>Island and Coastal Geographies</span>](#dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies)
  - - [<span>94</span><span>1. Coral Reef</span>](#dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-1-coral-reef)
  - - [<span>102</span><span>2. Barren Island</span>](#dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-2-barren-island)
  - - [<span>104</span><span>3. Volcanic Island</span>](#dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-3-volcanic-island)
  - - [<span>106</span><span>4. Deep Ocean</span>](#dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-4-deep-ocean)
  - - [<span>110</span><span>5. Contrary Winds</span>](dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-5-contrary-winds)
  - - [<span>112</span><span>6. Shallow Sea</span>](dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-6-shallow-sea)
  - - [<span>113</span><span>7. Coastal Community</span>](dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-7-coastal-community)
  - - [<span>114</span><span>8. Strange Shores</span>](dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-8-strange-shores)
  - - [<span>121</span><span>9. Shipwrecked</span>](dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-9-shipwrecked)
  - - [<span>123</span><span>10. Lush Island</span>](dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-10-lush-island)
  - - [<span>128</span><span>11. Coastline with Coves and Beaches</span>](dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-11-coastline-with-coves-and-beaches)
  - - [<span>130</span><span>12. Perlu Settlement</span>](dms-guide-island-and-coastal-geographies-12-perlu-settlement)  
   - #### [<span>132</span><span>Daily Drama</span>](#dms-guide-daily-drama) 
   - #### [<span>133</span><span>Trail Encounters</span>](#dms-guide-trail-encounters)
   - #### [<span>135</span><span>NPC Quirks</span>](#dms-guide-npc-quirks)
   - #### [<span>136</span><span>Community Troubles</span>](#dms-guide-community-troubles) 
   - #### [<span>138</span><span>Diseases</span>](#dms-guide-diseases)
   - #### [<span>139</span><span>Interesting Battle Mechanics</span>](#dms-guide-interesting-battle-mechanics) 
   - #### [<span>140</span><span>Storm Hold Encounters</span>](#dms-guide-storm-hold-encounters)
   - #### [<span>145</span><span>NPC Stat Blocks</span>](#dms-guide-npc-stat-blocks)
  - ### [<span>149</span><span>Corion Gallery</span>](#corion-gallery)
  - ### [<span>174</span><span>Additional Reading</span>](#additional-reading)
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## Credits
Written by *[Hyperdrift](https://www.gmbinder.com/profile/hyperdrift)* <br> All artwork by AI with license (Midjourney). <br>Feel free to reuse for noncommercial purposes.

Maps genereated using [Watabou's tool](https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator).

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# Dark Tower Ascent: Campaign Setting

### Ka'rel's Creation

Corion is an isolated world in the fifth edition multiverse, with vast mountain ranges separating sprawling grasslands, interspersed by meandering oceans with magnificent island archipelagos.

The natives of Corion grind out a meager existence in this truly massive plane, largely unaware of the war that destroyed their creator.

Before the long peace, Ka'rel the Ancient formed the massive plane of Corion from fragments of shattered realms and breathed life into its unique races. Ka'rel's creations included humans and halflings who build bastions and villages amid the towering mountain peaks, deer-like bipeds known as zantir who spread their peaceful communities among the tall grasses of the plains, tiny elves know as chelli, floating undying spheres called orbyx, and the beautiful perlu of the archipelagos with their scintillating skin.

But this idyllic realm, so far removed the war-torn planes of the multiverse, was eventually discovered by the edar, a race of world-conquering elves.

### The Death of a God

Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and monstrous arcane power wielded by the edar, the great Ka'rel made a fateful decision. Drawing on the song of creation, Ka'rel wove a complex magic that shifted the foundations of the multiverse, drawing divine power into one everlasting curse, erasing edar from Corion's past, present, and future.

The edar on Corion were banished, cast across the astral sea into the Far Realm, scattered so widely that few would ever live to find another. Corion was left in peace, but without its creator and protector.

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The great working ripped the mind of Ka'rel apart.

Yet, as the edar who tried to return to Corion eventually discovered, the mind of a god is difficult thing to destroy. The curse remained in effect, banishing any edar who tried to enter the plane. As their great astral empire fell to ruin, the long-lived edar did not forget the cause. With one undying purpose fixed in their minds, the edar seek what was denied them: the fields of Corion.

### Storm Holds

Meanwhile, scattered across Corion, great obsidian spires stand out monument-like against the horizon. In stormy weather, the spires draw lightning from miles around. No one on Corion now remembers how these "storm holds" came to be. Like great astral fortresses, the dark towers stand silent, undiminished by time, keepers of secrets long forgotten.

Within the towers are long corridors with glowing markings in cyberunic, a symbolic language of pure logic, unreadable by any race on Corion, save the pale shambling predators that lurk within: crel.

A human-like race kept too long in cryostasis chambers within the storm holds, crel now exist in a state between sleep and wakefulness, able to hibernate for years, but rousing instantly at the scent of prey.

Were these crel once armies of minions brought by the edar to conquer Corion, but never unleashed? Or, are they of entirely different origin? The only answers lie within the storm holds.

Crel rarely venture outside their dark havens, perhaps fearing the light. Or, perhaps they are driven by another purpose: to protect what resides deep within the storm holds. Those few Corioni who have researched the the lore know what lies at the heart of each storm hold: fragments of the mind of Ka'rel.

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### The Edar Return

Now, millenia after their diaspora, vanguard units of edar, bred and trained with the fortitude to resist the banishing curse, have begun to return to Corion. These regal envoys offer wealth and the promise of power to those who ally with their cause. Claiming Corion as their place of origin, and as its rightful rulers, edar have begun venturing into storm holds, seeking to finally abolish the curse.

### Seekers

Some on Corion are unwilling to yield their world to the alien edar. Those who refuse to believe off-worlders have a right to rule Corion have begun to seek their own answers. Small communities of "seekers" are cropping up near the obsidian spires. As teams of unlikely allies they frantically attempt to build defenses to protect the mind fragments from edar forces. Other seekers delve ever deeper into the storm holds in a race against the edar to reach the cores and access what remains of Corion's creator, seeking answers. Can Ka'rel be restored? Can the divine power be harnessed once more to defend Corion from the mighty edar?

### Entering the Mindspace

When seekers near a storm hold core, they can attempt to enter the mindspace of a fragment of Ka'rel's divine being. Within, they are bound by the limitations imposed by whatever aspect of Ka'rel remains within: whimsy, vindictive justice, untempered morality, or insatiable desire.

Seekers may be devoured by the fragment, rebuffed as unworthy, or drawn into a nightmare from which they never emerge. Others may be tried and tested, and perhaps inherit what remains of Ka'rel's power. Seekers may be challenged to rid the mind space of corruption. Untold challenges await.

But stepping into the mind of a god changes much. Your true form is revealed, and the untapped power within your soul is unleashed.

### Optionally Playing at two levels

Players begin with a **1st level** character of one of Corion's species. When they enter a mindspace, they play their separate character beginning at **10th level**, which may be any 5e race.

On Corion, the campaign centers on the survival of a seeker community. Disease, hunger, morale, predators, weather, and edar raids test seekers, who must combine their skills to survive. Yet, while in the mindspace, players experience power beyond anything on Corion, ranging from Feywild-like worlds to abyssal hells, and cyberspaces.

This setting is ideal for west marches style pickup games where each adventure starts at the same Seeker community (until a new chapter is reached). Known communities are:
* **Rojborn's Second Bastion**, located deep in the snowy Rimskar Peaks, near Falhorn Pass between human and zantir lands
* **Starky's Cove**, located in the remote perlu archipelago of Vendmar on the island of Skull's Gate
* **Falira's Landing**, located near the headwater cascades of the Golbar River in the chelli forest of Maldrik
* **Durgin's Lod**, a seeker community hidden within a dwarfken demiplane, in an abandoned mine of the human-held province of Normindor

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# Campaign Overview

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This is a player-friendly overview. See the DM's Guide that follows for detailed campaign instructions.

## Two character sheets each
Each player must create a 1st level character from one of the species of Corion. Don't worry, they'll be able to play whatever Corion or 5e race they want in the mindspaces.

Track XP separately for the two sets of characters, and level up characters in their respective realms when they have suitable experience to handle more challenging encounters.

## Headquarters
1. Choose a seeker community from which to run the first chapter of your campaign from the options listed on the previously page under the heading [Playing at Two Levels](#dark-tower-ascent-campaign-setting-playing-at-two-levels). Rojborn's Second Bastion (mountain) setting is currently developed for play. (More coming soon!)
2. Create NPCs the players will be motivated to protect. [Example options](#dms-guide-rimskar-peaks-setting-second-bastion-npc-options) are listed under each seeker Community description. NPCs should have strong and conflicting needs.
3. Choose some key "problems" for your home base (see table) that the community shares, such as starvation, disease, vermin, raids, in-fighting, natural disasters, etc. See examples in the [Daily Drama](#dms-guide-daily-drama) and [Community Troubles](#dms-guide-community-troubles) sections.
4. Different groups of adventurers can work in parallel to clear storm hold levels and/or mindspaces.

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5. Choose or roll to determine the nature of the [mindspace](#dms-guide-mindspace-realms) or mindspaces located within the nearest storm hold. You can also choose a 5e plane for the mindspace. This is a chance to interface this campaign with an existing 5e setting or campaign resource.
6. In each mindspace, choose a key problem to be fixed or challenge to be passed. 
7. Select pieces of key lore which can be uncovered within this mindspace with a ruler or end boss of the mindspace can reveal, as outlined in the "[running the chapter](#dms-guide-running-chapter-1-the-crel-mystery)" section.

## Game sessions
To quickly plan adventures with roleplay, intruigue and skill checks, use the [Roll-A-Map](#dms-guide-roll-a-map) tool. If you are running the campaign as a west marches style, each adventure will begin and end at the Seeker community headquarters, so that players can add or drop each session.

## Moving on
Once your players have thoroughly "cleaned out" the mindspace, or when you are tired of running adventures in that module, have a cataclysmic event, or new opportunity arise in which the players can travel to start a new chapter.

## Endless Adventure

Repeat above procedure.

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### Ability Scores
Races on Corion other than human have ability score increases as described in **Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse**: +2 to one ability and +1 to another ability, or +1 to three abilities, except Dwarfken which has +1 to two different abilities.

### Age
Unless otherwise specified a race's typical maximum age is similar to humans.

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### Mixed Lineage
Like most worlds in the multiverse, <br>individuals of mixed lineage exist, though they are far less common than pure lineages. The most common mixed lineages come from Perlu and Humans, presenting a menagerie of eye-catching skin tones. Mixed lineages can be played as a variant human or custom lineage. A gnome might be used as an offspring of a chelli and human. Be creative.

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## Crel

### Sleep Walkers
Crel are a race descended from humanoids magically preserved in cryostasis too long. Warped by their long slumber into shambling, pale creatures, crel exist in a state between sleep and wakefulness. Once considered mute, a few crel have been known to learn simple speech. This apparent simplicity belies their sudden bursts of speed when they sense living creatures from which to draw vitality. crel are also the only known race that understands cyberunic, a symbolic language of pure logic.

### Relics of a Time Long Past

Found lurking deep within the immense black obsidian storm holds reminiscent of astral fortresses, crel seemingly have no knowledge of how they came to be. Some scholars surmise the storm holds arrived long ago from a distant realm far beyond Corion, in what must have been a failed invasion. Kept in a state of suspended animation during transit, these creatures were to have woken and assisted in the conquest of the planet for their masters. But this theory does not explain why the crel remained within the pyramids. Were the systems damaged and legions of these creatures were left in statis—neither awake, nor asleep, until their power systems failed centuries, or eons later?

### Cunning Predators

While crel have been documented to leave pyramids, most heed some inner instinct, waiting within the spires for prey to come to them. The few delvers who have ventured into the obsidian spires seeking treasure and lived to tell, speak of the heart-rending horror of being hunted, not by a mindless beast, but a cunning and at-times terrifyingly patient, relentless, sleepless predator, and of the looming certainty that there will be no escape.

One less-known fact that seekers often are forced to rely on for survival is that while crel have a keen sense of smell which aids their pursuit of prey in the dark recesses of the storm holds, they lack darkvision. This fact only adds more intrigue to the mystery of their origin.

### Crel Traits

**Creature Type.** You are Undead.

**Size.** You are medium.

**Languages.** You know Common or Common Sign Language, and Cyberunic

**Speed.** Your walking speed is 20 feet.

**Age.** Crel do not appear to age and are immune to magical effects that alter age.

**Somnambulist.** You do not sleep, and magic cannot put you to sleep. Instead you enter a torpor which can last years, until you are roused in an instant by the smell of prey and the insatiable need to feed. A long rest must include at least 6 hours of inactivity in a torpor state.

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**Undead Recovery.** You have resistance to cold and necrotic damage. In addition, when you take cold or necrotic damage, you can use your reaction to spend one of your hit dice, regaining HP equal to a hit die roll plus your constitution modifier, as usual. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus so long as you have a hit die available. You regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

**Keen Smell.** You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to smell the presence of other creatures within 30 feet, even when in your torpor state.

**Feeding Frenzy.** As long as you can sense creatures that are not your allies, you can dash as a bonus action. When you dash, add 10 ft. to your movement speed. For example, move 20 feet, action dash 30 feet, and bonus action dash an additional 30 feet, for a total of 80 ft. of movement.

**Echoes of the Past.**  You have fragmented memories, whether from your own past, of the past of those whose minds you have consumed, you cannot tell. Beginning at 3rd level you can cast the spell *borrowed knowledge* with this trait without material components. Once you cast this spell using this trait, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).

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## Chelli

Also known as the tiny elves, chelli, while diminutive in stature, have the same luxuriously long hair as off-world elves–both about three and half feet. Despite this often-problematic situation, most chelli refuse to cut their hair, prizing it almost as highly as their varied and brightly-colored adornments.

### Caretakers
Perhaps because of their unimposing size, but even more so for their empathy, chelli share an innate closeness with nature and especially animals. Possessing deep elven magic, chelli are legendary for their ability to heal, and to divine secrets about the world around them.

### Bridge builders
Chelli are friendly with both humans and zantir, often forming a cultural bridge between the species.

### Elvish heritage
Strangely, chelli share more traits with elves of other realms than with the other races of Corion. It is not known whether chelli descended from elves of other planes or were created by Ka'rel in the image of other races.

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### Chelli Traits
**Creature Type.** You are humanoid. You are also considered an elf for any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be an elf.

**Size.** You are small.

**Darkvision.** You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

**Fey Ancestry.** You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed condition on yourself.

**Natural Affinity.** Your fey connection to nature gives you an intuitive connection to the natural word and the animals within it. You therefore have proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Animal Handling, Medicine, Nature, or Survival.

**Magical Caretaker.** Using this trait, you can cast any of the spells *animal friendship*, *beast bond*, or *cure wounds* (target must be a beast). You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. You can also cast any of these spells (any target for *cure wounds*) using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this trait (choose when you select this race). None of these spells require spell components when you cast them with this trait.

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## Dwarfken
The dwarves of Corion are not native. Dwarves first arrived during the edar invasion, as servants bound to edar overlords, working as crafters, laborers, apothecaries, maintenance crew, armorers, and artificers. At the time of the great banishment, the dwarves were simultaneously liberated, and marooned on Corion.

### Delvers in Secret Places
In a world as vast as Corion, a few thousand dwarves had no trouble finding safe dwellings. Yet, unlike dwarves of other realms, the dwarfken of Corion have not yet banded together into kingdoms and empires. Rather, most dwarkfen communutues can be found in lods, which are small demiplanes bound permanently to Corion. These extraplanar domains have peculiar metals, flora, and fauna. Some contend the lods are bits of other planes that were drawn into Corion during the great banishment in order to maintain the world’s integrity as tens of thousands of edar were forcibly plane-shifted away.

Dwarfken seek lods using diving rods to amplify their innate sense (though some claim the rods are totally unnecessary). Once found, Dwarken delve into the demiplanes and plunder their wealth, often obtaining resources otherwise unattainable on Corion for which they can, and usually do, demand extortioner’s rates.

### Uneasy Alliances
Humans and perlu view dwarfken as a necessarily evil: handy when you are desperate, but otherwise not to be trusted.

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It doesn't help that dwarfken tend to speak Dwarvish whenever possible, to avoid sharing secrets inadvertently.

Most chelli think dwarfken are cuddly and adorable, which infuriates dwarfken.

### Multitude of Races

Any of the fifth edition dwarf races are playable on Corion as dwarfken: hill dwarfs, mountain dwarfs, duergar (gray dwarf), and so on, or to the variant Corion Dwarfken lineage described below.

### Corion Dwarfken Traits

**Creature Type.** You are humanoid. You are also considered a dwarf for any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be a dwarf.

**Size.** You are medium.

**Darkvision** You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

**Planar Sense.** You can sense the presence of extra planar portals and demiplanes as a pleasant tingle in your spine which becomes discernable at a distance of 120 feet and grows stronger the closer you get. If a plane shift, or magical teleportation takes place within this range, and you are not incapacitated, you sense it and know in which direction the event occurs.

**Dwarfken Diversity.** You apply +1 to two different ability scores. You also gain one feat of your choice.

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## Edar
Once banished from Corion by Ka'rel long ago, and scattered through distant realms, the ancient Elvish race of the edar have begun to find their way back, journeying across the astral sea or mortgaging their souls for passage through planar gates. Elvish in appearance, it is not known whether Edar predate the other elves of the multiverse or are perhaps distant descendents.

### World Conquerors
Before the banishing curse took hold, edar were both feared and reveared as conquerors of worlds and rulers of a great multi-planar empire. With their greatest army cast into the far realm, the edar lost their grip on many worlds and the empire disintegrated into chaos and ruin, fading from all but the longest memories.

### Twisted Forms
Edar are tall, elegant, with a nothing-to-excess physique, aquiline features, and piercing deep-set eyes. They are the picture of a ruling race. But many of edar that return to Corion have been altered by their long banishment in realms unknown, with savage traits, glowing eyes, shadowy auras, or voices that ring the echoes of lost souls.

### Cursed
Still bound by remnants of the banishing curse, each edar must fight to remain on Corion. To withstand this oppressive curse, elite edar are bred and trained for mental fortitude and then sent to Corion as a vanguard. These operatives seek to find and destroy what remains of their ancient enemy, that the curse might finally be broken and their ancient empire that once ruled all of Corion be restored to its former glory. But, what these edar scouts discover on Corion may bring their avowed purpose into question.

\columnbreak

### Uncertain Past
The relationship between edar and crel is not known, though crel lack the elvish features: long ears and hair, that edar share. Were crel servants of the edar? Or did they originate from yet another race of rival conquerors?

### Edar Traits

**Creature Type.** You are humanoid. You are also considered an elf for any prerequisite or effect that requires you to be an elf.

**Size.** You are medium.

**Speed.** Your speed is 30 feet.

**Age.** Edar are know to live for 300-400 years.

**Astral Affinity.** You have advantage on saving throws against unwilling planar transport and teleportation.

**Wink.** You have learned to allow the banishing curse to momentarily take hold of you. As a bonus action, you can cross into the ethereal plane. Movement you take in the ethereal plane corresponds to movement in the material plane but you cannot be affected by creatures, objects, terrain, or magical effects in the material plane, as with the spell *etherealness*. When you end your turn, you return to the material plane in a space corresponding to your movement or the nearest unoccupied space into which you can fit. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all uses of this trait when you complete a long rest.

**Wrath of the Banished.** Summoning the wrathful spirits of other banished edar, as a bonus action you unleash a furious psychic storm. Any creatures you designate within 10 feet of you when you use this trait (including yourself) deal extra psychic damage when they hit with an attack roll, until the beginning of your next turn. The damage is equal to your proficiency bonus. Once you use this trait you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

**Commanding Presence.** Though your ways may seem foreign to many on Corion, you possess a potency of spirit that commands respect. You have proficiency in your choice of the Persuasion or Intimidation skill.

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## Orbyx
Drifting orbs of radiant light that are seldom seen, and more-often rumored to be extinct, orbyx are remnants of a time long past, when entities beyond the power of mortals shaped the destiny of Corion. Some claim they are parts of a soul, mere reflections of a mood. Others contend they are higher forms of life, freed from the constraints of tainted flesh. Messengers of once-powerful gods? Spies? Planar travelers stuck forever? Lost relatives? Silent observers? Insidious predators that devour souls?

### Creatures of Legend
Few dare to approach an orbyx, for fear of what it might do. Others spend their entire lives following rumors, seeking a boon from the ethereal orbs. Most simply walk past them without realizing orbyx can take forms very much like our own: a curious child; a watchful grandmother, a soldier forming in the place of fallen comrade, sealing the gap in the line, when the fate of all rests in the hands of the pure of heart.

### Watchers
For the orbyx, existence is one of watching and waiting until they find a higher purpose, a reason to cut short their eternal solitude to change the fate of mortals.

### Orbyx Traits

**Creature Type.** Celestial

**Size.** Your size is small.

**Speed.** 0 ft, fly 30 ft, hover (10 ft. height or less)

**Celestial Orb.** In your natural form you are a solid glowing orb of 2-3 feet in diameter (medium size) that hovers up to 10 feet in the air, casting dim light to radius of 10 feet. In Celestial Orb form you appear to be filled with placid sky, shifting clouds, crackling lightning, or even roiling flames, reflecting your mood. In celestial orb form only, the following traits apply
* You are mortal, but do not age. 
* You have the senses of a humanoid and can generate sounds similar to a humanoid. You have no need to eat or breathe and you are immune to fall damage and the prone condition. 
* You fall at a rate of 60 feet per round until you are within 10 feet of the ground. 
* You can telekinetically manipulate objects within 5 ft. of you up to a weight that your size and strength can push, pull, or carry, such as a pack, torch, tool, or weapon. You may also divide this weight among as many objects as you desire, though, similar to a humanoid, you can only manipulate two objects at a time with dexterous precision or damage-dealing force. 
* You cannot benefit from wearing armor, though you can benefit from a shield if you are proficient. You cannot grapple or restrain other creatures in this form, though you can make unarmed strikes and shove attacks by ramming. You have advantage to avoid or end the grappled condition due to your spherical shape.
 
**Temporal Incarnation.** As an action your can take on the form of a humanoid that you have seen, up to large size, including their clothing and nonmagical items on their person at the time you saw them, up to a value of 100 gp times your level.

While using this trait, your movement speed is that of the creature’s race, and you eat, sleep and breathe according the traits and needs of the race.

You also gain the creature’s voice if you witnessed them speaking and interacting with other humanoids for at least 10 minutes. Otherwise, you are mute. You gain all of that race’s traits. You retain your current ability scores and benefit from armor for which you have proficiency. If you make an attack or skill check with the weapons or tools the creature bore, with which you are not proficient, you may apply half of your proficiency bonus.

Items created by this trait have the same physical properties as the originals, though they begin to fade into ethereality immediately upon leaving your possession and vanish completely after 1d4 rounds. You can reform a vanished object as an action.

If you retain the same form for one year, having discovered your chosen purpose and identity, you can no longer return to orb form and assume the life span remaining to your chosen form.

Otherwise, you can revert to your original form as a bonus action or reaction to falling. When you do so, items created by your transformation to humanoid form vanish immediately.
Once you use this trait, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

**Elemental Affinity.** Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the *absorb elements* spell using this trait while in celestial orb form. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You recover all uses when you finish a long rest. You can also cast this spell using any spells slots you have, regardless of your form.

Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this trait (choose when you select this race).

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## Perlu
Wading among tide pools or casting nets into the surf at sunset, their pearlescent skin gleaming in shades of every color, and swimming among extravagant tropical fish through the crystal clear turquoise waters of the Tortin Archipelago, the perlu, a race of coastally-adapted Corion humanoids, live in harmony with the delicate reef ecosystem.

### Living Pearls 
Akin to the beauty of a rare pearl, the milky blue opalescent skin of the perlu offers more than exotic looks. Despite its deceptive softness, perlu skin is not easily punctured by corals or shark teeth.

Perlu hold their breath for up to ten minutes as they dive deep into the ocean in search of food, treasure, and adventure.

### Innovative Crafters
Famed for their indigenous craft, perlu architects raise elaborate jungle villages with crisscrossing latticework bridges, ingenious bamboo supports, leafy shades, comfortable woven mats, and expressive wood carvings.

### Diverse Cultures
Perlu tribes and villages differ greatly in their legends and cultures. Some are warlike and martial, while others are laid back and tranquil. A journey through the Tortin Archipelago and its varied perlu settlements promises only surprises.

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### Perlu Traits

**Creature type.** You are a Humanoid.

**Size.** You are Medium.

**Speed.** You have a base walking speed of 30 feet and a swim speed equal to your walking speed.

**Perlu Skin.** You reduce piercing and slashing damage by a number equal to your proficiency bonus.

**Oceanic Healing.** When you are in water for ten minutes, such as swimming or bathing, you gain the benefits of a short rest. Once you use this trait, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

**Aquatic Adaptation.** You can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to ten plus your Constitution modifier. While in water at least knee deep you can give yourself advantage on a d20 roll. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all uses when you complete a long rest.

**Perlu Magic.** Blessed by ancient rites and magnanimous deities that predate legend, no perlu is ever truly in darkness. You can cast the cantrip *light*. Starting at 3rd level you can cast the spell *speak with animals* with this trait. Starting at 5th level your innate connection to the ecosystem allows you to cast the spell *animal messenger* with this trait. Once you cast *speak with animals* or *animal messenger* with this trait, you cannot cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this trait (choose when you select this race). None of these spells require material components when you cast them with this trait.

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## Zantir
Originating in vast plains of Corion’s Telarin continent, zantir are unique among races on Corion. Easily identified by their deer-like, digitigrade hooved legs and widely-varied antlers, zantir take one of three forms at birth.

### Unknown origin
Zantir are a seeming amalgam of human and beast. Human settlements of Corion are uncertain whether zantir are humans cursed with a corrupted form, or merely a highly advanced beasts. Cutural mistrust between humans and zantir is strong on Corion, with their respective cultures remaining largely independent and settlements following tradition tribal boundaries.

Since space on Corion is abundant, conflicts over territory are rare. Many humans and zantir will live out their entire lives without seeing any of the other species.

\columnbreak
### Natural Protectors 
Elkorn zantir are the tallest, striding head and shoulders above even the tallest plains grasses, often taking the role of leaders, warriors, protectors, and laborers.

### Grassland Striders
Antelon zantir are slender and fleet, often seen bounding across rocky slopes and through meadows on nimble legs. Antelon are natural messengers, watchers, and gatherers. Their energy tends to ward jubilant expressions, and some wonder if their smaller size makes them more eager to gain attention for their skill.

### Natural Wisdom
Erudorn zantir are rarer than the other types and the birth of a silver-eyed Erudorn is an event celebrated by entire territories. Erudorn grow slower than their kin, often outliving their siblings by many decades. Erudorn have a reputation for thoughtfulness and wisdom. Gazing into their shimmering silver eyes is said to inspire pure awe.
It is not known whether zantir are advanced beasts or humans blessed (or cursed) with bestial traits. This uncertainty engenders mistrust between humans and santir, and their cultures are largely distinct, following ancient tribal boundaries.

### Zantir Traits

**Creature Type.** You are Humanoid.

**Size.** You are Medium.

**Speed.** Your walking speed is 30 feet.

**Watchful.** Zantir are naturally wary of predators. When you roll initiative, you gain the benefits of the dodge action until the start of your first turn: you gain advantage on Dexterity saving throws and attackers have disadvantage to hit you.

**Fending Antlers.** When you are targeted by a melee attack that you can see and are not incapacitated, you can use your reaction to attempt to fend off the attack with your antlers. Roll 1d4 and add the result to your armor class, potentially turning a hit into a miss. You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You recover all uses when you complete a long rest.

**Zantir legacy.** When you choose this race, select a Zantir legacy.

* **Elkorn Constitution.** Starting at 1st level and each time you gain a level, you gain an additional hit point. You can additionally use your Fending Antlers as a reaction to an ally with 5 feet of you being targeted by a melee attack. If you roll initiative with no uses of your Fending Antlers remaining, you regain one use.
* **Antelon Fleetness.** Your speed increases by 10 feet. Your venturing nature grants you proficiency in one skill of your choice from the options Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Performance, or Survival.
* **Erudorn Sagacity** You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice from Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, or Religion. You also know one cantrip of your choice from the abjuration, divination, enchantment, or transmutation schools of magic. Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this trait (choose when you select this legacy).

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## New Classes

The following previously-published classes are suitable for this campaign: [Prankster Bardic College](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MuGePG5vhy91C8jW2xs), [Battle Potioner Class](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MvgVSsjwMwoabZZ3qEU), [Sigilist Wizard School](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MwPi9KIb3S88Rg0XJV0), [Sorcerous Origin: Bubble Magic](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-N1vY55FK84Rkxlrj3CW), [Warlock Patron: Digital Entity](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-N8BqZa5_8q-zdTjfv3A), and this new subclass:

### Warlock Patron: Royal Guardian

You are descendant of royal heritage. Whether raised in a castle or perhaps recently discovered your noble bloodline, you have bound your soul to land and people your family defend, protect, and serve–and rule. That's part of it, of course. As the heir of this bloodline, your pact gives you access to a Royal Guardian such as fairy godmother, dragon spirit, ancestral pantheon, or powerful artifact that is bound to the same purpose. It guides you, protects you, and impels you to fulfill your destiny.

When you select this patron you gain the following 1st Level features and additional features as you gain levels in this class.

#### Royal Disposition
*1st Level Royal Guardian Warlock Feature*  
Your royal will is infamously compelling. Choose two royal dispositions from the list below. You have a number of royal disposition dice equal to your Charisma modifier. As a bonus action you can evoke your royal disposition. Once you do so, you cannot change it until you complete a short or long rest. When you have chosen your royal disposition, once each turn you can choose to spend one of your royal disposition dice with the following results. The die is a d4, and increases to d6 at 3rd level, d8 at 5th level, d10 at 10th level, and d12 at 15th.

##### Imperious Curiosity 
*"I must know."*  
When you make an Insight, Investigation, Perception, or Stealth check add the die roll to the check total.

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##### Impetuous Demand 
*“Daddy, I want that squirrel.”*  
When you make a Persuasion or Animal Handling check add the die roll to the total. Alternatively, before the beginning of your next turn, a creature that uses their action to attempt to fulfill your demand adds the die to their attack roll or ability check.

##### Majestic Defiance 
*“Don’t test me.”*  
When you make an Intimidation check add the die roll to the total. Alternatively, as a reaction to an attack against you, roll and add the die result to your AC, potentially turning a hit into a miss. You may choose to do so after you know the total attack roll, but before the effects are resolved.

##### Pretty Little Liar 
*“Me? Never.”*   
When you make a Deception, Performance, or Sleight of Hand check add the die roll to the total.

##### Royal Tantrum 
*"Now you've done it!"*  
When you hit with a spell or weapon attack, add additional psychic damage equal to the die roll.

##### Vengeful Spite 
*“If were wearing that, I would crawl into a hole and pray that nobody ever found me.”*  
When an enemy that can hear and understand you makes an attack roll or a saving throw, you can use your reaction to give them a piece of your royal advice and subtract the die roll from its total.

You recover all uses of your royal disposition dice when you complete a long rest.

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#### Royal Artifact
*1st Level Royal Guardian Warlock Feature*  
You have a magical artifact, a legacy of your royal heritage. This artifact can cast several spells, though any spell with target as self, targets you instead. As an action you can speak a command word to activate the artifact, spending a number of royal disposition dice equal to the spell level, but no higher than your highest spell slot. Any spell it casts  uses your spell save DC and requires no material components, except components with a specified value in gp which are consumed, the value for which is halved.

The artifact holds concentration on any spell it casts, potentially allowing you to concentrate on a different spell. However, since the artifact draws power from a connection to your bloodline, when you take damage, you must attempt on a Constitution saving throw of DC 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher. On a fail, you cannot sustain the power and the spell ends. If you succeed on this saving throw you can use your reaction to end the artifact’s spell in order to succeed automatically on a concentration check for your active spell of equal or lesser level. You must declare this intention before you roll the concentration check. Otherwise, if you are concentrating on a spell, you must roll a concentration check for that as well.

If you lose this artifact or it is destroyed, you can perform a 1 hour ritual and spend a royal disposition dice to obtain another from your royal guardian patron. The other vanishes.

Choose one of the following. You may change this selection whenever you gain a level in this class.

| Artifact | Spells |
|:--:|:-|
| Ring of Disguise | *minor illusion, disguise self, invisibility, feign death, greater invisibility, mislead* |
| Love’s Locket | *resistance, protection from evil and good, protection from poison, counterspell, freedom of movement, dispel evil and good* |
| Broach of Enchantment | *friends, charm person, suggestion, fast friends, charm monster, dominate person* |
| Royal Scepter (staff or club) | *shillelagh, wrathful smite, branding smite, elemental weapon, staggering smite, holy weapon* |
| Fae Wand | *druidcraft, speak with animals, animal messenger, find steed, phantom steed, find greater steed, insect plague* |
| Magic Mirror/Orb | *guidance, detect evil and good, borrowed knowledge, clairvoyance, arcane eye, scrying* |
| Tears of Mercy Vial | *spare the dying, heroism, lesser restoration, remove curse, revivify, death ward, greater restoration* |
| Enchanted Broom | *prestidigitation, feather fall, kinetic jaunt, fly, dimension door, far step* |
| Royal Ward Amulet | *blade ward, sanctuary, warding wind, intellect fortress, Mordenkainen's private sanctum, circle of power* |
| Circlet of the Sorceress | *vicious mockery, hideous laughter, blindness/deafness, bestow curse, blight, geas* |

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#### Imperial Envy
*6th Level Royal Guardian Warlock Feature*  
As you connect with your royal identity, you become acutely sensitive to being outdone. As a reaction to another creature making an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can elect to use that d20 result as well for your next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw before the end of your next turn. Once you use this ability, you cannot do so again until you complete a short rest.

#### Fickle disposition. 
*10th Level Royal Guardian Warlock Feature*  
You can change your royal disposition at will. You also gain two additional royal dispositions.

#### Invoke Royal Boon
*14th Level Royal Guardian Warlock Feature**  
You may petition your Patron Guardian to cast a spell of 5th level or lower from any of the following schools of magic: divination, enchantment, illusion, or transmutation. Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again for a number of days equal to half the spell level, rounded down.

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# New Spells & Metamagic

## Cantrips

#### Alter Surface
*Transmutation cantrip* 
___
* **Casting Time:** 1 action
* **Range:** 60 feet
* **Components:** V, S, M ( a material matching the desired surface consistency)
* **Duration:** Concentration, up to 1 minute.

In a five foot wide square within range, you alter the properties of a solid surface to take on your choice of the consistency of gooey tar, or slippery smooth, or rough and grippy. The surface’s appearance and shape does not change.

If you choose gooey tar, a creature entering the space and coming into contact with the surface, or starting their turn in contact with the surface must succeed on a Strength saving throw or have their movement reduced to zero. A creature attempting to move an object in contact with the liquified surface must succeed on a strength saving throw.

Alternatively, if you cause the surface to become slippery, a creature entering or beginning their turn standing on surface must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Alternatively, if you choose to alter the surface to become rough and grippy, a creature in contact with that surface has advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) checks to climb (vertical surface) or avoid the Prone condition or involuntary movement.

**Spell lists.** Artificer, Bard, Warlock, Wizard

#### Channeling
*Evocation Cantrip*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** 30 feet
* **Components:** V, S
* **Duration:** 1 round

You channel magical energy into a willing a creature within range. If the willing creature succeeds on an attack roll before spell ends at the beginning of your next turn, the attack roll is a critical hit on 19 or 20, and the attack deals an extra 1d10 force damage.

**At higher levels.** This spell’s damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

**Spell lists.** Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

#### Dazzle 
*Illusion cantrip*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** 15 ft. cone. 
* **Components:** V,S,M (a handful of quartz crystals)
* **Duration:** instantaneous.

You create a bright flash of light, a flurry of snow, or summon a spectral swarm. Creatures in the cone must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or subtract 1d4 from their next attack roll until the beginning of your next turn.

**Spell lists.** Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

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#### Defiance
*Enchantment cantrip*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** 60 ft.
* **Components:** V, S, M (a bit of sinew)
* **Duration:** Instantaneous

You turn portion of creature’s body against itself. A limbed, winged, finned, or tentacled creature in range must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or one of its limbs falls out of its control and suffers one of the following effects. If the limb is a leg or wing, the creature it falls prone. If the creature has a swim speed and the limb is a fin or tail, it has its movement speed reduced by half until the end of its next turn. If the limb is arm or tentacle, it drops any object it was holding with that limb and the next attack against the creature has advantage.

**Spell lists.**  Bard, Cleric, Warlock, Wizard

#### Flash step
*Conjuration cantrip*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** self
* **Components:** S, M (a sprinkle of black powder)
* **Duration:** Instantaneous

Provided your movement is not zero, you move 15 feet in a flash of light to a space that you can see. This distance cannot be reduced. Although this movement is not teleportation, it can be in any direction. Your movement creates a loud cracking sound audible to a distance of 120 feet. If you take movement of at least 15 feet in a line before casting flash step, immediately after casting the spell and before taking any additional movement, you can you can use your bonus action to make a shove attack. The attack deals an additional 1d6 bludgeoning damage on a hit.

**At higher levels.** This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

**Spell lists.** Artificer, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

#### Meld
*Illusion cantrip*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** self
* **Components:** S, M (skin of a chameleon)
* **Duration:** Concentration 1 minute.

While lightly concealed, or in dim light or darkness, you change to match the color of your surroundings. You are heavily obscured for the duration. This spell ends if until you attack, move, or cast a spell.

**Spell lists.** Bard, Druid, Ranger

#### Puff of Smoke
*Conjuration cantrip*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** 30 feet
* **Components:** S, M (sprinkles of ashes or black powder)
* **Duration:** 1 round

You conjure a burst of thick, dark smoke that heavily obscures an object or creature of large or smaller size within range. While that object or creature remains in its space, it is heavily obscured and blinded until the beginning of your next turn. As determined by your DM, the smoke may grant advantage to Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks to conceal a tiny object within reach and Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide.

**Spell lists.** Artificer, Bard, Warlock, Wizard

#### Thunder punch
*Evocation cantrip*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** 5 feet
* **Components:** V, S
* **Duration:** Instantaneous

Make a melee spell attack against a creature or object. On a hit, the target suffers 1d8 thunder damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pushed back 5 feet.

**At higher levels.** This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

**Spell lists.** Artificer, Warlock, Paladin, Sorcerer, Wizard

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### Far Realm-Influenced Spells

The Far Realm has influenced the spellcasting of the edar. Others have begun to learn and practice this strange magic.

#### Third Eye
*1st Level Transmutation*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** Touch
* **Components:** V, S, M (a pickled eye in a jar)
* **Duration:** Concentration, up to 1 hour

You touch a willing creature and open a third eye on your choice of the hand, the back of the head, neck, or sternum. While the eye is unobscured, the creature may re-roll initiative, a Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Insight) check, or a Dexterity saving throw, choosing either the original or new result, and the spell ends.

**Spell lists.** All.

#### Eye Stalk
*2nd Level Transmutation*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 bonus action
* **Range:** Touch
* **Components:** V, S, M (a pickled eye in a jar)
* **Duration:** Concentration, up to one minute

You touch one willing creature and cause it to sprout an eye stalk from its shoulder. Until the spell ends, the creature can use an action to fire a beam from the eye at a creature within a range of 30 ft. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell DC. On a failed save, the creature suffers a random condition and the eye stalk withers and disappears. The target creature can attempt another saving throw to end the condition at the end of each of their turns while the spell lasts, ending the spell on a success.

| d4 | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Charmed |
| 2 | Restrained |
| 3 | Frightened |
| 4 | Slowed: half speed, no reactions, <br>either action or <br>bonus action |

**Spell lists.** Warlock, Wizard.

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#### Tentacular Horror
*3rd Level Conjuration*
___
* **Casting time:** 1 action
* **Range:** 30 ft.
* **Components:** V, S, M (a squid or octopus tentacle)
* **Duration:** Concentration, up to one minute

You conjure a hovering tentacular horror from the far realm in an unoccupied space in range. The horror is an unstable magical creature that is immune to all conditions. Creatures, including you, starting their turn, or moving within 5 feet of the horror must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell DC or become Frightened of the horror, whether or not they can see it. A creature can attempt a saving throw to end the Frightened condition on themselves when they start their turn 10 feet or more from the horror. As a bonus action on your turn you can direct the horror to move up to 20 feet in any direction. The tentacular horror has an AC of 12+(spell level/2) or 14 at 3rd level, and 35+(5 x spell level) HP, namely 50 HP at 3rd level. The horror vanishes when the spell ends or when it is reduced to 0 HP.

The horror takes no actions, but if a creature, including you, ends its turn within five feet of the tentacular horror, the horror can use its reaction to make a melee spell attack against the creature. On a hit, the creature suffers (spell level) d6 bludgeoning damage (3d6 at 3rd level) and is grappled. A creature can use its action to attempt to escape the grapple with a Strength saving throw equal or greater than your to your spell DC. The horror can grapple a maximum number of creatures equal to the spell level.

**Spell lists.** Druid, Warlock, Wizard

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### Corion Metamagic

In Corion, sorcerers explore ways of using their inner store of magic to amplify the power of a spell. This amplification requires time and concentration. However, by steadily adding power, sorcerers can unlock power beyond the traditional limits.

#### Charged Spell

As an action you can spend a sorcery point and hold concentration to create a charge. On a subsequent turn, when you cast a spell of duration instantaneous, you can spend one or more charges to increase the spell one level per charge above the level of the spell slot you use (including to levels above your maximum spell level). This can be used with other metamagic options.

##### Example use of Charged Spell
Turn 1: A 5th level sorcerer spends their action and a sorcery point for 1 charge (don't need to declare the spell they intend to use) and they begin concentrating. As a bonus action, they convert a 1st level slot into 2 sorcery points.<br>
Turn 2: action to spend a second sorcery point for 1 charge (total 2), continue concentrating.<br>
Turn 3: action to spend a second sorcery point for 1 charge (total 3), continue concentrating.<br>
Turn 5: action to cast fireball at 3rd level + 3 levels of charge = 6th level; spend 1 sorcery point to do it as a distant spell, dealing 11d6 damage on a failed save to creatures in the area of effect.

If an attack breaks the sorcerer's concentration before the spell is cast, all accumulated charges are lost.

Note, from an action economy standpoint, charged spell makes sense mostly for area affect spells.

#### Intensified Spell

When you cast a spell that can be cast at higher levels and which requires concentration, on subsequent turns as an action you can spend one sorcery point (per turn) to increase the level of the spell (including to levels above your current maximum spell level). This can be used with other metamagic options.

##### Example use of Intensified Spell for a damage dealing spell
Sorcerer is 3rd level with access to 1st and 2nd level spells.<br>
Turn 1: Action to cast *flaming sphere* at 2nd level, bonus action ram somebody for 2d6 damage (half on save).<br>
Turn 2: Action to intensify, spend 1 sorcery point (It is now 3rd level *flaming sphere*), bonus action ram somebody for 3d6 damage (half on save).<br>
Turn 3: action to intensity, spend 1 sorcery point (It is now 4th level *flaming sphere*), bonus action ram somebody for 4d6 damage (half on save).<br>
Turn 4: action to cast some other spell like *fire bolt* or *chromatic orb*. Keep concentration on 4th level *flaming sphere*, bonus action ram for 4d6 damage (half on save).

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##### Example use of Intensified spell for a non-damaging spell
Sorcerer is 5th level with access to spells of 3rd level and below.<br>
Turn 1: Cast *fly* at 3rd level on themselves, begin concentration.<br>
Turn 2: Action to intensify, spend one sorcery point. *Fly* is now 4th level and the caster can designate another creature currently in range to be affected by the *fly* spell.<br>
Turn 3: Action to intensify, spend one sorcery point. *Fly* is now 5th level and the caster can designate a 3rd creature to be affected by the *fly* spell.

##### Example use of Intensified Spell with a saving throw spell
Sorcerer is a 4th level sorcerer with access to spells of 1st and 2nd level.<br>
Turn 1: Cast *hold person* on an enemy humanoid creature such as an orc. Creature makes the save and the spell ends.<br>
Turn 2: Cast *hold person* again, using the final 2nd level spell slot. Creature fails the save this time.<br>
Turn 3: Spend an action and a sorcery point to intensify the spell. Caster may select another creature to make a saving throw. Creature succeeds on the save, the spell ends for only that creature. It cannot be targeted again with the spell being concentrated on.<br>
Turn 4: Spend an action and another sorcery point to intensify the spell again. Caster selects a different creature to make a saving throw. Creature fails the save and is held.<br>
Turn 5: Both held creatures made their saves at the end of their turns and the spell has ended. Sorcerer flees!

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# CAMPAIGN CHAPTERS

___
**Note: this is a player-friendly overview of the campaign. Subgoals and story waypoints for each chapter are described in the DM's guide that follows.**

## Chapter 1: The Crel Mystery
Players seek to discover the origin of the crel, whether there is a possible cure for their condition, how to get past them to reach the mindspace, and how to make allies with them before the edar do. This chapter involves only minor skirmishes with the edar, in which the only way to survive is to retreat. Edar and crel encounters reinforce the urgency to find allies, perhaps even among the enemy.

As a survivalist campaign, at the Seeker Community players get to know NPCs, and fight constant troubles, shortages, and intrigue that require ineqnuity, skill and bravery.

Nothing requires more bravery than facing the unknown within the depths of the storm holds. There, manipulating your path through the shadows, leading you into a place from which there is no escape in an enemy just as clever, one that does not sleep, or rather, cannot wake from whatever nightmare created them.

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Within the storm holds, players enjoy dungeon crawls with puzzles, and skill checks to avoid and mislead crel and deadly traps. While exploring the lower levels of the dark tower players encounter drifting mind fragments of Ka'rel, granting them access, for the first time, to mindspaces, where they discover their 10th level form: the expression of their true inner power.

Within the mindspace, players fight through obstacles, challenges, and nightmare horrors, trying to reach the core of the subconcious of each mind fragment, where they are rewarded with some of the answers they seek, and more startling information about their enemy.

Questions must be answered: how can the edar be stopped? Do they have a weakness? Can the mind of Ka'rel be unified and restore? What are the crel and what is their purpose? What is each seeker's purpose and ultimate goal?

The chapter ends with the discovery of an unlikely ally, the full liberation of the mindspaces within the tower, and an urgent change of headquarters.

>**DM Tip:** To share the beauty of Corion with your players, open the code to this document on GM Binder and find the links for the embedded art. Paste the link into your browser, then right click and download the image and drop it into your online campaign in Foundry VTT or Roll20 for your handouts.

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## Chapter 2: Edar Intrigue
The liberation of the mind fragments of Ka'rel within one storm hold have drawn the attention of the edar leadership and powerful political factions. Seeker operations have now moved to a new enclave in an even more remote locale. The enclave itself cannot survive a direct assault from edar saboteurs, spies, airship raids, shock trooper ambushes, and wyvern mounts.

With some knowledge of the crel cyberunic language, it appears possible to activate some of the systems within the storm hold. But not all crel are willing to allow unrestricted access to the storm hold's inner workings. And, even if they are, you never know what could be a trap.

Working within the mindspaces of the storm hold, the team must connect and align the mind fragments in order to activate the storm hold's defense systems before a massive edar invasion.

This chapter includes an invited trip to a sky harbor to visit a sympathetic edar heiress aboard her oppulent astral vessel, as well as visits to edar advance posts, either to gather intelligence, sabotage, or negotiate. Since edar keep powerful pets this could be interesting.

In this chapter, the players discover a lod <br>and reap its rewards, while facing its<br>unknown dangers.

Following an edar assault,<br> continued operations<br> at this site are untenable.

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## Chapter 3: Invasion

The edar invasion of Corion has begun in full force. With knowledge of the true purpose and power of the storm holds, the team travels to yet another location to prepare Corion for its final battle.

Allies must gathered. The crel sitution must be solved once and for all. What mind fragments the team has not yet overcome, they must gather together.

This chapter includes a foray into astral space about a (presumably) stolen/commandeered spelljammer.

The decision must be made to stay and fight the edar, or flee in the storm holds.

Lastly, the players must decide whether to keep themselves as they are, or attempt to re-incarnate as their higher level characters, by entering a mindspace and unfolding it into the material plane.

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# DM's Guide

## Adventurer Backstories

### Edar

Player races include races that are nominal enemies, such as edar and Corion humans. A possible reason for an edar to be a seeker is that they had a fall out with their leadership, or experienced a shocking massacre that caused a crisis of conscience. Players should not be expected to abandon in-grained mistrust of edar characters, and, in fact, this can be rich fodder for roleplaying.

### Orbyx
Orbyx are exceptionally rare on Corion. Perhaps one has attached itself to a creature it feels has an important destiny or purpose, or perhaps it is simply less reclusive. Possibly, the character may want to seek to hide their identity as an orbyx for their own protection. Regardless, orbyx have a powerful desire to find their purpose, which is a strong source of roleplay interaction, that goes far beyond their useful ability to change forms.

### Perlu
Aquatically-adapted Perlu are uncommon inland, but wandering traders, outcasts, and ambassadors seeking allies are encountered on the vast continents of Corion.

### Dwarfken

Dwarfken are often obsessed with their own discoveries, wealth, or creations, so it is not surprising to find them mingling with adventurers, not the least because <br>adventurers are willing to pay a high price the rare <br>artifacts Dwarfken discover in lods.

In fact, a Dwarfken can often be the catalyst in <br>forming a company of seekers.

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### Humans, Zantir, and Chelli
Inland species in the tropics are not particluarly rare as shipping and trade are the source behind much of the wealth of many of Corion's influential nobles. There is, however, friction between perlu, which typically occupy small regional holdings, and the more powerful navies and merchant fleets of inlanders. Some perlu settlements are closed societies with harsh punishments for trespassers. Others admire and seek to emulate the expansive and gregarious inland societies.

### Crel

Crel typically remain in the storm holds, driven by instinct to wait, wait, wait, only rising to sate their need for food when the scent of prey wakes them. However, crel are not mere slaves to instinct. Crel are not only sentient, but capable of reason, with some even learning to speak common, or common sign language. These few might seek answers (or food) beyond the confines of the storm holds. Though, without the protection of allies, they would not survive the fear-wrought violence of backwoods Corion communities.

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## Class Adaptations

Corion is a world with a single deity: Ka'rel. Thus, all clerics and paladins derive their divine magic from fragments of Ka'rel. They may have recovered an artifact binding a small fragment of Ka'rel, and within it, some aspect of Ka'rel's divinity that empowers their subclass abilities. The same goes for Warlocks, making for a deliciously hazy line between so-called "divine causes" and the self-serving interests of a pact entity.

### Deities of Clerics and Paladins

For example, a Corion Peace Domain cleric may have a relic that houses a mind fragment of Ka'rel obsessed with peace, or a Death Domain cleric's soul may have bound a remnant of Ka'rel's mind which has its own unique identity, calling itself whatever name the player wishes. It may speak to their mind, urging them to help others to the afterlife.

### Warlock Pact Entities

Corion Warlocks may choose to make a pact with an off-world entity, but a pact with a mind fragment of Ka'rel is likely to be far more interesting, as conflicts of interest may arise between mind fragments, as though they were adversarial deities. Warlocks may also encounter or contact patrons via lods (planar fragments).

### Other casters

Other arcane and primal casters work as usual in D&D worlds like the Forgotten Realms.

What about Draconic bloodline sorcerers, genie warlocks? Are there dragons and Djinn on Corion? Short answer: if a player chooses those subclasses, apparently there were at some point or still are. Let the player come up with an explanation!

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## FAQs

##### Q: Can my 10th level character be a different class?

Yes, but... Before trying to play a different class at high level, consider how your role change might affect the team. That said, campaigns take a long time, and this can be a shameless excuse to try out two different classes.

##### Q: If I lose hit points in the mindspace, does it affect my lower level character and vice-versa? What about spell slots?

Keep the character sheets separate, just as you would different characters's xp, spell slots, items–everything is separate, unless your DM decides a particular malady or ability traverses from the mindspace into the material plane character, and vice-versa. Valid exceptions include knowledge, inspiration, an alignment change, or a divine boon that manifests in the material plane as well.

##### Q: How does XP work?

If the DM uses XP for advancement, it is suggested that material plane and mindspace characters advance separately, as if they are in different campaigns so advancement follows campaign action.

##### Q: Does my material plane character advancement have to lead towards the 10th level character's abilities?

No. You can do whatever you want. If it seems to create a paradox, and that keeps up at night, then don't.

##### Q: What sort of abilities will be valuable for my (low level) material plane character ?

Skills and tool proficiencies!

##### Q: What sort of abilities will be valuable for my (high level) mindspace character?

Really freaking powerful and useful ones. Make sure your team has a lot of strengths and can cover for each other's weakensses. Teamwork is critical at higher levels.

##### Q: How much time passes in Corion material space while in the mind space?

You'll never know. Time could synchronize, pass slower, or more quickly. You could Rip Van Winkle or Calypso's Isle yourself in the wrong mindspace. It's all to your (merciful?) DM's imagination.

##### Q: Do spells and abilities that contact other planes reach the mind space?

Yes. And that's a hint for finding out how quickly time is passing without having to leave. Although, any mindspace items acquired may also have barter value in other mindspaces.

##### Q: How does money work in mindspaces?

Each mindspace has tokens of value useful only in that space. Mindspace items stay with you between mindspaces and can be sold or bartered as usual. (They are parts of your soul.)

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## Running Chapter 1: The Crel Mystery
___
You can run this chapter from any of the four location settings for the campaign. This chapter will run from 1st through 4th level. Later chapters will run 3 levels each. These level ups in the campaign IRL should approximately follow level ups for their mindspace characters from 10th through 13th level.

**!!!!!SUPER SPOILER ALERT!!!!**

**PLAYERS DO NOT READ. SO MUCH BAD KARMA.**

In this chapter the players will attempt to gain 8 key pieces of lore, or about one per session after the first one or two sessions. The pieces of lore do not have to come in order.

1. Storm holds did not come from astral space. They came from inside Corion. (This is a lot easier to discover in the Rimskar Peaks setting because the storm hold is still partially underground.)
2. Fragments of Ka'rel can move within the storm hold, but more powerful fragments are closer to the top.
3. Crel are intelligent, sentient, and capable of reason, and compassion, though they will eat anything that comes in the storm hold–no hard feelings.
4. The cold sleep (cryostasis) pods. Crel were left in a cold sleep (cryostatis) too long and became neither asleep nor awake–undead. Either the cold sleep pods stopped working and released the crel, or the crel found a way to move in their dreams and emerged without ever waking.
5. Crel were humans chosen by Ka'rel as part of a backup plan in case the banishment didn't work and Ka'rel had to flee Corion with his children. The storm holds were to have launched into astral space and taken those inside to a new world. However, Ka'rel was destroyed in the making of the banishing cures and the storm holds never launched. 6. All other species within the storm holds perished in cryostasis. This is beacuse humans are the least attached to the world itself. Apart from nature, the zantir and chelli can only exist for so long, even in theory.
7. Crel stay in the storm holds to protect the mind fragments of Ka'rel. In fact, that is where their name comes from. Occasionally one of them will speak the name of Ka'rel aloud. It sounds like "crel". Crel who lead the storm holds are considered to have abandoned their purpose and cause.
8. Crel can read cyberunic. It may be possible to activate portions (not all) of the storm hold in order to defend it from edar.

At the point the characters learn the 8th piece of lore, the location becomes compromised either by edar presence, or by out of control mind fragments, or both, and the characters will flee to a different seeker community.

## West Marches Adaptation

If you are running a west marches campaign (pick-up games) each adventure begins and ends at the same location: the seeker community. In this case, you can either skip the first chapter waypoint of getting to seeker community or run occasional 1st timer sessions where getting to the headquarters takes a single session. 
 
 Allow players to have **only proficiency bonus hit dice**, instead of level number hit dice, suitable for one-shots.
 
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## Session outline

Each session can contain on or more of the following.

1. For a low RP session, or session that will focus on being in a mind fragment, do a daily drama. For a high RP session, or IRL-heavy session address a community trouble.
2. Assess levels of critical supplies: foot, water, medicine, firewood or fuel, health report (who is sick), and work report (which NPCs are working on what). Track stress and sanity effects, and exhaustion.
3. Help the community (dealy with community trouble, daily drama, or supply shortage, etc.). Players can then choose something to do to help, for instance gather food, find supplies, or use skills to repair or make things. This part of the campaign should involve interacting closely with at least one NPC. Players should learn not just what the NPC wants now, but what they truly need.
4. Exploring to get resources (see roll-a-map), which inevitably involves skill checks and sometimes combat.
5. Enter the storm hold. Make skill checks to get past the crel. Clear levels by reaching key points and disabling traps so coming this way again will be easier. Roll on the [storm hold encounters](#dms-guide-storm-hold-encounters) table.
6. Find a mind fragment and enter.
7. Complete a mind fragment mission.
8. Wrap-up, resolution (more RP).
8. Loot, supply level updates, XP, and level ups.

## Chapter Flow

The first chapter of the campaign involves the following waypoints.

* Getting to the Seeker Community (1-3 sessions) If you are running west marches campaign. These sessions should focus on characters getting to know each other, using skills and tools, and getting immersed in the setting, with light combat against low-level creatures (such as wolves in the Rimskar Peaks setting).
* Finding and entering the storm hold. Finding the entrance and avoiding crel while inside the storm hold. As with a typical horror film, hide the monster as long as possible. But have the crel do clever and terrifying things like close and bolt doors, or activate runes that cause sections of the storm hold to change configuration.
* Crel first contact. Could be a battle. Could be an attempt to communicate.
* Clear a level and enter the first mind fragment, complete the mind fragment quest
* Exploring a good chunk of the map to get survival resources.
* First contact with edar, and dealing with edar machinations.
* Skirmishes with edar in and outside the storm hold, and even inside a mind framgent.

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## Rimskar Peaks Setting

### Falhorn Pass
Somewhere between the human-held coasts and the vast inland plains controlled by the zantir clans, amid the soaring Rimskar Peaks, lies a remote passage through the highlands known as Falhorn pass.

Most of the spice trade takes lower paths through wider canyons, but wagon ruts, roughed out switchbacks and cairns mark enough of the way, especially during high summer, that route receives a steady trickle of traders, vacationers, and hunters.

Control of the area is uncertain, though several human nobles have registered claims and attempted to map the region. One minor noble in particular is noted for his passion to develop a valuable trade route with gainful taverns, a lumber trade, or any sort of value.

### Rojborn's Second Bastion

Seen as an eccentric, and bearing the honorary military title afforded by his position as a fourth son, this psuedo-explorer, pioneer Captain Rojborn has reputedly spent his entire fortune and the best decades of his middle years in search of something on which to hang his hat and his name. Something that will outlast his waning youth, draining funds, and perhaps even endure, thrive, and benefit generations to follow.

Is Captain Rojborn just an old man playing at a boys game, exploring the wilds during the summer months each year, and spending his winters with dinner parties, soliciting investment, partners, poring over maps and discussing the next summer's venture?

Or, is he a visionary colonizer?

Much has been said about him–actually not that much. Most of his peers are glad he's gone as much as he is. That is, until rumors of a hidden storm hold near the razor ridge began to percolate through villas and manors at the base of the Rimskar range.

### Hidden Storm Hold

Here, far from the prying eyes of the edar, the seekers may finally have a chance to connect with the mind fragments of Ka'rel, and find some way of stopping the impending invasion. For in the edar are successful in completely removing the curse, Corion will never be same, and the entire populace will be enslaved by their new overlords.

But what evidence is there for a hidden storm hold?

Crel attacks, mainly. And that seems to be the most reliable indicator of a storm hold. After all, why wouldn't Crel leave a hidden storm hold. If it was hidden, no one would ever find it and go in. What would they eat? At least that is Captain Rojborn's argument.

For once, his pleas for interest in developing the Falhorn Pass region drew attention, not from investors but from the young, the impassioned, those opposed to continuing and growing incursions by edar.

A handful of activists joined Captain Rojborn's existing summer crew and the fort cum glorified summer home known as Rojet's Second Bastion became the first Seeker Community in the Rimskar Peaks.

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### Finding Rojborn's Second Bastion

Players meet at the Dunskill Mountain Ranger Station at the base of the pass, where directions to Rojborn's Second Bastion are tacked on the wall.

>Tip: Failed skill checks shoud result in meeting [NPCs](#dms-guide-rimskar-peaks-setting-second-bastion-npc-options) who  share more lore about the world via their backstories, or whom the players can help.

#### Journey Notes

* **Jade River crossing.** Players can take a ferry (3 sp) which crosses twice a day, mornning and evening, or they can search for a ford. If they ford, refer to the Mountain Geography #2 *Wide Canyon with River*.
* **Rojborn's Creek.** Enjoy the other activities described in Mountain Geography #2: *Wide Canyon with River.*

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* **Beaver Dam.** This pond is noted for its beaver dam. Players can make a DC 10 survival or DC12 Perception check to try to spot the beavers at work, which is rumored to be good luck for travelers ascending Falhorn Pass. A DC 8 History check reveals this is Rojborn's failed First Bastion, which the beavers famously demolished.
* **Talus Field.** Talus isn't a name, it's another word for scree, the broken rocks at the bottom of a cliff. The players can either cross a grassy field over a rise (and into the wrong canyon) or cross the rock slide (correct). Players may know what Talus means, but their players won't unless they succeed on a DC 8 Survival or Nature check.
* **Razor Ridge.** One side of the cliff is much higher than another. If you spend time here refer to Mountain Geography 12: *Shady Canyon with Woods*. The ridge is climbable, though a player will take a level of exhaustion if they do not pass a DC9 Constitution saving throw. If players ascend the ridge to gain a better view of the canyon, they each gain inspiration, ostensibly to use for skill checks along the way, having seen them from above.
* **Last Chance.** Point of interest. Here describe the river transitioning from a navigable stream (with a canoe) to white water. Last chance refers to the last chance to ride a canoe out of the canyon pleasantly. It's white water from here on out. The lower rapids are easy enough to float without a boat and make for a fun diversion.
* **Hidden Springs.** The trail rises away from the river and characters will run out of water eventually. Hidden Springs are hard to find due to the dense trees. However, it is a simple matter to follow animal tracks to the springs with a DC 11 Survival check, or a DC 13 Nature check to recognize the taller stand of trees is likely around a spring. If players do not find the spring, they will suffer one level of exhaustion the next day until they find water.

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* **Dead Man’s Drop.** This is a section of switchbacks. Recent storm runoff has washed away sections of the road and left overhanging sections while are prone to collapse under too much weight. Higher than normal traffic and poor maintenance has left several sections weak. Each player rolls a d6 for each of 3 crossings. A 6 results in a collapse for a small creature. A 5 or 6 is a collapse for a medium creature. A 4, 5, or 6 is a collapse for a large creature. A DC 12 Dexterity saving throw may be needed to avoid a 10-20 feet high fall if a section of trail collapses. A DC 8 Acrobatics or Athletics is needed to bypass a collapsed section. At most two sections can collapse. If they repair the road, they lose half a day, but gain inspiration.
* **Ord's eyes.** Ord is a rumored immortal from a prior age of unpredictable temperament. These "eyes" are two caves in the cliff that seem to watch as you pass by. The caves are close enough to the base of the cliff that they can be reached with a DC 8 Athletics check. The caves join and run back about 50 feet to a dead end. Near the back of the caves are cave markings about Crel and a crude drawing of Devil's Key. The navigation solution here is to follow the *gaze* of Ord's Eyes. This can be discerned with a DC12 Investigation check. This cave is also a save resting place for the night.
* **Dovrin's Plunge.** This is a small waterfall opposite the view of Ord's Eyes, scarcely visible from a distance through the trees (DC 16 Perception check).

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* **Drubbin's Rest.**  A DC 12 History check will reveal that Drubbin is a well-known bird lover, who studied eagles in particular. The "rest" is not a campsite, but some eagle's nests in the branches of the ponderosa pines. If it is night, wolves begin howling. Players will need to avoid the wolves either by keeping a large fire going or climbing trees (no long rest either way). To start a fire quickly enough to frighten the wolves before they attack is a DC 13 Survival check, unless players can produce magical fire such as *create bonfire* while they build a real one.
* **Devil’s Key.** Devil's Key appears to be a dolomite spire, though if viewed from the opposite side, for instance if players explore beyond Devil's Key rather than turn toward Rojborn's Bastion, an exposed face of obsidian can be seen. This is, in fact, a half-risen storm hold, which should lead players to conclude at some point in the campgain that the storm holds did not descend from space, but rather sprung out of Corion itself. On the opposite side of Devil's Key lies a small, abandoned heretic temple built into caves. It is also an egress point for Crel (entrance to storm hold).
* **Seven Springs.** Refer to Discovery 6: Natural Spring.
* **Birch fell.** A forest of aspens with sections logged intermittently in the past, in one of Rojborn's failed ventures leaving the forest uneven. Shaded, protected. Plentiful wood and game. Refer to Mountain Geography 6: *aspen slopes* if players ever spend any considerable time here. This is also a chance to hunt. See Mountain Geography 1: *rolling foothills* for the *hunting game* skill check if players want to hunt.

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### The Bastion.
Rojborn’s Second Bastion is a small community built up around an outpost between Falhorn pass and Solitary pass that leads down into the fertile valley of Seleon where the capital spire of Gagyx stands alone in the center of hundreds of miles of farmland, meandering rivers and occasional sparse woods. Roj’s Bastion is an incomplete fort and with the early closing of the pass with snow, it has received some refugees. Supplies are short and they will not last the winter without aid.

The bastion is relatively new, and the area is not well explored.

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### Districts

* **The Fort** refers to the area enclosed in the palisade. The largest buildings are the "Hunger Hall", Rojborn's hunting lodge (currently occupied by Lizyr who has paid well for it), the Social Barn, which isn't used for animals, though it is an emergency storm shelter. The Social Barn is used for dances and performances, in lieu of a real Tavern. The main square faces the Rojborn's creek with Lenna's Cafe to the east and the enchanting Blooming Lotus just across a quaint bridge the stream to the south. Just beyond are the nicer guest cabins which are rented by Rojborn to hunters or travelers to help pay the bills. Rather than a large tavern with many rooms, there are several individual cottages which receive the same cleaning and breakfast service, making the whole fort seem to be one large welcoming guest village. <br> The west fort is barracks buildings for Rojborn's "soldiers" (employees). These buildings are not always occupied with people and get used as storerooms. To the southwest are the homes of many Bastion residents as well as the Greggor's smithy. <br> To the south east, behind Lenna's cafe are most of the village workshop homes, where business is done on the first floor and the family sleeps upstairs. <br> Other important areas within The Fort are the stables, the quartermaster (closest thing to a general store and where work orders are given and returned), and the bathhouse near the river.

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* **The Field** refers to the mostly industrial buildings southwest of The Fort usable by residents as needed, including a tannery, smokehouse, and gristmill as well as several privately-owned sheds and small barns.
* **The Woodpile** is the area east of the palisade where transients built (without permission) shanty homes from a scrap wood in a community firewood pile. After some time in the stocks and chopping more wood, the offenders were allowed to keep their homes (since nobody wanted the transients in the fort anyway). Also, the community no longer shares firewood.
* **Front Gate** is a shanty town north of the Fort which is the main entrance for people arriving from the canyon road. Front Gate is typically occupied by peddlers, beggars and encampments of transients stopping by the bastion on their way through. 
* **Surrounding area** THe mountain rises steeply to the east and the stream drops though steep cascades into the main canyon where it joins with the path at the canyon trade road. Rojborn's stream is glacier fed and the children enjoy playing on the ice that lasts through the summer on the north-facing slopes. Some fields and gardens are kept in the meadows around the bastion, though the growing season is short, with some Wheat, corn, melons, herbs. Meat is the primary source of sustenance through the cold months as grazing country abounds for cattle, sheep and goats, as well as deer, elk and bison.

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### Second Bastion NPC Options

#### Jrem
Jrem is a 17 year old male "apprentice" (all-purpose errand boy), and Jrel's older brother. Jrem is possessed by wanderlust and excels in all wilderness activities (Survival). While he's exceptionally bright (high Int) and speaks quickly using big words he shouldn't know, he lacks the natural physical strength (low Str) of so many others living in the frontier. Especially as weather worsens and chances for exploring wane, Jrem is desperate to get out of the fort. He wears overalls and a ranger's hat.

#### Jrel
Jrel is a 13 year old male stable boy (Animal Handling) and younger brother of Jrem. He wants nothing more than to prove that he's not a child, but deeper lies a need he doesn't see: to be loved by a mentor or parent figure. He and his brother are orphans and wards of Robjorn until they reach their majority. Able to work as long as a man twice his age (high Con), Jrel's chip on his shoulder and brusque manner are off-putting (low Cha). He wears an (oversized) leather blacksmith's smock that it makes him look tougher.

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#### Quartermaster Coonts

As the person in charge of handing out work orders and trading completed orders for goods and meal tickets, Quartermaster Coonts is a revered (and hated) figure in Rojborn's Bastion. A long-time trusted confidant and employee of Rojborn, Coonts has been with Rojborn through thick and thin, and if you get him a drink at Lenna's Cafe he will regale you with countless tales. Coonts is a widower, and he doesn't share many stories about that. What remains of his tragic marriage are his two daughters.

#### Colaine

Colaine is the younger of Coonts' daughters. She is an enterprising girl and willing to invest in trade ventures, exploration, or anything that sounds interesting. If you need money and you have an idea, Colaine is the first person to see. Though, she often has to see her father to foot the bill. Bright in personality and wit, Colaine is seen as the ideal replacement for her father.

#### Merhys

Merhys is Coont's eldest daughter. She remembers her mother and seeks above all to emulate her piety and poise. If you're in trouble or need advice, seek Merhys. Her only problem is late nights, when she is silly tired. That's when her suppressed anger and hurt, and a heavily-repressed wild side can show.

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#### Kalinda of Rojborn's Bastion
Kalinda is a 19 year old newlywed. Her husband is Zherik. She is pregnant and will soon deliver her baby. She wants foremost to make sure this baby survives the winter. Kalinda wears a hand-sewn dress with skilled embroidery work which helps draw attention from her slight build. Kalinda is a frail thing (low Con), with pale skin and auburn hair. Her voice is soft, high, and breathy. But, she is keener than her age (high Wis) and notices everything, including Zherik's many vices. She keeps things bottled up, and tends to hold grudges. When she's anxious, Kalinda focuses on her sewing and weaving. She is also a capable cook. There are few with her vital skills in Rojborn's Bastion.

#### Zherik of Rojborn's Bastion
Zherik (20) is a young handyman and lucky husband of Kalinda. Broad shouldered (high Str) with a strong jaw, Zherik has a tenor country accent and his physical charm has gotten him more trouble than good. He knows it. He wants to prove that he can be a good father, and provide for and protect his family. But he is easily distracted by a wink and a smile, or cup of strong drink. Still, apologizing and taking responsibility are foreign to him. He learned stubborn independence from his own father, and shares the same lack of ability to see how his actions are affecting others (low Wis). Yet, Zherik is good with a hammer and saw (carpenter's tools) and is responsible for many of the new additions to Rojborn's Bastion.

#### Sagre of Seleon Plain
Sagre is an elderly (45, low Con) zantir of the rare erudorn variety with the unmistakable solid silver eyes. An ambassador of the zantir, she is journeying home to zantir lands, but has stopped at Rojborn's Second Bastion due to the rapidly declining weather. She plans to winter here along with her antelon nephew Graktik and formidable elkhorn daughter Nedu who serves as her bodyguard. Speaking slowly as a revered sage should, Sagre is used to her word being taken without argument. She is anxious to return to zantir lands and warn them of the increasing number of edar who are making rapid progress in gaining allies among the greedy humans of the coast. She is wise enough to see, though, that the seeker community needs someone like her (high Int, Wis) who innately understands the nature of magic (Arcana), the body (Medicine) and who can prepare salves and poultices (Herbalism Kit). The seekers' work could be even more important than warning her people. But that is a distant thought for now.

#### Nedu of Seleon Plain
Imposing (high Str, Con) for one so young (18) by human standards, Nedu is a striking elkhorn zantir with splashes of white among her fur, a feature that makes a zantir more noticeable to predators, one worn proudly by elkhorn who are the appointed guards and warriors of their race. Her place is to protect. And the in-born duty is fixed on her mother Sagre, the revered erudorn zantir of their clan. But the winds of change are blowing on Corion and a greater cause needs her strength.

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#### Graktik of Seleon Plain
An impetuous young (15) antelon zantir, Graktik is easily the fastest person (high Dex) in Rojborn's Bastion and the only person who can make it forty miles down or up the canyon in one day, though he lacks confidence (low Cha) to go on such a long journey alone. However, it's plain his training with his shortbow and wilderness skills (survival) put him up to the task. A messenger in training for his aunt Sagre the revered erudorn of her tribe, Graktik knows his place. It is among his people. He wants to leave these lands where he sees (high Wis) edar and humans are aligning allies to escalate the conflict. This area is headed toward war and his instinct is to flee. Graktik isn't a huge fan of human clothing, prefering zantir garb, traditionally made from local plants, which aids in stealth.

#### Meg Nightguard
Dark skinned, dark tempered, but extremely bright, Meg Nightguard is a legionnaire, specifically military intelligence (Investigation). She's a spy. Having suffered a leg injury in a rockfall accident, Meg is stuck at Rojborn's Second Bastion for lot longer than she had planned. Unable to be out gathering intel on edar movements, Meg feels frustrated and useless, for the first time in her high-achieving life (high Dex/Int/Wis). She has no experience with children or any kind of crafting. She is, however, exceptional at disguise and forgery. Meg is learning that sometimes you have to allow others to help you.

Meg's tough upbringing has left her jaded about men. But love may the answer the isn't looking for yet. When it comes to questions about edar, Meg is the best source around.

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#### Greggor
A sun-aged, tanned and wrinkled human smith in his later years (58), Greggor is a valuable person at the bastion. He is wary by habit (high Wis), swings a hammer with time-tested skill (high Str), and knows his way around the outlands (Survival). Much of his life was spent on the run from a mistake he believes he cannot be redeemed from. Speaking in his gruff country accent, he'll admit to being a fatalist. Namely, that he deserves any suffering he gets. He keeps a black beard to hide his scowl, and perhaps to be less recognizable. While he wants more than anything to escape the past, it may be time for him to let his inner demons go and try again to believe that he can be a good person, and that he can be loved.

#### Beeka

This young adult (55) chelli has signature fiery red hair, but is unmistakably related to Ofir, her purple-haired fraternal twin brother. Beeka and Ofir's parents died in an edar attack when they were still children in their teens. They were raised by human parents who were naturally protective of their very small children. Beeka was taught to do as she was told to stay safe. Her family has been tightly controlling her life for the last few decades, even though her adoptive parents are now in their late 70's. Finally, at her brother's (dying) request, she has agreed to leave the human settlement where they were raised and travel together. As adolescent feelings grow, she wants attention. Beeka has exceptionally keen eyes (Perception, high Wis) and is acrobatic (high Dex), but obviously not physically imposing (low Str). Her chelli instincts make her fantastic with even wild animals (Animal Handling). Her human cooking is excellent (Cook's Utensils). Beeka speaks with an exotic accent (for example Indian/South Asian) born of trade travels with her family.

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#### Ofir

Brother to Beeka, Ofir is a fiercely independent chelli raised by adoptive human parents. His small size and purple hair could have made him a target for bullying, but Ofir was savvy enough (high Cha) to make friends on the street of all sorts, including types nobody wants to mess with. It was a good thing, because Ofir developed a chronic condition that has weakened him considerably (low Con). Doctors are certain there is no hope for Ofir and that his condition is terminal. Ofir has been largely estranged from his sister Beeka, who does not approve of his leaving their parents' home (though he is plenty old enough by human standards). However, Ofir's condition has made him rethink his life. He wants to reconnect with his sister before he dies, and convince her to get out from under the thumb of their parents and make something of her life. Ofir detests his human parents, but he'll need to forgive them somehow, before he can earn Beeka's trust. The two have been traveling together for a short time through the wilds, leaning on Ofir's intuition for Nature. They have stopped at Rojborn's Second Bastion, where Ofir has shown his talent with animals (Animal Handling) including horses and oxen pulling wagons (Land Vehicles). Ofir shares her sister's exotic (Indian) accent, though it is less pronounced.

#### Ravatu

Bad boy perlu Ravatu has created enough trouble in his youth (28) for a lifetime. Leaning on his exotic looks (high Str, Con) and charm (high Cha) whenever he can, and his skill with any kind of weapon (martial weapons) when he can't, Ravatu belives he can get away with whatever he wants, especially among inlanders who don't know and can't hold him to any of his perlu tribe's code of honor. He prefers to stay out of other people's problems, even when he could help. As a perlu navy deserter, it's become a habit, though he's not quite sharp enough (low Wis) to avoid it all. Ravatu's deeper need is to find the peace that comes from being there for someone else. It is the only thing that will slake his soul's want.

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#### Trav of Gibs Harbor Unit 416

A young (18) enlist, Trav is the only member of his unit that wasn't captured in a combat with edar forces. He doesn't know where his unit was taken, but he is determined to find them, or find out what happened to them. Most of the soldiers were from his hometown on the coast. He knew them growing up. In one horrible moment, all of his friends were gone. He has no commander, no supplies, and mo orders, only his enlistment papers to prove he's a soldier. Not even his sword made it out of the battle, though he keeps the scabbard–a reminder of the emptiness left behind by his captured friends. He dresses sharp like a soldier, shaves clean, and keeps his schedule and regimen, as if maintaining that military structure can somehow honor those who are no longer with him, or out of survivor's guilt. He has to be a better soldier. Only, for now, he has no sword, and no squad, at in between place at an in between age, halfway between boy and man.

The most haunting fact for Trav, and one he'll admit, is the reason he made it out.

He ran first.

Without a sword, Trav has been working on his archery (longbow) and moving silently without being seen (stealth, high Dex), both of which seem to be useful skills if he is to ever find his unit, and possibly reclaim his honor. So young, so unlearned in the ways of the woods and war, his intuition isn't always right. If only he had a sergeant to drill his training.

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#### Maeli

The (not so) congenial Maeli is a 17 year old dwarfken, who looks about 13 to a human eye. It isn't surprising that she is out to prove something. A runaway from a child labor mining camp (high Str, Con), Maeli didn't flee because she didn't want to mine. She loves it. In fact, she's a prodigy in all things stone and mineral (Mason's Tools). She just wants to keep the profits for herself. One thing is for certain, she wasn't going to follow her keen planar instincts and lead her overseers to a lod. Which is the real problem. She's never sensed a fragment of another world and she is beginning to wonder if she ever will. Not that she'll stop digging, because, honestly, she's just that good. And if she does become fabulously wealthy before she finds a lod, she'll take that, too. And boys, you'd better pay attention. She's not a child. Though, she might just miss you if there's something sparkling nearby (low Wis). Also, she's very good at making sure you think what she wants you tp (Deception), and less good at saying what she's actually up to. It's no wonder given her background.

Maeli only shows up at Rojborn's Bastion when she's out of food and (grumble) has to trade some of her ore and valuables to Greggor. Or, occasionally when she's down on her luck and despite her claims otherwise, needs someone to talk to.

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#### Zaebin

A truobadour looking for his sound, Zaebin found himself wandering farther and farther north from Normendur proper into the Hinterfeld and finally into the Falhorn range. He's not a mountain man by any stretch, and speaks to anyone who will listen about the calm of the sea and the heat of the southern sun on your face, making music at beach bonfires every night, and other fond memories. So what is he doing in the Falhorn? Not even Zaebin can answer that. Wanderlust? Perhaps more a case of writer's block. He's looking for inspiration for his music: sights, flavors, perhaps even love.

While his music (Performance) doesn't yet pay the bills, Zaebin works as a day laborer, stacking bricks or hauling logs. He's well built (high Str), so he has no trouble getting hired, though he inevitably spends half the day talking about his latest muse or musical discovery, and the other half talking about the work he is *going* to do.

One thing is certain, Zaebin has a deep soul, though one that hasn't found its resonance (low Wis). Zaebin will try anything new: food, odd jobs–whatever might spark his inspiration. You can pay Zaebin to haul a pack with pots and food on an overland journey so long as you enjoy the sound of his voice, or hire him to paint a fence...that you don't need painted for a while. At least you'll have a few songs to dance to in the evenings when the work is done and folks all need some rest and distraction.

What does Zaebin really need? Gran Hob thinks he needs a wife and kids and heavy dose of reality in the form of a permanent job. But, perhaps his big discovery is just over the horizon.

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#### Lena

Lenna's Cafe is one of the two places you can pay for a meal at the bastion without a ration ticket earned from day labor or a completed work order. If all you have is a meal ticket, you'd better get to Gran Hob's "hunger hall" in the lodge, or try for a seat at Sora's place, though it fills up quickly.

Lenna's Cafe is a great breath of fresh air, a dose of fun and fancy seemingly far away from the drudgery of building a fort and scraping away at survival. Most of that is thanks to Lenna, who is about as easy to describe as...well that's the problem isn't it?

Feisty and fun, for sure. Thoughtful and also attentive to detail with her steaming mugs and hot cakes. But spontaneous as well, with a laugh that rings out like bell  through her open, welcoming windows into the fort's commons and sometimes beyond. Lenna's laugh might be the first thing someone new at the bastion hears.

She's light on her heels when there's music to dance to. But you'll have to wait in line. Lenna is easily the most eligible and courted bachelorette in the bastion. Who wouldn't want to spend more time with a charming girl bursting with life, conversing over a hot mug by a roaring fire.

But what is Lenna looking for? Why is she out in the wilds with so many less cultured folk where life is hard and the rewards few and distant? Perhaps there is more to her than loving and levity. Ambition? Or, avoiding something?

Both? Well, don't let your wondering keep you away from her cooking.

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#### Sora of Shangdo

Sora hails from the country of Shangdo the on the continent of Shulim, across the western sea. One could spend half a lifetime island hopping to reach the Falhorn Peaks from Shangdo, so it's a wonder Sora looks so young. But that is the rumor about everyone from Shangdo–ageless. Some have acussed her of being an orbyx, to which she merely smiles demurely and offers a dumpling–an exquisite dumpling.

Sora is a connoisseur, a lady of passion for perfection. Her foods require the special flavors born only at high altitude, like the mountains where she was raised in Shangdo, before it's fall to the brutal Fuyenkai. Sora strives to keep alive the art of Shangdo's unique cuisine, and her talent draws visitors from the coast who make the pilgrimage to enjoy hot soups, long noodles, steaming sweet buns, and finely-diced vegetable salads with fighting flavors of bitter, sweet and umame that acheive a perfect balance only in the lingering aftertaste that begs you to take another bite.

The Blooming Lotus's atmosphere is far more sophisticated that the bastion deserves, and guests are required to both bathe and groom before dining. There is a bathhouse nearby for cleaning with is brutally cold water. The pumice stones for scrubbing and fragranced lye soap are equally unforgiving. Sora has been known to decline service for dirty fingernails with simple look a the unkempt guest and a click of her tongue.

Sora accepts meal ration tokens as well as coin and reservations. Her egalitarian ideals mandate that her food is for all, not just the wealthy, which is remarkable in itself.

In quiet moments Sora speaks wistfully of an impossible wish: that one of Ka'rel's fragments could restore her lost country, or that she could disappear into its memory forever.

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#### Galis of Rumbo

Galis is special breed of trader, haling from Rumbo, a disputed border area of fragmented isles between Hinterfeld and Normendur. The region is deemed "ungovernable" by every major power, and its corruptible influence finds its way into other areas, typically operating in "special goods" such as smuggling rare articles outside of trademarked routes and establish cartels. He can get you goods without tariffs or paperwork, but his convenience fee makes up the difference. Traveling light, with only a few donkey's worth of goods, Galis moves through the Falhorn on irregular schedules, that magically staggering the gaps between "surpise" official inspections, which is to say, he pays to be well connected.

Sure Galis enojys the finer things when he's down in Dunskill or Gib's Harbor, or sailing his yacht to intercept a private shipment, but Galis has an insatiable taste for adventure and can't bear the thought that other folks might be having more fun, which keeps him on the move. He'll pay for information, take coin for the same, and make just about any promise or trade you can think up. If only, for the fun of it. But don't expect him to arrive if custom's officials are in town. He'll be living it up in the Gib's Harbor sailor's village, or kicking back at a swank inn like the Cracked Ruby in prestigous Bellsmouth a few miles north.

Mischievously quiet and yet inappropriately outspoken, Galis is all things to everyone. Perhaps that is because he is yet to discover himself, and perhaps because he already has, but isn't sure he fits the bill.

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#### Lizyr of Hinterfeld

Heiress of an out-of-the-way landholding rich in mineral deposits, Lizyr (26) stands to inherit considerable wealth. But suitors are few and far between and Lizyr has taken her show on the road. Clearly, she has some chelli in her ancestry and her youthful glow is certain to last many decades past anything a typical human woman could hope for.

Lizyr is well versed in geopolitics and etiquette (History, high Int, high Cha) and has exceptional skill in Beautician's Supplies, if lacking some physical fortitude (low Con).

In her latest scheme, Lizyr is frequenting hunting lodges, where she expects young eligible men of means will be out for pleasure. And voila. Instead of a stag, they land a wealthy wife. Lizyr is guaranteed a man that doesn't mind being in the borderlands, at least to hunt. The only proviso is that this man must be of higher station than her. She intends to marry up and believes she has every reason to expect that.

Most men could simply listen to her darling southern speech all day–that's besides her looks. But her most recent tour of the hunting lodges to the north of Hinterfeld turned up only married men or youths of lesser means and reputation than her own. Unwilling to leave without her man, Lizyr has holed up at Rojborn's Second Bastion perhaps too long. The snows are already coming down and she has a dilemna: suffer in the cold on a now-risky journey back to Hinterfeld, or weather the winter here, where there is at least a warm fireplace.

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And what should happen if there is someone to warm Lizyr's cold heart? What if she can look past the money and titles and look for someone with grit and integrity, someone capable of loving more than looks and coins? What then?

#### Baxter of Gib's Harbor Reconnaissance Regiment

As if fate had a sense of humor, another soldier of the Gib's Harbor arrived at Rojborn's Bastion, though not from Trav's lost unit. Baxter (18), is Trav's polar opposite. He keeps no regimen. His uniform is a disgrace. In fact, it is believed by most that Baxter avoided a jail sentence (for some act of ill repute) by enlisting, though no one has proof. Baxter is a field scout (Stealth). As long as he sends regular reports back to Gibs Harbor, his superiors are happy–and especially so if he isn't begging to come back, because they don't seem to want him.

They do send enough pay to keep him fed...just.

What does Baxter want? *Anything* but the army. He prefers the company of young, beautiful people that let him pretend there isn't senseless suffering in the world. Also, he abhors chores (low Str), but doesn't mind being the center of attention on occasion, for a performance such as recital of a story or poem, or even a song (Lute, Performance, high Cha). One would think the way the old timers lean into his songs, and the way the mood of the entire bastion lifts, that he would play more often.

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#### Fion of Rojborn's Bastion

At seven years old, Fion is the youngest of all the Rojborn settlers in that she is younger than her fraternal twin Tom by a few minutes. Until she was taken in by Rojborn (and then carted off to the bastion to help Gran Hob in the kitchen) her life consisted of one task: find food. But filling her empty stomach only cures one ailment. She needs family.

Even more so than most girls at that age, Fion spots anything irregular (Perception, high Wis), is a supreme tattler and bossy as a hen. Clumsy in the kitch (low Dex) Fion makes do and takes her punishments when something goes boom, clang, or splash, at which point the whole bastion is raring to tell on her.

She does take care of the cat though (Animal Handling).

#### Tom and Bay

A boy and a dog living in a fort in the mountains: it's a dream come true for Tom and his beloved (ugly) dog Bay. Oh, and his twin sister is here, too, so there's that. Given all the fun exciting things to do, one would think that Tom would find better pastimes than thieving and pickpocketing, but old habits die hard. Rojborn has taken kindly the boy off the street, but he can't take the street out of the boy as easily.

With that unassuming inner city (Cackney) accent Tom manages to come across as plain and not too bright. Which is totally true. But that doesn't stop his quick little fingers from lifting whatever they find from your pocket or drawer (high Dex, Sleight of Hand). Of course, living in a small community, it isn't hard to guess where your stuff went if it goes missing.

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#### Kratz of Rojborn's Bastion

The rickety (52) Kratz is a wheelwright (Woodcarver's tools, Tinker's tools) that makes his living fixing or replacing the wagon wheels of anyone dumb enough to take the shortcut through Falhorn Pass, at a premium price. With strong, skilled hands born of decades of trade labor (Sleight of Hand, high Str, high Dex), Kratz more than earns his keep, and has a solid reputation. His chipped front tooth whistles when he speaks, and the first thing he would say with that signature shrill voice is, "No better time to make money than a crisis." He isn't afraid to say whatever pops into his head (low Cha).

The bane of Kratz's self-centered existence is Gran Hob, who, given Rojborn's long absences during the winter, acts as the settlement's chief executive, by virtue of being the main cook.

#### Gran Hob

At 72, Gran Hob is oldest human female at the bastion. A fulltime cook and cleaner, she grinds her old bones to put bread and soup in the bellies of the others. Gran Hob is short for "hobbled grandma"–she walks with a limp, but the term is one of endearment. Gran mostly worries about the young ones, but tends to bite her tongue when she's worried. If she ever does get the gumption to speak up–usually if something going on isn't good for the children, folks tend to listen. She tries to avoid conflict or bossing. That's Rojborn's job, though he's not around in the winter. Gran is insightful and persuasive when she's one-on-one with someone who needs some grandmotherly advice. She, of course, has skills with Cook's Utensil and laundering. Most people around here would prefer is she did speak up more often and take charge.

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#### Jessa

Jessa is a 16-year-old <br> servant of Lizyr, though <br> her lowly  station doesn't <br> seem to have quite registered.

Jessa adores all things fine. <br> She shares Lizyr's southern<br> accent and grace, and she is <br>often mistaken for a noble peer <br> of Lizyr.

Jessa doesn't mind that at all.
<br> Yet, behind that mask of haughty<br> self-importance is a girl who is vulnerable.<br> Her family is poor, perhaps starving. So, while<br> Jessa enjoys the trappings of station and privilege,<br> her siblings suffer.

Jessa doesn't speak of her second-class up-bringing. In fact, she doesn't speak much at all. Some of that is the fear that she wasn't educated and is likely to say something wrong. But, there are things she is good at. Jessa's hands are strong and she knows how to work strained muscles, and alleviate pain and stress with her touch. It's a gift, some say. It's more than massage. She has the healing touch.

What would Jessa like more than anything? She doesn't know. Trapped between a glass ceiling and pit a dispair, she doesn't know what to expect for her future, or of herself.

Such is the life of a servant.

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#### Ch'teece

One of the elite edar capable of enduring Ka'rel's banishing curse, Ch'teece functions as a scout, keeping tabs on various human and zantir operations in the area. She often travels unarmed and without any arcane focus, which does help make her seem less threatening. She is open about her role and acts as though she were a regular Corioni just going about their busines (nevermind her people want to subjugate the entire world). She is genuinely curious about people and their lives, and unlike other edar, takes the time to learn people's names and what they care about. She spends a lot of time of listen to others talk of their struggles, their pain, and their fears.

It's a wonder anyone will talk to her, but it goes to show people will talk to anyone who seems that they are at all interested in the same things you care about. Ch'teece might speak of her unit commander Atheed the way a laborer talks about their boss being demanding, ungrateful.

Sitting by the meeting hall fireplace in Rojborn's Bastion, listening to the gripes and jokes, even despite her unmistakably regal posture, it is all too easy to forget that she and her people will stop at nothing to conquer you.

Is she really a sympathizer of the Corioni? Or, is the merely very good at her job?

#### Maki of the Sabdeban Archipelago

A young perlu diplomat (Jamaican accent), Maki represents the ruling tribe of the Sabdeban Archipelago, just west of the human-controlled coasts. She is passing through Falhorn pass on her way to to the zantir-controlled Seleon plain. Her presence is clearly a thorn in Ravatu's side, since she can cite clan laws and customs whenever he puts a toe out of line. She doesn't though. Has she written him off as a bad asset? Is she giving him time to change? Or, one of these days will she quitely file an order for his extradition and arrest. Or, is there something about him she finds attractive which she manages to keep completely to herself?

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## Starky's Cove Setting
Sailing into the harbor at Starky's Cove is unlike anything you have ever experienced on the sea. Shipping vessels crowd loading docks. The stench of fish guts, sewage, and salty brine mingle in your nose, meeting a wave of nausea that rises at the sight of the squalor in which beggars live in shanty huts crammed into every nook of the bustling streets of Duke Garishan's barely governable city.

Smoke rises from rows of chimneys at industrial factories to the south. The harbor itself seems equally choked with an almost gritty mixture of smoke and fog. The haze intermittently reveals human trading ships anchored through the harbor. Along the marina, you can find boats for any job: patch a hull, pillage a wreck, a quick getaway. You can hire willing mercenaries for a nighttime raid or a crew for a dirty deed that needs doing quick–though the fee will be enough to make you rethink your finances for the next decade.

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You can trade your cargo or salvage for gold, find supplies and even put your ship in drydock to repair the hull. While you're in town there is plenty to waste your shore leave allowance on. From seedy dives on the waterfront to backalley gambling halls and brothels, this place has something to indulge every vice. There are temples with various relics of Ka'rel which seem to throb with the same desires that bring people to Starky's Cove in the first place: greed, laziness, and lust.

Pickup a fresh crew. Load some crates of lemons and sea biscuits. Refill your water and grog barrels and get those new sails trimmed. By the time you leave, you might not have enough to pay for all that, so it will come down to knowing the right people and greasing a few palms at the port. What's another bounty on your head anyway? You've got enough clout to make people think twice about trying to cash in.

If you're a seeker, well, you're not so important out here. Try not to get in the way and you'll last more than a day.

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### Starky's Cove Districts

**Brandywood.** This upscale district sits on a hill to the north. There are several respectable and overpriced inns here as well as private residences of patrons and investors of<br> trade ventures, salvage missions, and even exploration.

**Commercial Waterfront.** Outdoor <br> restaurants, boat rentals, tourist<br> shops–it's all here, though grimier <br>than you recall from your last visit.

**Marina.** Smaller <br>boats anchor here <br>along rows of wooden<br> piers, with spaces for<br> rent. Good spot for a  meeting.

**Tavern Row.** Riverfront<br> dining and lodging away <br>from the harbor bustle.

**Southbank Shops.** <br>Merchant shops <br>and stately villas along <br>the riverwalk. Top spot<br> for pickpockets.

**Skull Fort.** The likeliest spot to get jailed, <br>tortured, and pay a bribe to get out. Tours available!

**Docks.** Shipping vessels load and unload cargo here. There are corrupt customs officers, and brawny longshoremen working the winches and carts hauling <br>cargo in and out grimy ship holds and warehouses.

**Temple District.** The temples surround a public <br>square. Pay for absolution. Pray for miracles.

**Backstreets.** There is an entire city district <br>dedicated to the occult. Find fortune tellers, enchanters, <br> and witch doctors for all your less-than-respectable<br> needs. Rare arcane ingredients can be found here.

**Industrial District.** From textiles to trumpets, <br>you can find factories that make anything.

**Hog Field.** This area once raised swine. Then, <br>the city overtook it, grew decrepit, filled with <br>poor and unsavory folks, and once again is the<br> place for things too dirty for keep anywhere<br> else. Do your business before dark.

**Skull's Gate.** Most of the island of <br>Skull's Gate extends south from<br> Starky's Cove, a mix of lowland <br>farms, swampy bogs surrounded <br>by smuggler's coves and a bevy<br> of small private islands.

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**Artisan's District.** if there is something custom you have in mind, you can find a skilled crafter of any sort in the city. Though not exactly a window-shopping destination, there are plenty of shops with a trademark you can trust.

**Merchant District.** Proper shops line the gridded streets of the merchant district. This area is well guarded by both city police and private security. That's no surprise given the number of shops dealing with gold and jewels.

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##### Arriving at Starky's Cove

**Rallying Call.** Reports of increased edar activity in the Vendmar Islands have drawn seekers to Starky's Cove to counter the threat. On arrival near the end of the business day, players can be greeted by any of the marina storefront owners such as Billy the barber, who can introduce them to the waterfront area.

Roll to determine the store owner's disposition. Then choose a complication from the complications table that follows.

| 1d2 | Shop Owner Disposition |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | The shop owner is a friend of the seekers, is true to the cause of Corion and will recommend the PCs stay at the Hannah's House tavern or The Pointe Inn and Eatery, where seekers tend to meet up. Run Tavern Row encounter 2 about the lost child. With a successful Investigation check, it will be discovered the child is staying with his mother in a tiny upstairs room in Hannah's House. The room yields no clues but the barkeep has heard she works for the tavern's owner Andra of the **Hanoverian Estate**. The PCs can find the gated estate at the turnabout at end of Blossom Avenue in the Brandywood district. If they ring the bell, the butler **Stillworth** will greet them and report that the mother has been polishing floors at the estate and got off work at 5:30 PM and should have left. Either by sneaking in, or by persuading the butler the PCs can investigate the yard. A woman's running footsteps can be found in the soft, damp ground, leading from the servant's side entrance away from the estate and the street, leading to the body of the mother. Make death saving throws for the mother. If she survives, she can be awakened with any healing or with a medicine check and 1d4 hours of rest under the care of the housekeep **Millae**.

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| | The mother will report being threatened by **Grainge**, who demanded information about the Hanoverian Seeker Society, and then attacked when she said she would report him to Lord Andra. The PCs will meet Lord Andra in the study who will offer them a 50 gp advance to rend a boat and continue the search for the storm hold as part of the Hanoverian Seeker Society. When PCs leave the estate (especially if they have not found the body or meet Lord Andra), they will be accosted by Grainge (thug) who demands to know what they were doing at the estate and acuses them of being part of the Hanoverian Seeker Society. He and several cronies (bandits) believe they have money from **Lord Andra**. In the fight with Grainge's gang, the PCs can either win (gang flees), or flee to the estate for help. If the mother dies, the players can track the killer's footsteps out the back of the estate and toward the rocky shoreline, where they run into the gang at a campfire going through whatever loot they got from the mother. |
| 2 | The shop owner is wary of such political movements, which tend to be bad for business. They will claim to know nothing about any seekers or the storm hold, but will report the PCs arrival to a man known as Grainge who has promised to keep such rifraff out of Starky's Cove. Grainge is a thug who has been bought by the edar. He will attempt to lure the PCs out of their tavern and into a back alley, claiming to be able to connect them with a rich sponsor. Wherupon, the PCs will be set on by Grainge (thug) and his gang (bandits). |

**Loyalties for Sale.** The threat of edar-funded gang (or political leaders) interfering with seeker activities hangs over everything the PCs try to accomplish in Starky's Cove.

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#### Marina and Waterfront District

The waterfront is the first place most visitors get to see at Starky's Cove–if they arrive on their own ship, and if and aren't hauled away immediately for unpaid debts to **EZ Loans and Mortuary**. EZ runs a tight ship. But if you need money, she's your first chance–often your last as well.

If you need a boat for a day, stop by **Fickle's Fishing Supplies**. He doesn't care if you are fishing for gold from a rich noble's yacht anchored out in the harbor, as long as you bring the gear back in good order. By "gear", I mean the grappling hooks, diving suits, enchanted noise makers for distraction, lock picks, crowbars–you get the idea.

Most folks have been out to sea too long and need to clean up before trying to get into Starky's nicer establishments. No better place than **Billy's Barbershop**, where you can get the latest gossip, checkout the bounty on your wanted poster, and sneak out the back if you are getting strange looks from people glancing from you to your remarkably well-drawn likeness on the poster. That Billy is the best looking girl in town, has nothing to do with why sailors come here. Nothing at all.

Got time to kill‐'er, I need another way to phrase that... Spend your downtime (and coin) at tourist-oriented **Suvee's Collectibles**, or else **Drouble's Dice and Games**. Of course, gambling is legal here. Though, many things that aren't still happen anyway. Drouble is old codger, but he's good for digging up dirt on folks if you grease his palm–and I'm not talking about slapping a turkey leg from **Mougan's House of Meats and Pies** into his greedy hand. Speaking of, Mougan's is the one place you will be guaranteed to leave full. If you pay, you'll leave full of enormous amounts of rich, savory food that will leave your mouth watering and have you waking in the night from dreams of culinary ecstasy. And if you don't pay, you'll leave full of holes. Mougan keeps a blunderbuss loaded with buckshot under the counter.

Slake your thirst at **Agor's Alehouse** or **Ginny's Gin**. But don't let them see you walking from one bar to the next. The Dwarken barkeeps Agor and Ginny had a fallout long ago over a sordid affair, and a guest leaving one marginally-respectable establishment only to walk into the nextdoor dive is grounds for shouting match between heavy-fisted dwarken, with you in the middle.

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If your palette is more refined, try **Moray's Eel BBQ**, the best traditional Perlu eatery in Starky's Cove, and an unforgettable atmosphere. Moray is an accomplished teller of fish tales, and they only get bigger the longer the night goes on. For a treat, spend your spare copper at **Aint' That Sweet**, a candy shop run by a sweet old chelli lady called Granny Pinkins who is so sweet, that allegedly no one in recorded history has ever tried to rob her shop. And if someone did, well, the whole city would be after them‐did I mention the mortuary nearby?

Of course, if you want the sort of entertainment that put Starky's Cove on the map, a trip to **Valena's Diner and Dancing** is top on the list. A common point of argument is whether it should be "dinner and dancing" and whether somebody misspelled the sign long ago, which locals take as an insult. To avoid brawls, it is custom to refer to the place only as "Valena's". Anyone calling it anything else is not to be trusted. Or rather, is a good candidate for a pickpocketing.

**Storvald's Stores** is the place to drop your orders for supplies to be delivered to your boat by Storvald's strong daughters. They refuse to let anyone help with the hauling, especially since most of the order goes mysteriously missing whenever any other "helpful hands" get involved. Order water barrels filled upstream from the town (less sewage), fresh fruit to avoid scurvy, sea biscuits, sail cloth, rigging, shoring timbers and more. Don't forget a to pickup a replacement oar for the one you broke over a pirate's head.

When all you want is peace and quiet and you can't be bothered to stroll up the riverwalk a ways to Tavern Row, drop in at the (overpriced, but convenient) **The Pointe Inn and Eatery**. You'll be surrounded by other newcomers, and that certainly makes for a safer stay. Fresh fish is always on the menu and you won't be disappointed. The heated baths are another luxury worth dropping coin for, and the haflings that run the place are the height of civility–at least in public. From the private courtyard, the halfling chambermaids can be heard laughing raucously at their guests' expense.

The upscale Brandywood inns are a short carriage ride away. And you can pay a copper for a ferry across the **Skull's Eye River** for access to the Southbank merchant's shops, and the docks and warehouses, Skull Fort, Temple District, Hog Field, Industrial District, and the Backstreets.

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#### Tavern Row

Every establishment on Tavern Row has its own backstory sopping with sad tales, misdeed, and above all mystery.

Most locals know the inns and eateries by name, and in order from Hanna's House near The Pointe where sailors catch a penny ferry to cross, to The Sunken Sloop nearest the toll bridge where sailors engage in all manner of excuses to avoid having to pay the exact same fee to walk across on their own two feet.

The offering of excuses at the toll bridge is high art in Starky's Cove. Only the funniest of reasons will elicit a laugh from the guards and win a free passage. The best excuses for each year are added to a printed book which can be purchased at any of the taverns. The book is titled "Free Crossings: A Compendium of Compelling Excuses". The forward begins, "Some wonder why Starky's Cove continues to demand a toll at the Skull's River bridge. This book is the answer."

For hint of the flavor, the last excuse of the latest (ninety-fifth) addition ends with, "Only, she wasn't my wife...she was the duke's!"

For good home cooking you can't beat **Hanna's House**. It might be the first tavern on tavern row, and one of the oldest–a bit worn down and worse the for the wear, and nobody even remembers who Hanna actually was, but you can settle down with a huge bowl of steaming cllam chowder, and stuff hot fresh biscuits until you are ready to pop. That's when one of Hanna's lovely helpers like Linsey Lakefort (what time does she get off anyway?) loads up your plate with a huge slice of carrot cake dripping with frosting. And well, you just have to eat that, too. That stuffed, you'll sleep well, regardless of whether your mattress has any stuffing in it...and dream of breakfast.

If you like something a bit more eccentric, drop in at the **Winking Star**. It's proprietor Starbret Henk is a lover of anything mysterious or magical. His collection of bizarre artifacts and trinkets lines the walls and there's always something interesting to drink: a tea made from herbs or an exotic bird for dinner. Seats for supper fill up fast in the small tavern, especially couples and business folk who like the quiet atmosphere. Farnir Suites (another mispelling?) is an affiliated tavern focused on up high end accommodations.

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And your coin is well spent for any of the quirky upstairs bedrooms that will make for a memorable stay.

In another of Starky Cove's famous mispellings, the sign in front of the **Black Sail Tavern** is a black snail. But, black snail soup is their most famous dish. Nobody goes away disappointed. The mushrooms and leeks, fragrant bay leaf and garlic–the scent draws people in off the street. Once inside, they stay the night. The Black Sail always has the best bard in town. Rooms are cramped, though. Not the best tavern for tall folks.

It sounds like a fancy inn, but the Silver Swan is the dankest dive in the entire port. Brawls, fisticuffs, all manner of larceny and lechery–welcome to the **Silver Swan.** You want class? Head over to the **Cracked Skull** for highbrow music and entertainment like harp music and readings of epic poetry. Why would somebody name a dingy tavern the Silver Swan and a swamp up-class in the Cracked Skull?

Between those polar opposites, you've got two mid-rate options in **The Dancing Crel** and **The Rusty Sword**. No, there are not dancing crel at The Dancing Crel. But The Rusty Sword has a hoe down every weekend with plenty of fiddling and dancing. If you're looking for a good time and a chance to kick up your heels, look no further. (Just don't eat the food.)

For someone–I mean something–spicy, head on a little further to Harley's Hot Pot. It's a newer tavern and the crowd is young and lively. Easily the noisiest spot on the row, Harley's Hot Pot has a reputation for spicy food and a sizzling social atmosphere. No beds at this restaurant, though.

What other taverns offer in food and friends, **The Sunken Sloop** makes up for in mystery. Every weird thing that ever happened at sea seems to have a connection with *The Sunken Sloop* tavern. A deal was struck there for a shipment that sank before leaving the Vendmar Archipelago. A business partner was murdered there. There have been all sorts of famous breakups, disappearances, hauntings–the list goes on. Of course, they make a mean slow-roasted mutton dish with a sweet and savory yogurt sauce that will keep you coming back as long as you have coin. But the strange tales will have you shivering, even if you've got that lucky seat next to the fireplace mantle where a duke one met his end with a slip and fall on a spilled drink.

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##### Tavern Row Random Encounters

| 1d12 | Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | A drunk who asks for grog money. If the players share coin, the beggar will prove to be useful connecting them with somebody with skills they need, or give them a tip."
| 2 | A lost child. Their mother is staying somewhere on tavern row. She will reward the players with gold should they return the child. For a more interesting plotline, the mother could be dead: drowned or robbed and murdered. Will the players tell the child its mother is away for a while? Or help the child find a foster home in the city, or take in the child? |
| 3 | A spicy pepper eating contest at Harley's. (Make Con saves.) It's a chance to impress your crush. |
| 4 | Amateur night at The Black Sail. (The scheduled bard got the runs or ran up a debt they couldn't cover and skipped town.) All performers welcome.  |
| 5 | Fight Night at The Silver Swan, with silly restrictions like blindfolded, or wearing oven mitts, or only spanking allowed. |
| 6 | Someone purporting to be an undercover member of the duke's guard is soliciting volunteers to go undercover on a party on a boat in the harbor and listen for a threat against the duke's life, his wife, or anything that could get the owner of the boat, the infamous pirate Mari Contrari, in a position where the duke could get some leverage against her blackmail against him. |
| 7 | Hanna's House is trying out a new cook. New things on the menu are 50% off. |
| 8 | One of the attractive servers at Hanna's like Linsey Lakefort of Tuana Shaleh asks to meet you after closing. But rather than an amorous advance, they are in trouble and need help to find their kidnapped sister who may have been abducted in the merchant district by pirates from Captain Mari Contrari's ship, which is currently in the arbor. The reason: Mari Contrari needs a look-a-like double for security and this girl, with a little makeup and a wig fits the order nicely. Although this isn't strictly a romantic interest, rescuing someone's little sister from a press gang could win some serious points.|
| 9 | The Sunken Sloop mystery of the week: who stole the crown jewels from the Duke's manor? The investigation at the duke's manor looks to implicate Mari Contrari (but the evidence was planted). On closer investigation the culprit turns out to be a family member of the duke: his angry wife, an estranged child in debt, or a bored daughter. |
| 10 | A dead body with necrotic damage is found in the river. The body is identified as Ormet Clinkum, a alchemy shop owner in The Backstreets. Ormet created a potion of *blight*, but was murdered for the recipe by a rival. Ormet's workshop was robbed by an unseen servant. His intruder alarm (magical spell-based) was heard by a neighbor, but none of his trip wires or pressure-sensitive traps went off. Jaw bruises show Ormet was force-fed one of his own potions.

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| | Thus, Ormet had to have left his house. This is confirmed with another interview of a street urchin (which can only be secured with a bribe) which reports potions floating by in the street, followed by Ormet. The players can catch the theif with a sting operation, setting up a new shop with a purportedly better potion, by using divination magic to look for people using unseen servants for crime, or by making a successful Intimidation check at the market until somebody fesses up that it was Grintle Fodervin, a dwarken alchemist. Confration leads to a battle. use an NPC from the [battle potioner](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MvgVSsjwMwoabZZ3qEU) class. |
| 11 | Chocolate tasting at the Farnir suites. One of the varieties of chocolates has been poisoned with a deadly poison (make death saving throws). As soon as one player or NPC has eaten some and becomes poisoned, the scene turns into an investigation. Who done it? Select NPCs each with a grudge against each other. In the end it can be revealed that two different NPCs poisoned chocolate. If this is not discovered then another player will be at risk when the second poison is taken. | 
| 12 | A rich heiress has valuable gems in her suite in the Farnir suites. You've been contracted to protect them. What could go wrong...or right? |

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#### Southbank Shops

Directly opposite the river from Tavern Row shines the Southbank Shops, a high end riverfront shopping district that draws customers from distant islands for rare, valuable and high quality goods. One can find plenty of shops in the Artisan's and Merchant's Districts, but the Southbank Shops are the creme de la creme.

After paying your copper to cross the bridge, make a stop at **Prudenk's Provisions**. Another halfling-run shop, Prudenk's rations and supplies from soy sauce to bacon, hard cheese and salty sea biscuits that never lose their smell of rosemary, sage, and home. Prudenk's goods last twice as long as their competitors, are more filling and more nutritious. Buying supplies at Prudenk's has saved more than one captain from a mutiny. They also serve a mean salami and cheese sandwich at their lunch bar.

If you'be been invited to the Duke's or any fancy party, you can't be seen without a dress or suit from **Myrial's Fine Fashions**. The chelli seamstress and her delightful crew work miracles, and the are very discrete about any request. Myrial especially enjoys a challenge. Though sometimes less trendy, Mav Calder's **The Loft Fabrics and Tailoring** has a stupendous selection of materials.

**Starlight Arcanum**, run the shrewd (though sometimes crass) dwarfken Trum Goldwhiskers, is chock full of spell scrolls, potions, arcane focii, and magical items, even rare and occasionally a legendary item. Security–both physical and magical–is even tighter than **Jenn's Gems**. 
Jenn is a sharply dressed, elegantly suave, and surprisingly comely mature woman who keeps her gray hair pulled into a tight bun, though she wears a disarming smile. She gets as many looks as her eye-popping gems, as ship captains who've been too long at sea get to wondering if that hair ever comes down. Window shopping isn't frowned upon, but if you look too long without making an offer,two of Jenn's beefy guards will sidle up on either side of you to make it clear that you've worn out your welcome. Visit Jenn's when you need a truly large and rare gem.

**Dorg's Armaments** Not just another dwarfken armorer and weaponsmith, Dorg's is a place to see and be seen. Famous pistols that started revolutions and ended them line the walls in display cases.

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It's as much a museum as a store. Dorg takes custom orders, though he doesn't bother much with artificing and magical enhancements. For that you'll need **The Works: Clocks and Artificing** run by Helmi, a distant cousin of Dorg. She's less agreeable and famously fastidious–don't track any mud into her shop. She also sells navigation equipment: sextants, compasses, and ship clocks.

For unique items, trinkets and rare items don't miss **Mim's Trinkets & Antiques**. She's the only edar that runs a shop in Starky's Cove, and seekers frequently come for advice on dealing with edar.

Visit **The Scribe** for all your inks and parchment, ledgers, logs, manifests and customs forms. Some come just for the smell of fresh parchment, or the free calligraphy classes from proprietor Tanya Toolaine, one of the most eligible bachelorettes in Starky's Cove.

Nearby **Farnir Furnishings** is a quaint three-story showroom of furniture, featuring both new and used items from the Farnir Suites inn across the river. The walls aren't quite thick enough to drown out the pinging of hammers at **Silver & Steel** where you can get everything from iron horseshoes to silverware. Gorpit is the dwarken who runs the place, though he has apprentices from all races, all of whom get plenty attention from the ladies as they work their open-air forge shirtless and sweating from the hammer swinging.

For anything musical visit **Loot and Lore**, the ultimate shop for a bard. Of course, the name is also famously mispelled (lute), but this, allegedly, is to poke fun at the other misspellings. Also, sailors tend to wander in when they read the sign. Frim and Fram are the twin halflings, brother and sister, that run the shop. They have a perfect pitch and often serenade guests to demonstrate the quality of their instruments. That alone is worth the trip.

Strangely, the store called **The Muse** doesn't sell msusical. They stock nothing besides fashionable shoes and elegant boots, except perhaps stockings and lingerie. And, of course handbags. There's nothing more Southbanksy than emptying your purse at The Muse trying to purchase a new one. Madam Trilim, a half chelli human, does have arguably the best eye for fashion in the district. Though your purse will be hopelessly lighter, you will never look better than when you step out o The Muse.
 
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##### Southbanks Shops Encounters

| d11 | Southbanks Shops Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | A shipment for Prudenk's Provisions did not arrive on schedule. Dorthur Prudenks received a homing pidgeon with a note that they ship would arrive in three days. It has been more than a week. Dorthur Prudenk has offered a bountry of 300 gold to anyone who can return at least half the shipment within two weeks. The shipment was to have come from an island on the other side of the Halatu Isles to the east. The area immediately surrounding the well-defended Halatu islands is famously frought with piracy. The ship may have (1d6): (1) been captured and its cargo stolen, (2) foundered in bad weather, (3) hit a shoal and become stuck, or (4) ran afoul of a (4) native Perlu, (5) an edar vanguard unit or (6) a sea monster. |
| 2 | A contingent of Perlu ambassadors has arrived in Starky's Cove. Among them are some of the most wealthy and powerful Perlu in the Vendmar Achipelago. The Perlu are staying at The Pointe, however their youth are interested in experiencing all that Starky's Cove has to offer–except being robbed and murdered, and the like. Ambassador Varagatu has discretely asked for an assemblage of relative young, but responsible individuals to serve as "companions" to his (daughter or son) E'mana. First up on their list is Myrial's fashions. Tavern Row, is a must. And, they'll offer extra pay for a visit to the occult district in the Backstreets. The players do not know that Varagatu has arranged for a gang to abduct his daughter so that he can have an excuse to stall a trade agreement with the duke. The gang is to attack, making sure there are ample witnesses (the adventurers), leave some blood on the scene (also the adventurers) and then later deliver his daughter to Varagatu. However there are complications. The adventurers may win the encounter. If any of the gang are detained they will confess it was Varagatu that put them up to it, and they have a note from him. If they succeed, they may decide to keep E'mana and demand more payment. Varagatu may be forced to confess the plot and beg the adventurers to discretely retreive his child from a ship off the coast near one of the private island (or the island itself). |
| 3 | A quite war has been brewing between Myrial's Fashions and The Loft. The duke's gala is approaching and the stores have been jockeying to get the best looking people in Starky's Cove to wear their signature fashions. Obviously, young and famous adventurers are perfectly suited to display these wares. Complications ensue. (1d4) (1) the clothing is sabotaged mere hours before the ball and the adventurers must make repairs, make do, or make other arrangements. That they will be wearing clothing from their patron shop has already been noised to the upper echelon of society. (2) The clothing is extremely...extreme. The PCs can either try to modify the clothing to make it less objectionable, or attempt to get someone else to wear it, or use an illusion. (3) Myrial's and The Loft both hire the adventurers to scout the other's creations. This is a PC's versus PC's infiltration. (4) the duke's daughter (or son) has asked to see the creations the characters are to wear...  |

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 3 | ...If they show their clothing, the nefarious brat will have the garments copied and arrive in them, potentially embarrassing Myrial's or The Loft, who will appear to be copying...This can all be discovered with Insight checks and snooping. Will the PCs teach that privileged player how the game is really played? Will they anger the duke and duchess by doing so?  |
| 4 | Starlight Arcanum is holding a Spell Dueling Event in the temple courtyard. To the winner goes a much sought-after prize (magic item). There will, of course, be rampant cheating and betting, including by the temple acolytes. The entry fee is 25 gp, or a spell scroll. |
| 5 | Dorg's is holding an archery and sharpshooting contest in Harper's Quad north east of the temple district. To the winner goes a custom firearm. The competition will be fierce, and cheating and betting will be rampant. Duke Garishan himself will be entering. The entry fee is 25 gp. |
| 6 | The Southbanks shopkeepers are going to hold a trade conference. They have heard it is all the rage in the human cities of the Normendur Provence. This event to be held on a cruise ship, is to include team building, panel discussions, sunning on a private beach, and prolific amounts of food and drink, though it was hinted to all shop owners that the first two agenda items were strictly optional. Nobody who isn't a shopkeeper can possibly get invited to this beach episode type event. That is, unless they can sneak on the ship or the private beach of Lolafa Island a half day's sailing to the south.  |

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| 1d12 | Southbanks Shops Encounters cont'd |
|:-|:-|
| 7 | The Works and Mim's are having a joint surplus sale. All sorts of odd trinkets (roll on the Player's Handbook trinket table) are for sale. The outdoor sale is an amazingly entertaining event as people fight over junk and pickpockets get thrown into the river. ...That is, until somebody spills a potion or two opposed relics come into contact and explode causing many of the trinkets to animate (*animate objects* spell, or Monster Manual Animated Objects (pg. 19).  |
| 8 | It is time for Silver & Steel's annual charity benefit auction. The handsome lads from the forge are up for bidding. It's a free date! ...Except for the mandatory donation to win the auction. (One of the smiths may have begged one of the players to outbid someone he really wants to avoid. Or, one of the boys may have lore/info the team needs and this is the perfect excuse to get them alone for an evening.) |
| 9 | It's karaoke and standup comedy night at Loot & Lore. Who will come away with the coveted cone-shaped hat gifted to the crowd favorite? Also, a free penny whistle or pan flute, totally not made in a sweat shop in the industrial district. |

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| 10 | Farnir Furnishings has a ghost infestation. They like the nice furniture. Somebody needs to either negotiate them out of the building or force them all the way into the blessed afterlife. A time-share arrangement could be made. Or, one of the PCs or NPCs could become possessed. |
| 11 | Fire. One of the shops has caught fire and somebody is trapped inside. Smoke heavily obscures and make Con saves each round to avoid exhaustion from smoke. Rewards may be given for bravery. Or the fire may be a distraction for a theft in progress at another location. |
| 12 | A street vendor is offering a day cruise to the southern tip of the island to visit Skull Gate's namesake feature: the Skull's Gate. Also, they are looking for alleged treasure on that island. This is a "dude ranch" equivalent of a treasure hunt, complete with catered meals and recently-minted gold coins that have been tossed into the water to make the guests feel like the found treasure. The PCs can expose the fraud or simply enjoy the cruise and meet fun NPCs. Bad weather is an option, as-is an actual, unplanned discovery of pirates hiding actual loot on the island, which the players may mistake for part of the show. |

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##### Temple District

Though bordering on comical in a place as grim and choked by greed as Starky's
Cove, the Temple District is a thriving part of the city. Clerics and priestesses recruit acolytes, always competing for the best-looking ones who can stand out in front and direct traffic into the sanctum for expensive services. But the temple district is more than just a place to go for *greater restoration* at **Exorcism Experts** when your business partner got himself turned to stone so he wouldn't have to pay you back for the loan you gave him which he squandered gambling. Because there is help for every vice here, starting with **The Better Way Reformery and Condominiums** where you can lead a lavish, laid-back life away from pressing issues while you detox and let your inflamed relationships simmer down.

Nearby, you can check out the latest weirdos registering their cult at the **CRO** (cults in Skull's Gate pay taxes to avoid getting shut down). The **Knights of Ka'rel** paladins' lodge is great place to swap stories and hire divine help. Paladins are respected bringers of justice. Though they operate outside the duke's control, the Knights of Ka'rel are without reproach, and the most respected organization in the city by a wide margin. You can pick up holy water, incense, votive candles, diamond dust for warding, silvered weapons, and vestments of all kinds at **Incensed** clerical supply.

For just a good time, drop a copper in the tin and join the chorus at **Love is the Answer Sing-a-Long Worship Center**. You'll be guaranteed to leave in better spirits, which is why it is so popular. Though, if you have real problems, they'll still be waiting for you at the door.  A more serious take on clerical ministry is **It's Not That Bad** which focuses on psycho-behavioral ministry, and occasionally electroshock therapy. **Let's Talk Arbitration** is a great place to avoid a bloody confrontation. Check your weapons at the door.

**Monk Way** is a quaint (vibrant) clerical village south of the Merchant's District, where accolytes and priests live their quiet humble lives, and it is totally not a place for great after-services parties. Like, totally. Not. Er, yeah. Okay, it's pretty hip and happening.

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The centerpiece of the district is beautiful and famous **Temple of the 3 Relics** where mind fragments of Ka'rel bound to valuable artifacts once resided. Where they have gone, nobody knows. But the temple is really pretty and the clerics know their stuff. If you ran into real occult problems in the adjcent Backstreets district, the 3 Relics is a good place to go to get yourself sorted out.

**Unity Center** is believed to be funded by edar agents. Go there to get indoctrinated about how everybody can just get along (so long as the righteous rule–namely the edar).

**Glorific Matrimony** exists as another of Starky's Coves's grammatical errors. But it's a great facility, and even Duke Garishan hosts parties there. When you've let your beloved relationships get the point that knives are being drawn on a regular basis, it's time to see **Divine Intervention**, where they specialize in nonviolent discourse between estranged parties and struggling couples. Occasionally the maces come out, but for them most part, the floor has very few blood stains.

A low-key hangout for folks looking to make a change, **Sylvi's Self-Help Center** is a reading room with a beverage bar (herbal teas and such). Most folks come here to work off a hangover, or get some friendly advice from Sylvi, who is in fact, a ghost, but who has a lot of experience dealing with the living and the dead.

Tucked in the corner of the temple court is the large and well-furnished showroom of **Shrines-R-Us**. It may-or-may-not be part of a piracy money laundering operation. But the wall sconces, alcove options and window-mount shrines are actually quite nice. ALso, if you are being chased, it's a great place to lose whoever is tailing you by sneaking out the rear door into the backstreets. It's almost as if it was setup for convenient...nevermind.

Last, but not least–okay least–you can find **Budget Absolution** in a rickety shack. It's your basic pay for forgiveness gig, but the money does actually go to charity, or so you are led to believe. Still, everyone comes here to drop a copper (or more) when they've done something that doesn't sit well with their conscience. Duke Garishan is a regular.

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##### Artisan's District

Behyond Tavern Row, and past the footbridge, in a calmer, quieter section of town lies the quaint and curious Artisan's District. It's a hodgepodge of crafter's workshops with a mix of minimal to extravagant window displays. Typically with upstairs residences above the workshops, this district is colorful and glows with unique character.

A visitor's first stop is often **Milly & Sons Midwifery and Convalescence**. Named with more of Starky's Cove tongue-in-cheek humor, Milly's quarantines sick sailors and has nurses on hand to things get severe clerics can be called from the temple district, but those sorts of healing services don't come cheap. The hospital complex spans a group of several small buildings where different types of illnesses can be kept somewhat isolated, though patients will often sneak out due to sheer boredom to go get inked at **No Regrets Tattoos** which offers both traditional Perlu tribal tats and anything goes human-style tattoos. For magical tatooos, you'd be best to find a vendor in The Backstreets, though results are never guaranteed. **Whole Cloth Weavers** on the other hand always guarantee their cloth to be defect free, though if you return something, they'll always claim you caused the defect or it came from somewhere else.

Wandering through the alleys of the Artisan's District leads you through **Tinkertown**, a collection of fixit shops, handyman carts, trinket vendors and so on. Children often wander this district gazing in wonder at mechanical toys and animated objects. If they get enough pluck they'll wander past **Cluck's Fletchers** to **Bangles & Co. Piercings** to get their first earrings. With so much perlu influence, earrings here are almost sacred and the experience of getting your first piercing is one that involves an interview with a mystic, soul searching, and not a little shopping with your friends for just the right set.

Furs are always in style in Starky's Cove and there is no better place to find something uniquely you than **Furocious**. Absent any form of grammar police, the cringe-worthy name remains a fixture in Starky society.

Finishing your loop of the back alleys you reach the shoe shop where most folks get their worn soles and uppers replaced: **Cobbled Together**.

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That the shoe shop has to be at the far edge of town making everyone walk to get there (ostensibly in broken shoes) is another source of both charm and annoyance, but Starky's Cove locals wouldn't have it any other way. Well they would, but they don't have a choice.

Working your way back the fresh-scented area up-river from the grime of the city, you are immediately by the sharp odors and acrid fumes of **Alder's Alchemy**, the local pet store **Just Rats**, which obviously has more than just rats, and the slightly better (though not by much) scent of **Just Rations**, which actually has just rations.

The sounds of busy hammers greet you from **Hollins Carts** (ha-ha), **The Coopery** barrel shop, where they also do glassblowing for bottles, and **Bob's Builders** who specialize in non-marine carpentry and custom carvings.

Fill your tackle box at **Bite-Sized Flies and Bait** and get your map to fame and fortune at **Most Maps**, where contrary to the name, they never seem to have the map you need, but are always willing to take a pretty penny to have one made for you.

**Bonny Bones Apothecary** is conveniently located near **Snuff's Candles**, and **Flora's Flowers**. By this point Artisan's row smells positively lovely, so long as the wind does blow past **Gray's Tannery and Leatherworking**, which also conveniently does butchering (as if the tanning vats didn't smell enough).

Pick up navigation tools from the helpful stars druids at **Lucky Stars Astrolabes**, who do actually have maps you need, though they keep them behind the counter to avoid offending the stuffy folks at **Most Maps**.

**Mooch's Broaches** and **Lukas Loufas** are shameless tourist traps, but the owner of both shops, "Mooch" Morrison, is a hopeless gossip, and you can get almost as much information here as you can at the barber shop on the Waterfront.

Finish your tour of the Artisan's District with a stop at **Clay Nation** where you can buy lots of pots, and **Fern's Shrubery** (yet another misspelling), where Fern is happy to hand0deliver a custom shrubbery to your home. The rash of break-ins at homes with recently installed shrubberies is, of course, completely unrelated. Just don't call her shop Fern's "shroobery." That's an invitation for an accidental trip and fall into the river.

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### Starky's Cove NPCs

Some of the most frequently met residents of Starky's Cove on Tavern Row and the Southbank include the following NPCs.

At **Silver & Steel** players can meet many of the younger blacksmiths working the forge, pumping the bellows, shoeing horses, and polishing, grinding and sharpening tools. The most bombastic of the bunch is the proprietor's nephew **Vorpit**, a blond dwarf with a beard he keeps tightly braided for safety in the forge. Vorpit hates being watched by the local chelli girls who constantly comment on how "cute" or "adorable" he looks, likening him to a "giant kitten that you just want to squeeze." This, while his bulging muscles pound iron with increasing ferocity. Vorpit is a frequenter of the taverns and likes to swap tales. He is a useful source of information.

Vorpit's coworkers include the youngest apprentice, the wiry but able **Droove**, a human boy just shy of sixteen who pours cast iron fittings, makes nails, and generally assists Vorpit. His straight chin-length brown hair parts in the middle, for a classic "floppy-haired Disney boy" look that ladies can't take their eyes off for some inexplicable reason. It doesn't help that Droove has a disarmingly charming smile, and knows a good number of ballads and often sings at work, which only draws a larger crowd. The side of the forge that shoes horses is open air and everyone from children to old men gather at the fenced enclosure to watch the fascinating smithing.

Clearly, the finest specimen of the bunch is the black-skinned, dredlocked, and typically shirtless journey-level crafter **Malenk**.

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Malenk's inteligent eyes and quiet, capable manner are another level of attractive. He often forms and shapes blanks for weapons to be finished by weaponsmiths and sold at Dorg's Armaments, as well as bits and bobs for ships. His interests and private life are a mystery to most, since he doesn't cross the river to Tavern Row, except to make a delivery. A few of his closer associates know that he cares for a bed-ridden mother, and that his sister works somewhere in the occult district of the backstreets.

The master crafter **Grezim**, a stoic and gruff gentleman who never lets anyone buck the queue and always does his jobs in order, is often accompanied by his talented daughter **Irial**, who has a knack for being at just the right place at the right time to avoid a disaster. She isn't shy about letting others know when she has just saved them hours of work by pulling an ingot out of the forge before it overmelts, securing a loose anvil with a turn of a wrench or finding a missing sprocket that rolled under a cabinet. She is accustomed to the small jobs, things one might expect a jeweler to handle. She surely wants the bigger jobs, though working beside Malenk it is obvious his hammer strikes do twice the work in the half the time, so she's outwardly content to fill her role. What she really wants is a mystery behind her kind and smiling demeanor. She might be willing to do a secret project if she can get to the forge on temple day when it's closed.

On the way there you might meet one of the street constables. **Juresh** is a lively constable, known to tip a lad a copper if he sees them help a lady in or out of the ferry, or escort an elder across the bridge. (Escorting elders is one of the only free passes across the bridge, though it only works if you're less than twelve years old.)

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Among the frequenters of shops on the Southbank riverwalk are the trio of socialites **Armon**, **Murcine**, and **Fayla**. All heirs of wealthy trader estates in the Brandywood, the trio are scarcely apart from one another in social situations. Together, they more-or-less set the fashion trends among the young and rich. They have allowances to spend or gamble and will often take wagers for amusement. With a quick note to daddy, any of them could finance a minor venture as a diversion, though if the finances became tedious they would quickly bore of it.

Though always together, their personalities starkly contast. Armon is agreeable and is always the first to make an introduction. Whether to a beggar or perlu king, his manner is the same. His politeness to all races and classes is seen as either the height of magnanimity, or an obvious attempt to curry favor with the masses in the hopes of a political career. A beggar can always count on a solid silver from Armon if they are careful not to approach him while he is in conversation and they don't make a show of getting the handout. A discreet handshake is enough to make the exchange. What surprises many is that Armon knows most of the names of the transients and paupers.

**Murcine** is Armon's counterpoint. She is haughty, proud, and strict in her unwitheld opinions about people staying where they belong, even if it is in the gutter. All things have a place, she knows, including coin in her purse for spending, and assistants in shops at her side. Many wonder how Armon can bear her company, though her callous behavior toward those she perceives (knows) to be of a lower class doesn't ruffle Armon's feathers at all. On occasion he has been known to give an extra generous tip to a store assistant who suffered the brunt of Murcine's harsh words. Though, without a doubt, the service does improve after one of her tirades. Many believe her impeccably high standards set the bar for customer service on the entire Southbank. The phrase "Murcinous" is used, on occasion (discretely) when a clerk or seamstress needs to convey to another worker that a patron has a contemptible attitude or unreasonable expectations.

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Despite her prickly outward demeanor, those closest to her know Murcine is a fierce and loyal ally. And, on rare occasion, if Armon dips in his purse to dispense a silver and finds none, Murcine is there with a coin before anyone can notice. Appearances are everything and Murcine cares for those of her friends perhaps even more than herself.

**Fayla** is a curious woman. Quiet and reserved, she plays the viola to Armon's fiddle and Murcine's horn, literally. They have been known to perform chamber music as a trio, and to broad acclaim. Though, the musicians in the crowd did not miss Fayla's outstanding talent. Brilliant, wealthy, and striking, Fayla is a prize like no other. It's no wonder her friends guard her so zealously. Yet for all her ability, Fayla lacks confidence. In public, Fayla is often seen looking from Armon to Murcine for a cue. She will take a hand in greeting, or curtsy, blushing as she does so in spite of the efforts of her socialite friends to make her more comfortable mingling with those of high station.

Fayla has many academic pursuits and will often beg her friends to leave off shopping for clothes to drop into a book store like **Haden's Book Haven** tucked just behind the more famous stores on the Southbank, which her friends are happy to oblige as it gives them a good excuse to people watch at the window, have a cup of tea, and read the news stamps and wanted posters on the bulletin. Haden is always quick to serve a complimentary slice of cake to any who accompany Fayla into the store. For those with intellectual proclivities, Fayla is easy to engage in conversation. Though her voice is as timid as a mouse, her ideas are well-thought out and well-spoken.

There is one other who makes this trio a foursome as regularly as his vices allow: **Gavert**. The life of the party, Gavert is also tragically inconsistent. Staying up to all hours, sleeping in, getting ill from too much food or drink, hiding from his gambling debts, or escaping on a pleasure cruise with his latest crush, the black-haired and moderately portly Gavert is an endless source of gossip on the Southbank.

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Not far from the Southbank and the fort is the one residence of remark outside the Brandywood: Duke Garishan's manor.

**Duke Garishan** is not a lord's lord, but more of a people's hero with just enough alleged corruption to keep those who need to be paying bribes doing so. Having received his duchy for services to the emperor of the Vendmar Islands in a dispute against a league of pirates, in which Garishan won a truce with only minor bloodshed (allegedly a few poisonings and disappearances of some very terrible folks who wouldn't come to the bargaining table, for which the duke famously gave a generous penance donation at Budget Absolution in the temple district).
 
It was previously customary in Starky's Cove for a duke to formally grant passage or residence to those arriving at Skull's Gate Island. This was deemed an enormous hassle and would have been discontinued, but owning to **Duchess Shalae**'s insatiable curiosity, it has lived on as an informal tradition. Thus, it is customary for anyone of note to make an appearance at the duke's manor within their first few weeks in the city. Typically new arrivals in Starky's Cove can put out feelers to the guards at the bridge or at Skull Fort to see if their fame or notoriety has reached the duke's ears (or their fashion been noted by the duchess) sufficient to warrant a surprise drop-in at the manor (which is never a surprise, but a carefully planned event).

As for Duchess Shalae, the best way to describe her indescribable beauty was spoken (famously) by the infamous son of one of the pirate lords dispatched by Duke Garishan, for which the son, **"Captain" Haxim**, has been unfailingly grateful in sparing Starky's Cove from any serious burnings, pillagings, plunderings, or ransackings. Captain Haxim was at one of the duke's dinner parties with his lovely (terrifying) wife **Skagree**, and had perhaps imbibed more than his fair share of enticing beverages when he raised a glass and announced to all present, "Duchess Shalae is the most delectable dish this side of Mougan's Meat's and Pies." By which, he clearly meant to compliment the duke that his wife was, without question, the most beautiful woman anyone in Starky's Cove had ever seen, or would ever see in their miserable lives.

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The delivery fell woefully short.

In defense of his wife's (questionable) honor, the duke famously ordered Captain Haxim to make confession at Budget Absolution and a penance donation of 1000 gold pieces, which Captain Haxim hastily agreed to do, and equally famously, never did!

To this day, in Starky's Cove an unpaid debt is called a "Haxim's Penance". One might say, "You owe me a Haxim's Penance for that broken plate," or "I owe you a Haxim's Penance" after mooching a free meal from a colleague whom the individual never actually intends to compensate.

The fact remains that Duchess Shalae is the most beautiful human woman in the known world. And, if anyone knew otherwise, they wouldn't have the heart to say so in her unfailingly charming presence.

How much she is involved with the gritty business of running a place like Starky's Cove where more payments are made under the table than above the board is unknown. But she is undeniably cunning in getting what she wants. She also allegedly handles any business for the duke which is too delicate for him to be publicly involved. How she does this business without being seen or implicated herself is a mystery. Is she a master of disguise? Does she have secret passages and alternate identities?

As for Captain Haxim's bride, there is no question Skagree has bloody hands from the dirty business of pirating. She remains to this day the only person whose face was on a wanted poster on the Skull Fort bulletin the same day they had dinner with the duke and duchess. The posters were temporarily removed during the meal for politeness sake (or fear) and then put immediately back up as soon as their longboat was rowing back to her ship *The Grinning Shark*.

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The industrialists of Starky's Cove run their trading houses and factories in south town. But the Brandywood is where they build, or buy, lavish estates. One tragedy or another seems to befell these boom or bust ventures, so there is always an estate up for bidding to anyone who can show the sort of gold these homes require to purchase and maintain.

One of the longest-lived estates in the Brandywood is Killingston Manor, named after the very same family that established it, and still lives there. **Killingston** took refuge at Starky's Cove long ago and steadily rose through its power structure. He and his wife **Vortisa** left for a long time, and their estate nearly fell into ruin, but now his children have returned. Few, if any, recall the original Killingston, so faded is their memory. The manor is now the home of **Dreardor** and **Soa**. The brother and sister are very reclusive, tight with their money and connections, and generally disaffected from Starky's Cove society, appearing only at the behest of Duke Garishan and the duchess on formal occasions when they need to make a show of their political allies.

Though all records kept in the temple district were burned, one can still find rumors in The Backstreets, where talk of the occult is commonplace. The rumors speak of a disease brought by edar attempting to return to Corion via the Shadowfell, a dreadful condition which makes one undead, like a crel, but bloodthirsty, and which grants immortality. Vampirism it is called. And though all traces of the disease were said to have been eradicated after a failed edar incursion more than eighty years ago, the mystics of The Backstreets have long memories. If you pay a silver, you can hear a tale of a man and his wife who left long ago, but whose "children" returned decades later, the same age, the same appearance, same build, voice, and all.

Dreardor is Killingston, they say, and Soa is not his sister but his wife Vortisa. The two are vampires. You will be warned not to speak of this to anyone else, for such knowledge could imperil your own life. For your blood is as red and warm as any other's.

So, let it be, they say. But be wary of Killingston Manor and wandering the streets of the Brandywood at night. Or hire one of the Knights of Ka'rel to accompany you if must pass by Killingston Manor after dark.

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As far from the grim look of <br> Killingston Manor as one could imagine is the home of the industrialist **Rakana**. Seemingly never without her chief of staff **Yutuata**, Rakana is the busy bee of the Brandywood, hosting parties and charity galas, raising funds for orphanages, meeting young entrepreneurs, mentoring, and making her life the business of helping others. Raised in Hogs Field, Rakana knows the ache of hunger, the fear of endless doubt, and the darkness of a future without hope. Through some grit and good fortune, she found her way out of the sweatshops. She is determined to help others do so.

Those in the upper echelons of Starky's Cove, when gossiping about who will be the next elligible bachelor or lady to be smitten with love (or money) and get married, will always mention Rakana's name.

Is she waiting for true love? Or, is she truly in love with Yutuata as the rumors say, but he is too stubborn to allow her to marry him, seeing himself as unworthy of her station. Or is he bound by a life debt of servitude that would never make them equals?
 
On temple day, the doors of Rakana's estate Hog Field Hall open to the public and meals are served in the dining hall to any who avail themselves of the charity.

Among the other notable estates of the Brandwood are Hanoverian Hall, the home of **Lord Andra**, the owner of Hannah's House tavern and a secret supporter of the seeker movement. Andra sees himself as beyond marrying age, but his neighbor **Rodeston** of Gilded Glade Manor, a goods trader, is more than happy to court whatever lady might be in the neighborhood digging for gold.

Eastern Brandywood has several smaller estates, including one for sale: **Malorn Manor**. Though not suited to large gatherings, it has an underground pool, a vaulted dome ceiling, and exquisitively decorated halls and rooms. 
 
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## Forthcoming Chapters

### Chapter 2: Edar Intrigue

### Chapter 3: Invasion

## Forthcoming Settings

### Forest setting: Falira's Landing

* **Falira's Landing**, located near the headwater cascades of the Golbar River in the chelli forest of Maldrik

### Plains/Underground Setting: Durgin's Lod

* **Durgin's Lod**, a Seeker community hidden within a dwarfken demiplane, in an abandoned mine of the human Normindor Province

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## Mindspace Realms
___
Mindspace realms take inspiration from the outer planes of the multiverse, Freudian psychology, and contemporary and classic films and literature in order to resonate deeply with players and provide exciting, unexpected variety and challenges, but above all, to allow players to experience something fantastical, without requiring excessive suspended disbelief.

Each mindspace has its own unique environment and challenges. Choose or roll to determine the nature of the mindspace fragment. See Mindspace [Realms](#dms-guide-mindspace-realms) descriptions for details.

| d5 | Mindspace Type |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Ego.** These fragments are driven by reason and logic. They are places government by rules like clockwork spaces, futuristic like a cyber punk world or being inside a computer. |
| 2 | **Id.** These mindspace fragments center on a primal need. It should feel disconnected to some degree from reason and morality. |
| 3 | **Super-Ego.** This realm represents the conscience. It contains guilt, morality, and judgment, and so on. | 
| 4 | **Halls of Memory.** The near-conscious mind fragement recreates the past, either of the characters, or of Ka'rel's memories of Corion. |
| 5 | Subconscious. A surreal world of changed laws and twisted effects. Broken pieces of memory clash in unexpected ways with subconscious desires, unrestrained morality, and logical loops.|
| 6 | **Merge.** Two mind fragments have merged, creating a mindspace with two distinct values in conflict (for instance like Red Queen and White Queen in Alice in Wonderland)|

### Ego

The ego is the place of logic. This realm may be reminiscent of a cyberpunk world such as Tron or a Shadowrun type cyber experience, where the players are attempting to gain access codes, solve logic puzzles, bypass or defeat logic fallacies corrupting the system, compete in Tron lightcycle type races or games, answer riddles, provide sought-after information, or be forced to comply with regulations (imagine the world of "It" from *A Wrinkle in Time*) or avoid assimilation or de-resolution. This realm may take inspiration from Star Wars imperial battle stations, the outer plane of Mechanus, the *The Matrix* films, or Star Trek borg encounters. Minions such as golems or other automatons abound, and NPCs might be of the warforged race.

In any of these realms, if players leave and then return, they may face a former "memory cached" version of themselves (simulacrum).

Choose or roll on the table to determine the <br>key challenge within the Ego mindspace.

| d6 | Ego mindspace challenge |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Evidence.** The creatures and spirits in the mindspace fragment don't know what has happened to Ka'rel, or they don't believe the edar are back. They want proof. You must bring an edar into the mind fragment. This is more of a courtroom type mind fragment. |
| 2 | **Missing Law.** A corrupt logic routine or logical fallacy is causing the system to attack anyone that enters, rather than protect them. (Think *I, Robot* with the three laws of robotics gone awry.) The system is missing a larger piece of truth and the must be entered in a central repository (load the disk or object representing the idea in the mainframe, like *Inception*). The laws it has are (1) Maintain system integrity. (2) Illogical processes must be terminated. It is missing the last law (3) What is not understood must be studied. This law makes it so that the mind must study a process before it can conclude it needs termination. |
| 3 | **Virus.** A corrupted process is running rampant through the system, perhaps injected by an edar. This can be run as a slasher horror episode with the virus as the "monster" that lurks from the shadows to snatch characters, or as a zombie apocalypse type episode where more and more things are becoming corrupted and the characters must flee, as a "possession" type horror where the monster can possess NPCs, creatures in the mindspace, or potentially even players, as an "evil overlord" type adventure like *Tron: Legacy*, or as a super-powered, unstoppable enemy that learns and gains powers from each fight like Agent Smith in *The Matrix* or *Terminator*. These conflicts may cause players to fight with a different purpose (fight to flee) than typical "fight to 0 HP" murder hobo type encounters. |

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| d6  | Ego mindspace challenge (cont'd) |
|:-|:-|
| 4 | **Derelict.** The entire system is down and under collapse. Things are breaking and falling apart. Laws of nature (like gravity, hearing or vision) are breaking down intermittently. Some vital cable is broken, or a warp core type energy crystal is misaligned. This is a "science mystery" type adventure where the enemy is the environment. The mindspace could be a broken astral ship adrift with the void of nonexistence pressing all around, potentially with aliens or other creatures from the void to fight. It could be a "drop the ring in Mt. Doom" type adventure where something representing an idea or a lost truth, or a problem to be solved has to be taken to the core, to restart the mind fragment. <br>Inside the "core" combats should be a combination of tasks that must be performed in sequence such as "shutdown main power," "vent the reactor" or "reset random access memory", "prime the boot sequence", and "re-engage main power", all while fighing creatures of the void, or environmental effects like poisonous gases, gravity surges, lightning strikes, and so on. The tasks require skill or ability checks and are in different locations in the room. |
| 5 | **Games.** Here creatures representing ideas or thought processes are pitted against each other in races (Tron), single/dual/team combat, etc. However, in the mind logic is power. Use Int for Str, Wis (how quickly notice things) for Dex, and Cha (identity) for Con. The winner of the combat becomes the new ideal for the system. |

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 6 | **Lockdown.** A security breach (perhaps an edar intrusion) has caused the system to lock down to maintain integrity. This is a dungeon crawl or infilitration-type adventure. The characters must hack their way into the core of the system and perform a reboot (inflitration mission). Sensor and security drones of increasing size and power have been deployed. There are rooms or spaces (quarantine sector) that will trap the characters if they set off an alarm. Players may get "rebooted" back to the beginning if they are caught, or ejected, or sentenced to be terminated (deresolution or erasure). This mission is about stealth, detecting and bypassing booby traps, and occasionally fighting drones or disabling sensors. In the core, the team meets a personification of Ka'rel, which they can free once the system reboot is complete. The system reboot may require sufficent evidence that those at the core are Ka'rel's creations and not enemies.  |

### Id

The id is the origin of instinct and need. Fragments of the id are places of primal savagery, or of satisfying physical cravings. From decadent places reminiscent of the demon lord Graz'zt, to the upper plane of the Beastlands. and Arobrea Players may be kept as slaves, or hunted, compelled to hunt, or to fight for survival.

Choose from the table below or roll to determined the nature of the challenge in this Id mind fragment.

| d6 | Id mindspace challenge |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Violence.** This Id fragment is a gladiator arena. The players must defeat opponents of increasing power, resting between fights in order to plan and prepare (and roleplay) until they face the big bad. Creatures they fight could represent enemies Ka'rel has face throughout the eternities, so anything in the monster manuals is game. |
| 2 | **Gluttony.** This mindspace fragment only wants to feed (on souls, or magic, or materials–whatever it can get its hands on). What it consumes, it assimilates. So long as characters can bring it food, they are not eaten. This is a horror/puzzle type mindspace where the players must find a way to either refocus the hunger on something productive, like a hunger for knowledge, or hunger for justice. Or, they can try to get the glutton beast so large that it can begin to feed on itself without noticing. Or, they can try to escape and combine this mind fragment with a fragment of the Ego and Super-Ego, to balance it.  |

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 3 | **Lust.** <br> *Attraction.* In this mindspace, players are given makeovers and make to look their best. As candidates, they are offered to various entities within the mindspace, to be judged for the attractiveness. Players can attempt to be chosen and have their ideals assimilated into the mind fragment's lords and ladies of pleasure in an attempt to overwhelm or rebalance the system. Players can attemp to represent themselves by whatever virtue makes them most attractive, such as their honor, their honest, their ingenuity, etc. This is an RP-rich mindspace where players think about what makes them most attractive, beyond the flesh, for this is a place of the mind.

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| 3 cont'd |*Balance.* There is also the option to attempt to not be chosen and evicted from the mind fragment and to try to find an Ego and a Super-Ego fragment which the players have already conquered/overcome to join together to balance it. If the players combine it with another Id mindspace before balancing, the results would be very bad. <br><br>*Desire.* An alternative way to run the Lust segment is like a pleasure palace where characters are surrounded by sumptuously-arrayed beauties who each, in turn offer them their heart's greatest desire in exchange for something beautiful. Players can roleplay, discussing what beautiful thing they can offer: a memory, an ideal, a creation of their own, etc. If the memory is offered, it is lost to them forever, and so on. Their greatest desire may be for a magical item of power that can be wielded within the mindspace, for instance. Or it could something tricky that grants them influence over the "beauties" in the mind space. <br><br> *Eradication.* Anything less than perfectly beautiful is not fit in this realm. "Off with their heads." This is a fight to escape episode versus creatures like a Succubus, etc.|

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| 4 | **Greed.** Casino episode!  This mindspace is all about seeking money. Upon entering the casino, players find they have tokens equal to their ability scores. If they win at a table, they gain (temporary) ability score increase equal to the amount they wagered. If they lose, that ability is (temporarily) reduced by the wager. Each "table" is a challenge of skill, wit, endurance, or charm, where players face off against other creatures greedy for their ability scores. The ability score wagered in each challenge has something to do with the challenge. For instance, a magic duel can wager a spellcasting ability (for resisting spell effects). A climbing challenge can wager strength. A fight to 0 HP can wager Constitution. If an ability drops to zero, the player is ejected from the mindspace and suffers one level of exhaustion. (This can happen multiple times.) Players can only wager one ability each time they enter the casino. Players can enter challenges together. Defeating this realm requires them to "break the bank," by reducing the ability score of their opponent to zero. When this happens, the players may receive a boon such as an ASI, feat, magic item, etc., which will manifest in the material plane as well. |

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### Super-Ego

The super-ego is the place of conscience, where all actions have consequences. In mindspaces from super-ego fragments accountability is required. This realm may be a great hall of justice. Players may be required to recount or even revisit past encounters and repeat them to correct their error. Guilt arises from the super-ego. An over-active super-ego is the source of anxiety in an over-indoctrinated, self-criminalizing individual. Players may be judged, or forced to debate their standing, adopt or champion specific values to be weighed, or attempt to bring icons or creatures representing these values into balance. This realm likely takes inspiration from upper planes like Mount Celestia, a court room, or Scrooge's encounters with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future from Dicken's *A Christmas Carol*. In a super-ego run amok, creatures representing disconnected values like avenging angels, grim reapers, executioners, tormentors and so on may roam uncontrolled. Or, the scales of justice may be imbalanced. Sacrifices may be required to pass certain gates, in order to approach the supreme judge. But there may also be beneficent angels who reward the heroes and remind them of their good deeds and encourage them on their way.

| d4 | Super-Ego mindspace challenge |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Wormtongue and trials of faith.** The perception of the mindspace fragment is being perverted by an edar who reached the mindspace first. Whispering in the ear of the supreme judge, this "Wormtongue" character is making the characters out to be the villains. The players are sentenced to trials of faith in which they face a series of challenges including fight encounters, with ethical dilemmas. The "Wormtongue" has been delegated charge of the trials. Each trial has a "score" metric, which may or may not be explained, such as "number of people saved", "a max score less any violent actions taken", "hit points sacrificed", "enemies persuaded", "deceptions avoided" and so on. Challenges can be straightforward, or laced with nuance like a "Joker vs. Batman" moral quagmire. |
| 2 | **Ascending on High.** In order to reach the creature representing the fragment of Ka'rel, the characters must ascend a similitude of Mount Celestia. There are many trials representing virtues: honesty, patience, humility, kindness, loyalty, and sacrifice. In the trial of honesty, characters pass through the halls of a museum or elegant estate. No one is there, and it appears to be abandoned. There are many items of value, particularly to characters. If they take the item, they can wield it, but they cannot un-equip it. If it is a weapon or damage dealing magic item, they suffer half the damage roll, or no damage on a DC 8 + level Wisdom saving throw. If the magic item grants advantage or causes disadvantage on a roll, such as *boots of elvenkind* for stealth, or a *cloak of displacement*, each time they do so, they suffer psychic damage equal to the lower roll. If the magic item uses a charge to produce an effect, each time a charge is used, the bearer loses a random spell slot, unless they succeed on a DC 8+level Wisdom saving throw. Roll 1d4 to determine the level of the slot lost...

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| 2 | ...The trial of patience (labeled such) is a chamber where the lava is rising and they have to cross a chasm to a green area with a lake on the other side. Each round players take heat damage as they try to jump from pillar to pillar, including some gaps wider than they can cross. Eventually, the lava causes the edge of the opposite side to break and the lake flows out, boiling to steam and cooling the surface of the lava enough to run across. <br><br> The trial of humility involves having to cross a battlefield Roman-esque city with savage armies of devils. The sewers, however have no enemies. There are waterfalls and baths to cleanse at the end.<br><br>The trial of kindness involves helping a mortally wounded beggar devil. If they dispatch the devil, they enter a combat with a greater demon. If they heal the devil, it transforms into a celestial guide who carries them past the demon.

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| d4  | Super-Ego Challenges (cont'd) |
|:-|:-|
| 2 | ...In the trial of loyalty, a powerful devil or avenging angel captures one of the team and imprisons them in a cage far above for tormenting. They can continue on without their companion, or demand to fight the captor. One when they are all captured, can they then be freed, as the cage lifts them to the next trial. <br><br> If they continue on without their ally, in the next challenge they face their ally, now under the control of another being (glowing eyes, etc.) who continues coming back from the dead (and replenshing all their HP and features) to vanquish them until another character dies and rises as an enemy. Only when all die can they return to the beginning of the trial, where another player is captured.<br><br> The trial of sacrifice involves and alter, where players can place anything they are willing to give up to reach the supreme judge. It could be a weapon, a spell book, whatever. When they meet the supreme judge, these things are returned as +1 items or otherwise improved items–reborn from the fires of the altar.  <br> The supreme judge answers all questions.  |
| 3 | **Knights of Ka'rel.** Join the knights to vanquish unrighteous evils within the mindspace. Good old murder hobo'ing monster slash adventure. |

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| 4 | **Judgment Day.** Characters enter a courtroom where they face those whom they faced previously in mind spaces, or in the material plane of Corion. These may be those whom they helped, or didn't help, or those whom they fought and vanquished. They could be presently living or dead. All that matters is that they were in the character's life experience. Players may be asked by the celestial judge to justify their actions. (Good chance for backstory dump and roleplay.) Characters may be sentenced to penance (jail break episode) or avenging angels unleashed on them (fighting retreat combat). Or, they may be called upon to join with the celestials to execute justice on a factions within the mindspace that are deviating from the way of justice. |

### Halls of Memory

Also known as the semi-conscious portion of the mind, this mindspace holds actual memories of Ka'rel. Players will journey through Corion's actual past and learn about–and perhaps make decisive actions to preserve the past or remove corruption from Ka'rel's memories of the past.

Players will gain valuable lore and secrets about their enemies, what happened during the first edar invasion, Ka'rel's divine peers, and clues as to how to defend Corion or survive the second edar invasion. Or, all players may become trapped in the past of of one of the player's memories as the mindspace of Ka'rel extracts their memories. They may face former abusers or enemies in vastly amplified forms, or be visited by departed friends, relatives, lovers, or re-live times of heartache and loss.

\pagebreakNum

| d4 | Halls of Memory Challenge |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Escape Room.** The players are trapped in a room full of things from their memories and nothing else. Players can open boxes and imagine what is inside, and if it was part of their memory, it will be there. There are several ways to escape. This is a deep pit, players can climb out. Players can dig their way out of the memory locker. Players can unlock a vault in which lies the memory keeper, stowed away against the decay of time. The memory keeper can release them and also reveal a memory of Ka'rel, or answer a question Ka'rel knew the answer to. In this place there are mephit-like creatures that siphon memory. If hit, a player must make a Constitution saving throw, as if concentrating on a spell, or else they lose their memory of all objects they h ave "remembered" in this place. That memory is gone forever, even out of mindspace. So, for instance, if they imagine their spouse who has lock picking skills, and they are attacked and lose concentration, they will have no memory of their spouse  |

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| 2 | **Trail of Tears.** Adventurers find themselves on a lonely road. They pass cottages, streams, wagons, and other isolated encounters. At each, they encounter someone from their past, ideally someone they have either left, lost, betrayed, or killed. They get to hear the other person's side of the story. They can apologize, or the confrontation can flare up again. Memories tend to exaggerate, so the representations here are not accurate. They are distorted to seem more evil, ugly, beautiful, cruel or whatever is their primary attribute for w hich they are remembered. At the end of the road, they meet the keeper of memories and can request to unlock and experience one memory of Ka'rel. |
| 3 | **Incarnation.** This encounter is one memory fragment of Ka'rel on another plane from before they ascended as a god. Ideally this encounter occurs late in the campaign. Ka'rel and their allies face the god Reshaitoth, a capricious, and neutral evil god who takes pleasure in toying with its creations. Ka'rel and the others have spent their lives gathering power to attempt to stop Reshaitoth's reign of chaos. They bear powerful magical artifacts, which the players then receive as they merge into the story at the beginning of combat. The players are warned by the voice of Ka'rel that if they cannot vanquish Reshaitoth here, it may gain power to re-emerge from Ka'rel's memory. You see, the mind of a god is not easily destroyed. Reshaitoth's power was contained within Ka'rel. By vanquishing Reshaitoth here, in this combat either the players gain the powers of Reshaitoth, which they can exercise only together as a team, or they can restore power to Ka'rel, their choice in an attempt to restore Corion's creator. This is a pivotal decision in the campaign, for if they take the power, Ka'rel will no longer be a divine entity, the players will hold that mote of divinity. For Reshaitoth, pick any demon prince you like from Mordenkainen's Monster's of the Multiverse, for example, or a allow Reshaitoth to transform into an ancient dragon--whatever challenge suits. Lots of minions is great, too. |
| 4 | **One moment in time.** Players are caught in one moment in time where something went wrong. It could have been one of their battles or encounters, or one of Ka'rel's or one Ka'rel witnessed. Like a coin flipping, if the encounter (e.g. one round or a few rounds of combat and skill checks) is not completed perfectly, such as saving someone's life, or stopping enemies from passing through a gate, they restart. Players that die in combat, though, do not return. They exist as ghosts in the space, able to see and be heard, but cannot influence events. Once the time loop is broken, the team either enters another time loop (if there is time) with a different focus, or (if there isn't time in the session), they meet the memory keeper. A very classy way to run this is to have each moment in time reveal a piece of lore about Ka'rel, the edar, Corion, the crel, etc. Another way to run it, is to allow players to re-experience an encounter from their past, but from a different perspective where they can see the consequences of what happened as a result, or what would have happened if they had failed/succeeded. |

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### Subconscious

This realm is rich for roleplaying, and a chance to delve into the character's pasts. If you have seeded your players with dark secrets in their backstories, this is a fantastic opportunity to have shocking revelations.

This realm is a place of dreams, chaos, aberrations, nonsense, and whimsy, drawing inspiration from crossover realms like Limbo, Pandemonium, and Ysgard, but particularly the Feywild and Shadowfell, and even the Far Realm. Take inspiration from Lewis Carrol's *Alice in Wonderland*, *Jaberwocky*, the adventures of Dr. Who or Dr. Strange, or *Gulliver's Travels*, and anything else "trippy" or psychedelic.

In this world, things are unbound by reason or purpose, such as the arbitary nature of the laws withing an Archfey's realm, or hopeless, like the dreams in which you cannot speak or feel stuck, represented by a curse imbued by an archfey or binding effect in the Shadowfell.

Each subconscious fragment should feel like an episode of a dream, with a particular feel, such as a haunted cabin, ghostly manor, or even a Saturday morning cartoon like the *Smurfs* gone horribly wrong, such as players shrunken to tiny size in a world of giants, or being trapped behind glass walls, or having their mouths sealed, hunted by a terrible predator, or introduced to something utterly bizarre and inane like tea at the Mad Hatter's. Have fun creating new rules that players must adapt to.

D&D published resources for subconscious encounters include *The Curse of Strahd*, *The Wild Beyond the Witchlight*. *Out of the Abyss*, and *Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel*.

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| d5 | Subconscious Realm Challenge |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Fire with fire.** This space is a living hazard, in addition to whatever other creatures the players face. Roll d13 to determine the hazard each round: (1) bludgeoning, (2) piercing, (3) slashing, (4) fire, (5) cold, (6) force, (7) psychic, (8) acid, (9) lightning, (10) thunder, (11) poison, (11) nectrotic, (13) radiant. Roll d6 for the required save (1) Str–pushing the thing away, (2) Dexterity–avoiding the danger, (3) Constitution–enduring the threat, (4) Intelligence–thinking of a way to avoid or negate the threat, (5) Wisdom–seeing a way through the problem, (6) Charisma–convincing the danger to leave you alone.<br><br> A successful save avoids damage. Each time a player avoids the hazard, they gain a mote of potential, which they can spend on their turn to grant themselves or another player advantage on their next save, or release that mote. The player chooses a damage type and unleash from their imagination an elemental or spirit of that type, which lasts until it faces a hazard of the opposite type. On your turn, the elemental collides with the hazard and it is canceled and the elemental disappears. If a hazard of that type is rolled, one does not appear that round. An active elemental adds an additional proficiency bonus d4's of damage of their type once per turn to a successful attack on a hostile. A player can have at most one active elemental. Fire and cold cancel. Force and thunder cancel. Radiant and necrotic cancel. Acid and poison cancel. Bludgeoning and slashing or piercing cancel. Lightning and psychic cancel–just go with it. This is an imaginary world. Once an elemental of each type has been unleashed, the living hazards stop.   |

\pagebreakNum

| d5 | Subconscious Realm Challenge (cont'd) |
|:-|:-|
| 2 | **Your worst nightmare.** Like the scene from the original Ghostbuster's movie with the Stay Puff marshmallow man, ask the players what comes to mind in this space. That, twisted in some extreme way becomes the monster they face. It could be burnt toast, or butterflies. Ally creatures in this space may come to their aid, other things of imagination and fancy, like unicorns with laser horns. After defeating their nightmares, the players reach the singularity of existence and have a chance to see this subconscious with a thought that will guide its evolution (while they are gone and until the next time they return). This is very *Inception*-esque. |
| 3 | **House of Mirrors.** Entering this space, each characters automatically generates a clone (simulacrum) which attempts to reach them. Each HP of damage done by the simulacrum to the player adds that much HP so the simulacrum. Starting from half the character's HP, the simulacrum can increase up to full HP, at which point the simulacrum becomes a living soul and character dies, barring a *wish* spell. Roll d6 to determine each simulacrum's nature (1) haughty, (2) vindictive, (3) patronizing, (4) apologetic, (5) confused, (6) determined. Regardless of their nature, the simulacrum attacks each round. To spice it up, each simulcrum has the spell mirror conjured and running. While a simulacrum may deal damage to more than one character via an area of effect spell or attack, it only gains HP from damaging its match. To spice it up even, further, you can add living hazards from encounter 1 (just adjust the damage down). If two or fewer simulcra remain, they will attempt to flee. If captured, they can be brought out of the mindspace as simulacra in the real world, whereupon they lose their distorted nature and behave like a normal simulacrum. This can be determined with an appropriate arcana or religion check. |

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| 4  | **Bad dream.** This space, such as a home or castle, is normal except for one thing that is very wrong. While dealing with this abnormality, the players must accomplish whatever task is geven them by the white rabbit. Roll 1d6: (1) size: characters are far too small, (2) gravity doesn't work, (3) words come out in bubbles, (4) each movement cause a very noticeable flash of light, or strange (perhaps funny) sound, (5)  everything is normal, except you are only wearing a towel, (5) the characters are all CR1 or below beasts, (6) the characters aren't themselves; rotate character sheets one to the right. The task given by the white rabbit may be to take an invitation or RSVP to the Mad Hatter, to carry an urgent and desperate message to the white queen, or vanquish a Jabberwock.|
| 5 | **Realm Noir.** The characters have arrive in a film noir version of their world. They are private investigators and must solve a case. The femme and beau fatale arrives at their office with a desperate request to help them prove their innocence, or prove their beloved is cheating. Everything goes along pretty well in this Shadowfell-like world, until you learn that their beloved is a power vampire, or a shadowdragon. In order to bring light to this world, the players need to gather clues as to who did a particular murder by visiting the site and making skill checks, or by visiting the site of a potential imminent indiscretion by the suspect unfaithful lover, where infiltration and stealth checks are needed, and perhaps elimination of some minor goons. What is discovered is that the edar have been delivering shipments of souls in cases to this realm, which is influencing its evolution. This can be noticed by players as people in the realm appearing more edar-like. The souls must be brought out of the mindspace by destroying their mindspace avatars or capturing the chest of rune-scribed soul tokens and escaping back to their office and climbing out through the mirror. |

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## Roll-a-map

On Corion, even seekers know very little about geography beyond their local region. Accordingly, in this campaign, players discover features by exploring. No advance prep is required and every campaign is unique.

When players move into a new area, roll on the discovery tables to determine (1) the geography, and optionally (2) a unique discovery.

On the map each square represents a half-day journey. Place the storm hold should be 1 square away from the center.

For example, in a map square simple note "D3, M6" for a temple (discovery table 3) found on an aspen slope (mountain geography 6). Once the map is full, consider moving the campaign to a new seeker community to allow continued exploration in a local setting with survival flavor.

To create an NPC quick try  [npcgenerator.com](https://www.npcgenerator.com/), or for multiple NPCs [kasson.com](https://www.kassoon.com/dnd/npc-generator/).

#### Discovery Table
Detailed descriptions follow.
| d12 | Discovery |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Edar forward post |
| 2 | Hunting camp |
| 3 | Religious community/temple/monastery |
| 4 | Abandoned site|
| 5 | Lod (planar fragment) |
| 6 | Natural Spring |

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|  |  |
|:-|:-|
| 7 | Unique animals |
| 8 | Outlaws and renegades |
| 9 | Hermit |
| 10 | Active Settlement |
| 11 | Government operation |
| 12 | Valuable resources |

#### Mountain Geography Table
Detailed descriptions follow.
| d12 | Geography |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | rolling foothills |
| 2 | wide canyon with river |
| 3 | steep canyon with climbs |
| 4 | narrow canyon with rappels |
| 5 | alpine valley with meadows |
| 6 | aspen slopes |
| 7 | barren highlands |
| 8 | alpine lake |
| 9 | gentle pass |
| 10 | icy peak or glacier |
| 11 | alpine slopes |
| 12 | shady canyon with woods |

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#### Plains and Woods Geography Table
Detailed descriptions follow.
| d12 | Geography |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Gentle rolling hills |
| 2 | Lakes |
| 3 | Pleasant sun-dappled woods |
| 4 | Old, dark woods |
| 5 | Badlands |
| 6 | River |
| 7 | Desert |
| 8 | Ancient lava flow |
| 9 | Giant grass sea |
| 10 | Bog |
| 11 | Cultivated fields |
| 12 | Ancient devastation |

#### Island and Coastal Geography Table
Detailed descriptions follow.
| d12 | Geography |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Coral reef |
| 2 | Barren island |
| 3 | Volcanic island |
| 4 | Deep ocean |
| 5 | Contrary winds |
| 6 | Shallow sea |
| 7 | Coastal community |

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| 8 | Strange Shores |
| 9 | Shipwrecked |
| 10 | Lush island |
| 11 | Coastline with coves and beaches |
| 12 | Perlu Settlement |

#### Underground Geography Table
Detailed descriptions follow.
| d12 | Geography |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Karst (e.g. limestone) caverns|
| 2 | Mine tunnels (horizontal) |
| 3 | Underground river |
| 4 | Flooded caverns |
| 5 | Volcanic caverns |
| 6 | Sinkholes (open to sky) |
| 7 | Abyssal trench |
| 8 | Narrow tunnels |
| 9 | Ice caves |
| 10 | Eolian caves (cliff recesses/arches/canyons) |
| 11 | Mine shafts (vertical) |
| 12 | Underground lake/sea |

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## Discoveries

#### Discovery 1: Edar Forward Post 
Edar have found your storm hold, it seems. An advance post has been established by a vanguard unit. Though Edar did not create a world's-spanning empire merely by destroying, when tested, they will not hesitate. Expect displays of strength and enticing propositions in equal measure. Whether by force of arms or reason, by quagmire, or by stratagum, the edar will obtain their goal.

Roll 1d12 to determine the edar post commander.

##### 1. Karigran the Proven

Karigran is a veteran hardened in battles across the far realm and astral space. The commander is an accomplished eldritch knight with a taste for local food and local women. He is not afraid to doff his chestplate before a battle to reveal his scars in a show of intimidation.

##### 2. Velae of the Ta'Driel Estate

A young, but fiercely determined edar heiress, Valae is privileged and she knowns it. (And she will let you know it.) Not getting her way puts her in a foul mood and she is liable to order "off with their heads" if invitees to a tea party do not show up.

Velae is attended by personal servants, daunting personal guards, and has a loyal lieutenant Aja who is as large as some half giants. She is curious about Corion and its peoples and customs as much as she is curious about the storm holds.

For now, Velae is happy to allow Corioni to take the risk of finding the mind fragments and assessing their state. So long as she is kept informed and entertained, she is quite agreeable, perhaps even intoxicating. Velae keeps her personal powers a secret, though it is likely she is very good and very dangerous at something. Perhaps enchanting magic. Or perhaps something far more sinister.

##### 3. Executor Mebda of the Vretik

A stern executive officer of the powerful Vretik clan, Mebda's lips are drawn as tight as her purse strings. With her network of expert spies and potent divination spells, Mebda learns far more than her enemies believe.

While her time in the far realm granted her powerful telepathic abilties, Mebda bears warping deviations from which she may never be free, though that won't stop her from trying to re-perfect her body. The mind fragments of Ka'rel will give her all the power she needs.

##### 4. Dukahn the Hunter

More hands-on than most commanders, Dukahn is an expert of stealth and a deadly hunter. He is not afraid to track down and question at spear point, in their bed, in their locked chamber, in their fortress, for those who do not answer his summons immediately.

\pagebreakNum

##### 5. Zylis the Firewalker

Having come to Corion via the fiery landscape of the nine hells, there isn't anyone Zylis is afraid to bargain with.

Inured to flames, cold, and necrotic effects alike, Zylis is a naturally terrifying commander. When she is forced to take matters into her own hands, the power of her connection with the infernal is truly revealed.

Zylis is a warlock of terrifying power.

But what is at her heart? What does Zylis seek with a drive sufficient to overcome the banishing curse of Corion?

Perhaps she has wagered her soul against delivering a mind fragment of Ka'rel to her infernal patron.

##### 6. Bellis and Guya

Having come to Corion via the upper planes, the edar husband Guya and wife Bellis are as loyal to their principles as they are to each other. Bearing the unmistakable touch of the divine, Bellis and Guya are among the oldest edar to have returned to Corion.

While other edar required generations of eugenics to produce offspring with sufficient mental fortitude to endure the banishing curse, perhaps their connection to the divine has transformed Bellis and Guya to the point that they are not truly edar, but something else entirely.

Dignity, justice, equity, magnanimity–these are the hallmarks of Bellis and Guy's rule, and of their forces. Among the Corioni who know them, none doubt that if Bellis and Guya were to rule this planet, it would be far better off that with the petty warring nobles that cause so much suffering.

Bearing divine clerical magic, Bellis has been known to heal life-long cripples, while Guya is capable of banishing almost any creature that dares bring chaos into his presence.

##### 7. Portia and Glenny

Portia and Glenny could be mistaken for their grandparents at a first glance. But where Bellis and Guya glow with the divine, Portia and Glenny have a distinct air of simple, common connection. They're just normal...except for being inordinately long-lived and impossibly beautiful.

Portia and Glenny are half edar, half human. Born on the distant realm of Toril as mixed breeds, the curse has far less hold on them. But what the curse doesn't claim, seemingly every lusty person on Corion does.

Portia is alleged to be the most beautiful woman on Corion, bar none, a fact for which she is detested among edar, who view themselves as the ultimate race. Glenny is not far behind among the eligible Corioni women.

Their political influence grows as talk of possible unity between edar and Corion humans takes hold in the minds and hearts of hungry, greedy peasants gazing at future glory.

For all their seeming innocuity, Portia and Glenny defer not a hair to any other edar, not even to their own grandparents. This is their world to take as much as it is the purebreds. And though they lack magic entirely, they have legions of loyal and well-trained soldiers at their aid. And dragons.

Yes, they brought dragons from Toril, just in case.

#### 8. Arkaz the Devastator

Arkaz does not keep dragons. Rather, he has become one. Able to shift his form into a great blue dragon, Arkaz is a force of pure destructive might. Did he make a pact, or is there a bloodline connection? Nothing is clear beyond the Arkaz's drive for power. Can he assimilate even more from Ka'rel's framents? His loyal minions would like nothing more.

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#### 9. Genesta Shadowbringer

Genesta's title is no false appellation. The Shadowfell brought Genesta one step closer to Corion, and one step further from life itself. Some claim she is more undead than the crel, though none have any idea whether it is true.

Among her forces, Genesta's word is law, though she carries out any punishments personally.

A ruthless fighter able to step through shadows, Genesta is an opponent that remains unbeaten in single combat, not only against any edar, but against any creature as well. The magical items she allegedly bears grant her power beyond what mortals can possess.

Or, what a mortal can possess without consequences...

#### 10. Lt. Vora and Commodore Kyrone

This father-daughter duo comes to Corion via the regimented ranks of the reborn Edar Astral Navy.

Captain Kyrone's outpost is his astral ship. And while he retains command, he cannot remain indefinitely on Corion. He was born one generation before the perfected ranks of edar able to fully bear the banishing curse.

His spirited visits provide both motivation and stress for Vora, who does her best to carry out her father's goals and wishes, but without the clout that he amassed through centuries of combat and duty in astral sea. Though her father could, and has, stared an astral dreadnought in the face as he rammed his spelljammer through the creature's skull, Vora has less taste for combat and more interest in intellectual pursuits–including boys, which she is never allowed to investigate when dad is around.

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#### 11. Tsua the Many

Having broken her way into the Feywild, Tsua remained for many centuries, changing her identity like the seasons. Tsua is able to alter her form and voice at will and spends as much time disguised among the people she will one day rule as an archfey, as she does among her own forces.

Tsua has alternate egos for any occasion, an unanticipated byproduct of a mind fractured by the far realm.

She could be your friend, or your boss. Or both.

The only certainty with Tsua is her caprice. She lives to drop uncertainty into people's minds, and won't hesitate to wreck a relationship by impersonating a lover, or sell out an ally to an enemy for the sheer pleasure of seeing the shock on the face of the newly doomed, former ally.

#### 12. Kumat the Confounder

Kumat is a reclusive genius. His plans not even his closest confidants know. Kumat traversed many planes in search of arcane secrets. Many edar believe Kumat will be discover the means to end the banishing curse.

Kumar is a scribes wizard of the highest order and his machinations are kept within his sentient spellbook whose female persona is known as Megra the Compliler. Some believe Kumar captured the spirit of another edar, perhaps even his wife, in order to bring his spellbook to life.

Rumors abound. But facts as far more fleeting the one certainty about Kumat: he is to be feared.

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 1: Edar Forward Post (cont'd)

##### Forward Post Type

The edar forces maintain a defensible potions. Roll to determine the nature of the post itself.

| d6 | Edar post type |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Astral ship.** The edar have landed a spelljammer ship directly on Corion. Edar are careful to keep any on Corion from learning the secrets of astral travel and always maintain a constant guard as well as magical protection from spells like alarm, glyph of warding, symbol, guards and wards, and contigency spells. They also always keep a brutish off-world monster available for handling intruders, such as a grey render or a balhannoth. Furthermore, the edar are able to take off and request reinforcement assistance through planar portals. The best hope for taking the ship is to incapacitate whomever is attuned to the spelljammer helm. (See Adventures in Astral Space bundle: *Astral Adventurer's Guide* on spelljamming.)  There is also a framework dock for the ship and a pallisade wall surrounding the improvised dock, along with some supply storage and maintenance buildings. |
| 2 | **Natural cave.** The edar scouts did well to find a spacious natural cave with hidden entrances and apparently a source of water. Two entrances can be discovered, both of which are guarded with measures similar to the astral ship, in addition to physical and magical traps. Some local ranchers have limited knowledge of the cave's interior. There is a notable waterfall, some deep caverns and many individual caverns. The cave system is quite extensive. |
| 3 | **Luxury villa.** Nothing is too good for the elves that once controlled a star-spanning empire. The edar have obtained (legally?) a luxury hilltop villa. The position grants a wide view of surrounding area and the accomodations are top notch. Edar are comfortable hosting visitors, displaying their wealth and leaning on possible allies with both flattery and threats. |
| 4 | **Sprawling Compound.** The edar have occupied an abandoned ranch and turned the farmhouse into a headquarters and the barn into barracks. The maintenance building is an operation center. Riding striders brought in from off-world, the edar are able to patrol a large perimeter around the facility. Scrying and clairvoyance orbs have been spotted at path junctions. While infiltration appears easier due to the spread-out compound, the problem now becomes extraction. If you are spotted, you are at the center of a mile-wide web.  |
| 5 | **Crystal Chalice Inn.** The up-scale tavern in a village has been bought-out by edar agents and is now serving as their base of operations. A lower-end tavern sprung up across teh street to serve natives. As compounds go, it isn't he most secure or isolated, but the shear number of edar coming and going makes any clandestine work challenging. Edar have even rented rooms in homes on the high street. They're everywhere. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 6 | **Abandoned Temple.** For more than a decade, the altars and halls of the cult of flamebringer have lain dark and silent, until recently. Lights now flicker through narrow slits in the stone walls. Once again, smoke rises from torches in the courtyard of sacrifice, and the eternal flame burns in the tower of ascendant wrath. Is it possible the cult, exterminated by capitol decree has risen from the ashes? No, it is something far worse. Within the hidden tunnels of the inner sanctum plans are laid for the undoing of the last planar protections Corion has against the masses of edar waiting to lay seige to a planet they cannot again enter. For now. But the fortifications offered by the abandoned temple will only make their operation more secure and more secret.
|

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 2: Hunting Camp

Remote areas in the wild are perfect hunting destinations. Roll for the type of hunting camp discovered.

| d8 | Hunting Camp Type |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | You have discovered a luxury log cabin lodge. A great room boasts a magnificent fireplace topped with a huge pair of antlers, a concierge desk, thick rugs, cozy cabin-like bedrooms, a furnished cellar, racks of hunting gear, a furnished kitchen, fire-heated bath, and apparently an owner and their staff, who aren't here. (But may potentially show up if Goldilocks and her team of adventurers decide to make themselves welcome.) |
| 2 | Same as above, except the place is haunted. Objects move. Writing appears on windows. Lights go out. Fires flare. Branches scrape against windows making sounds like distant screams. Something is not right here. Each time the team visits this location they discover a new clue or piece of the story: a name, coordinates, a weapon, a contract, a body–but not living. The reason for this haunted place will eventually be known, but will the killer be found before the body rises as a revenant or wraith to take its own revenge on whomever it sees enjoying its belongings? | 
| 3 | Same as above, except the haunting is being done by a prankster with prestigitation and mage hand. It's a local orphan who enjoys terrifying people and has nothing better to do. |
| 4 | An array of brightly colored tents heralds the hunting camp of a foreign dignitary. Information can be exchanged, introductions made, resources bargained or traded, alliances forged, diversions enjoyed, wagers placed, competitions entered, trailguiding performed. Anything is possible if the team can even convince the visier that they are a worthy audience. |
| 5 | Two old fuddy-duddies are out in the woods shooting more breeze than meals. They have plenty of gossip and news, most of which is outdated and confused. They have seen other people passing through. Potentially rivals, lost allies, or potential allies. They may also have advice about finding game (advantage on a Survival check to find forage or game). However if asked for directions they will give bad directions (disadvantage onf Survival check to nagivate). |
| 6 | A well-made trapper's lodge, unused in years, stands in small clearing. Log construction, but scarecly furnished with anything other than a lamp in disrepair and some rusted kitchen implements, an old stove, and a journal. The journal may reveal hints about nearby region and resources. It may also be a terribly boring, illegible, or depressing read. Anyway, this place can be fixed up as used as a waypoint or safehhouse. |
| 7 | A hunting party has just strung up their prey. It's a huge beast. And, occasionally, it is left unattended. It's a lot of meat, though it is heavy. |

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 8 | It's a perfect camp. A nice firepit. A pile of stacked split wood under a tarp. A smokehouse. A creek with a calm, deep pool for washing. Flat grassy spots for tents and bedrolls for sleeping under the stars and two simple split-log bunkhouses for winter camping. Each of the small lodges has a roof and three walls with bunks. The open face can be covered with a blanket or tarp. Hammocks can be strung across the middle znd each bunkhouse has a cast iron wood stove in the center. Yes, it's perfect, which is why it is currently occupied by bears. |

##### Hunting camp activities

Ideas for activities at the hunting camp.

1. Pay it forward. Chop wood for the next guests.
2. Hunt big game, and then smoke or dry the meat at the smokehouse.
3. Have a team retreat planning meeting, complete with an invited motivational speaker, trust fall, sensitivity training–the works.
4. Ax throwing or archery contest, with wagers. Make an attack roll.
5. Get ambushed by bandits who made the camp as a way to attract travelers and rob them. Hence the open-faced cabins.
6. Be visited by a minstrel (a la the infamous Sir Robin).
7. Have another group of hunters arrive and expect to use the camp. Decide who gets to use the camp with a contest of wit, strength, skill, or charm, or all of the above.
8. Get to know the camp host who is a roguish ranger, or (charming) school teacher on summer break.

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 3: Religious Site

Not surprisingly, this picturesque location is the home of a group of religious fanatics or zealots.

| d12 | Location details |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Orphanage boarding school run by nuns or monks, where after the kids go to bed, the nuns and monks are far more interested in getting to know the players, and any kind of excitement. |
| 2 | A secret school training monks. |
| 3 | A cult worshipping a particularly disturbed mind fragment trapped in a vessel. |
| 4 | A zen retreat for reflection, recovery, and discovery of inner peace and enlightenment maintained by open-minded monks for those of all beliefs. The commisary food cooking isn't bad either! |
| 5 | A charismatic guru's isolationist community where the leader's every whim is law. |
| 6 | A cave complex used as a records archive by monks trying to preserve information about the times before the death of Ka'rel. There are many eye-witness accounts, pieces of lore to discover, things to translate, and things to research, about Ka'rel, the Edar, and Crel. |
| 7 | A penitentiary where young offenders are allowed to come in lieu of prison. They receive religious instruction and are allowed to reflect on their life and mistakes. And if they try to escape they are quickly rounded up and granted solitary confinement, so they can repent without distractions, or else sent to prison. |
| 8 | A lone priest or priestess maintains a shrine. Their long isolation hasn't been kind to their mind. (They're nuts.) But they can cook, perform useful clerical rites, and they offer scrolls and healing potions in exchange for donations. |
| 9 | A druid enclave teaches the ways of primal magic. Their huts and squalor are appalling, their food worse, but the know their way around the wilds. |
| 10 | A death cult is waiting for their unknown god to come and call them to the blessed afterlife. But, in the mean time, they must suffer, but without harming their bodies, which are sacred. They have devised all manner of (silly) contrivances to generate inconveniences for themselves, from doors that open the wrong way, to low ceilings, uneven stairs, toilet seats that give splinters, candles that randomly go out, wind chimes that make too much noise at night to sleep, dull knives, forks with bent tines, walkways lined with sticker weeds and nettles, beds that tilt to one side, and so on. It is basically low-grade mental torture to be here, though the players don't know that when they arrive and are welcomed to stay. |
| 11 | A religious school focused on worship through music. The open halls and chambers are filled with hauntingly beautiful chants and songs. It is a temping place to stay. In fact, there is a chance you can become charmed by the music and want to stay forever. (Cha saving throw vs. charmed condition.) |

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 12 | Scam: A revivalist's camp preaching doom and repentance, and collecting generous donations in exchange for salvation, or  a so-called financial expert's get rich quick pyramind scheme weekend retreat involving selling fake magical trinkets that promote healing, vitality, improved focus, and so much more!  |

##### Complications

Every religious community has its problems. Can the adventurers help? (Beyond the classic missing person case.)

| d12 | Complication |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Despite their superiors' warnings, the acolytes are curious about the outside world and everything going on in it. They corner and question the adventurers at every turn. |
| 2 | One acolyte, in particular, is troublesome, and needs a dose of real life. Can the adventurer's help? |
| 3 | One of the acolytes or priests/priestesses wants to leave but they are concerned about what will happen to the community if they do. |
| 4 | A shortage of incense has the religious community debating the ethics of using cheap substitutes. |
| 5 | One of the devotees is writing and performing music that does not conform to the religious standards. But it rocks! Refer to Rush's *Temple of Syrinx* anthem for context. |
| 6 | The temple is crumbling and not fit to survive the next earthquake. They have received a notice of noncompliance with seismic code from some authority or another. |
| 7 | The members of the solemn religious community have begun contracting a contagious disease that causes bursts of uncontrolled and raucous laughter. A scribe has begun cataloging the various kinds of laughter and is interested to record the intonation and patterns of the adventurer's unique laughs. For this, tickle torture is proposed/mandated. |
| 8 | A schism within the community has arisen regarding the proper color of monk robes. Refer to Dr. Seuss' *Sneeches* book for context. |
| 9 | Some of the devotees have begun experimenting with nontraditional breathing techniques for meditation, which has resulted in various species of animals becoming attracted to the temple. Also, the sounds are just...awkward. Players can propose others. |
| 10 | The upper (public) portion of the temple is front for a dark temple underground that worships a corrupted mind fragment bound to a blood-crusted relic of the Edar war, which has a taste for sacrifices of living souls. None who have seen the relic may live. |
| 11 | Embezzlement of monastery funds by a corrupt member has resulted in a late mortgage payments and a possible foreclosure. A benefit concert or other funds-gathering rally is needed. See Weird Al's *UHF* for context. |
| 12 | The nuns/monks have been isolated for too long and are overeager to host visitors. See Monty Python's *The Search for the Holy Grail* for context.  |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 4: Abandoned Site

Whoever was here isn't around anymore. Their junk is, though. Roll to determine the nature of the premises. The cause of the area's abandonment is a separate mystery.

| d8 | Abandoned site |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | An old saw mill (cutting lumber) or grist mill (grinding flour). The mill is powered by a windmill (dry area) or paddlewheel (river/creek). It could possibly be repaired and become productive. |
| 2 | Ghost town complete with a run down tavern, bank, jail, general store, post office, and a few unrecognizable homes and businesses. But does it come with actual ghosts? |
| 3 | Mine shaft. The basket/elevator for descending appears to be in working order with a winch and cable. Maybe a little rusted. Tempting bits of precious metal dust are scattered among the workings. Could the miner have hit the mother lode and then died of a heart attack from excitement? Perhaps miners were trapped in a cave-in.|
| 4 | An abandoned farmhouse sits proud among unharvested fields. The barn doors are wide open, the animals gone. Some straw and hay remain. A few rusty farm implements. A bit and bridle. Could be food in a cellar somewhere. |
| 5 | It's a factory. That's clear from the smokestack and receiving dock. What it made is less clear. Vats of unknown chemicals are covered with strange molds. Workbenches with tools arrayed for working of fine details lie silent and covered in dust. A few crates and boxes are on the dock, ready for shipping. What could be inside? |
| 6 | Definitely an abandoned slaughterhouse. There's a stockyard for keeping animals, docks for wagons to haul off butchered meat, pools of water where once ice blocks would have kept the meat chilled before shipping, now tainted an ominous red-brown. The stench of decay pervades everything. Inside you'll find overhead gantries with hooks for hanging carcasses and work stations with large cleavers, saws and other implements of dismemberment. Totally not creepy. And the decaying heaps of flesh, you should probably check those out, just to make sure they are animals and not people. |
| 7 | An old manor, perhaps a summer home or villa treat stands on its hill surrounded by fallow vineyards. Animals have picked through most of the crop it seems. A hedge maze decorates the back lawn. Tall pillars guard the main entrance, supporting grand balconies that look perfect for hosting summer parties under the stars. Inside you'll find spiral staircases, but little else beyond tattered, ransacked chandeliers bereft of their crystal, and broken remains of splintered furniture doubtless sacrificed for firewood by tasteless vagabonds. Yet, the craftsmanship of the hall stands proud against abandonment and the elements. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 8 | This was perhaps a school, or monastery, perhaps an abandoned scholarly retreat. There are buildings with rows of desks, open halls and courtyards, dormitories, a summer kitchen, a common hall for meetings and dining, and what must have a been a library before pests got to devouring the scrolls and books. Wait, bugs don't like books very much. What was eating all this stuff? |

##### Reason Site was Abandoned

People were once here and now they are not. Why?

| d12 | Reason for abandonment |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Attack by a savage native clan |
| 2 | Attack by an incensed swarm |
| 3 | The slow rot of financial ruin |
| 4 | An order to evacuate to avoid something dreadful, but unspecified. |
| 5 | Infighting. Fratricide. |
| 6 | Disease. It could still be here. |
| 7 | A killer. The signs are everywhere. |
| 8 | The owner passed away and the inheritor had no interest in maintaining the site. |
| 9 | Unclear. Actually, it may not be abandoned. There are subtle signs of recent activity. Why then is no one here? What are they avoiding? (Roll again.) |
| 10 | Undead: a crel attack |
| 11 | Something with very large footprints. |
| 12 | The smell. The area has sulfur springs, which, though therapeutic for infections and other ailments, stink terribly like rotton egss |
| 13 | A rival business or nearby successful settlement made this site unnecessary. |
| 14 | Wait, those aren't statues and topiary sculptures. Those are the actual people who worked and lived here, turned to stone and plants. Cool. |
| 15 | A lover's spat spoiled the venue. Whomever built this place did so with the intention of enjoying it with their soul mate. Hate messages scrawled in several places on the premises makes it clear what the jilted party thought of their flighty ex. |
| 16 | A bank foreclosure against an unpaid mortgage. The notice is still nailed to a post. |
| 17 | Haunting. Once the sun goes down, the mood changes drastically. The chill in the air seeps into your very bones. Your teeth chatter though standing near the fire does you no good. And the sounds, the calling, the screaming on the air, and that spirit that moves through the trees–what does it want?  |
| 18 | Ninjas. This was a classic crime assassin hit. Throwing stars and poisoned darts are the only remnants of the last deadly visitor. |
| 19 | Why plants growing on all the skeletons, seemingly wrapped around them? (The predatory plants are active at night or are activated by the blood contact) |
| 20 | Oh, that sinkhole over there might explain it. |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 5: Lod (plane fragment)

Hidden across Corion are isolated pockets of other realms. Ranging in size from a few dozen yards across, to several miles, lods retain the characteristic flavor of their original realm. Native plants and species thrive inexplicably. The lighting and weather may be different, the air richer or leaner, or even toxic. Many are underground, and some can be found underwater. A few exists as floating chunks of earth, like islands in the sky, or bits of temperamental cloud charged with arcane lightning.

Finding a tiny lod tucked away in the great expanse of Corion requires the right sense, which dwarfken uniquely possess. Once a small group of dwarfken find a lod, they are loathe to abandon it, for fear another might find it and claims its discoveries. Many choose to make their homes in the lod, almost as if living apart from Corion assuages some suppressed need or instinct in the race of astral refugees.

One remarkable feature of lods is the surprisingly high concentration of magical artifacts found within. Did Ka'rel specifically choose fragments of worlds with strong magic, or were they naturally drawn into Corion? Nobody knows. But, everyone knows a lod is a veritable treasure horde. Dwarfken manage to recover magic items of varying rarity, scrolls, potions inexplicably preserved against the passage of time, and of course magical traps, dangerous books of magic, and tomes and treatises from worlds so far away from Corion that none have ever manage to contact those planes. And few on Corion would ever want to, especially after the first war with the edar.

Lods, with their smorgasbord of samples from other realms, make the isolated world of Corion a kind of great cosmic museum for those who will never leave.

\columnbreak

| d10 | Lod Terrain |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Spooky swamp with mangrove trees, cattails, fog, and dangerous amphibious and flying creatures. |
| 2 | Forrest of gargantuan trees with the perfectly preserved remnants of a beautiful arboreal city build up into the canopy. |
| 3 | Black obsidian waste with strange monoliths, treacherous caves, and dark clouds flashing with lightning. |
| 4 | An active volcano with caves and lava tubes. |
| 5 | A realm of floating islands amid amid white clouds that keept his a world apart from view. Rainbows, waterfalls, and stunning abandoned ruins of ancient temples with stone columns, courtyards, fountains and inner sanctums, reminiscent of the upper planes. |
| 6 | An infernal expanse of sulfurous fumes, lava pits, smoke, ash, and the groaning of hidden horrors |
| 7 | A surreal realm of limbo-like twisting reality that feels like getting lost in a dream. Landscapes merge and fracture, appear and vanish in unending chaos. |
| 8 | Fragments of an underground city hollowed out long ago by dwarves in a distant plane. |
| 9 | Whispers in the eternal dark. Things cold and corrupt. Unwelcome thoughts entering your mind and the pull of beings that want nothing more than to escape this fragment of the far realm. |
| 10 | A sunken paradise with coral and sea creatures, ancient columns and treacherous caves. |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 6: Natural Spring

Water springing out the earth: remarkable and refreshing!

| d6 | Spring Features |
|:-|:-|
| 1  | A cold spring trickling from the base of a cliff where greenery also springs up around it, in an oasis of beauty. The water trickles over an overhung fall like a natural shower and into a clear pool before trickling over a smooth sandstone waterslide into a second pool  |
| 2 | An active seismic fault along your route offers occasional hot springs, geysers, sulfur springs, and hot pots with bubbling mud. Some are scalding and too hot to enter. One must watch their step. Other springs, ringed by color-stained rocks, are exceedingly pleasant. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 3 | This spring within a hollow cone-like lava formation is geothermally heated and goes as deep as anyone can dive. Tiny cave fish play in the pool, nibbling on toes and darting in unsearchable crevices. A crack in the side of the lave cone grants access through a narrow tunnel–a true treasure of a find. |
| 4 | Abandoned long ago, this hot spring was tapped. It's waters flow into to stone remains of a public bath, with pools of varied temperature. |
| 5 | A tourist trap if ever you saw one, this spring features a gift shop with overpriced bathing suits and trinkets and branded apparel, a nature walk with instructive signs (which you can pay to enter), and a modest-sized pool with a polished cement slide, a partially-functioning fountain, and an overpriced tavern. |
| 6 | An isolated spring in a natural depression. It's modest flow isn't enough to create a stream, though it does nourish the plants and trees that thrive around it. A secret oasis lined by comfortable grass, yuccas, and date palms. There's fruit and even a kind of crayfish you can catch with a bit of meat on a string. |

##### Natural Spring Encounters

| d20 | Encounter|
|:-|:-|
| 1  | Nefarious local animals (monkeys, squirrels, raccoons, birds, etc.) attempt to steal your clothes and food while you enjoy the spring. |
| 2 | Local druids or cleric accost you for blaspheming or tainting a sacred shrine. |
| 3 | Leeches. How come nobody ever warns you about those before you get in? |
| 4 | Large animals have come for their turn at the pool. |
| 5 | Fun-loving locals arrive at the spring for some downtime. Though young, they know of the seekers and their community is decidedly on the other side. They should report you, or be your enemies. |
| 6 | A small squad of local rangers arrived shortly before you. Better hope you have all your backcountry and hunting permits in order. |
| 7 | A local plant seems to have strange properties (see TCoE pg 166 on magic mushrooms and 168-169 on primal fruit.) |
| 8 | Oh, you didn't know it was a geyser? Maybe you can prank the next person, as soon as your scalded flesh heals.|
| 9  | An oracle spirit attends this spring, granting each who enter alone in the moonlight a chance to see something of their past, something of the present in another place, or a potential future. In payment, it requires only one week of your life. |

\pagebreakNum

| d20 | Natural Spring Encounters cont'd |
|:-|:-|
| 10 | A guru visits this spring, and at a place such as this, the guru can help your soul to connect with the living mind fragment of Ka'rel that is bound to the plane of Corion itself. It is far harder to enter than a regular mind fragment, and far harder to escape, but rich with possibility and power. |
| 11 | An underwater cavern begs to be explored. There are human bones there, and possibly loot to be found. |
| 12 | A spirit at this spring has a chance of attaching itself to a member of the party. The spirit is a (1d4) (1) child, (2) youth, (3) adult, (4) elderly person who died in a (1d4) (1) drowning accident, (2) murder, (3) pandemic, (4) famine. The spirit seeks only (1d4) (1) to see more of the world, (2) to again enjoy the passions and pleasures of the flesh: gluttony, rage and violence, lust, and leisure, but not pain, suffering, sorrow, or patience, (3) to take a message to their kin, (4) to be helpful, (5) to find the one who cursed them to remain at the spring. |
| 13 | A tattoo or scar that is normally hit under clothing on a member of the party is spotted for the first time. What is the story behind it? Will others share the stories of their tattoos or scars as well? (RP opportunity.) |
| 14 | Wait, it drains? What is this, some kind of  reverse geyser? No, I need to wash the shampoo out! |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 15 | Local farmers demand that they have water rights and have brought a work crew to cap the spring, pipe it out, and dig a ditch to run the water directly to the fields. They also claim nobody has a permit to operate a public bathhouse here. But you are welcome to bathe in the ditch all you like. |
| 16 | Something causes the water temperature to change dramatically: hot to cold, or warm to scalding. There could be mining activity or seismic activity. Perhaps an investigation is warranted, or perhaps engineering efforts are needed to make the spring enjoyable again. |
| 17 | Local punks have left trash and made a mess of the spring. They could be tracked easily. |
| 18 | The spring seems to be attracting abnormal amounts of magical energy. See TCoE Magical Phenomena pg 163-165. |
| 19 | The spring is a conduit for planar energy. Periodically, those in the pool find themselves teleported several (1d20) hours' journey away. ...At least you have your swimsuit. |
| 20 | An argument breaks out whether the bubbles rising occasionally from the pool are of humanoid (flatulence) or geologic origin. |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 7: Unique Animals

Observing these creatures is a rare and remarkable thing.

| d20 | Unique animals |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | You discover a local breed of farm animal, namely (1d6) (1) goat, (2) pig, (3) horse, (4) cow, (5) chicken, (6) dog with exceptional (1d8) (1) size, (2) intelligence, (3) coloration, (4) length of fur/feathers, (5) flavor, (6) bizzare behavior (like feinting goats), (7) speed or jumping, or (8) distinctive call. If only you had one...or a breeding pair. |
| 2 | Beetles with prismatic coloration. An alien species from a lod that have mixed with local varieties and achieved sufficient planar stability to exist outside the lod. They might have magical properties useful in potions: add powdered carapace (1d4) (1) sprinkle in a healing potion for +2 healing, (2) add to a basic poison to increase the save DC by +2, (3) a concentrated dose can restore a spell slot of level 1d3, (4) a very bitter and disgusting soup of crushed beetles (DC 13 Con save not to throw up) heightens the senses granting 30 ft. of darkvision and +2 to initiative until the next long rest. |
| 3 | Something is causing ravens to form aggressive flocks that are attacking people. (props to Hitchcock) |
| 4 | An insect infestation such as locusts in fields or weavils in grain bins are destroying food crops. |
| 5 | A mighty bull moose, elk or bison has been seen in the area–the ultimate hunting prize |
| 6 | A strange form of glowing flying insect lives in this area. It appears they are attracted to anyone using magic. Useful or annoyance? |
| 7 | The chelli regard this area as sacred due to the tall beautiful waterfowl that migrate here. |
| 8 | The pidgeons are big...big enough to ride on. |
| 9 | Messenger moths. It's a thing here, apparently. You whisper to them using the *message* cantrip or other telepathy and they carry the message to the intended recipient and deliver it telepathically. Only, the longer the journey takes, the more warped and twisted, inappropriate, or confused the message becomes. An investigation check will reveal that the message meaning oscillates between its reverse meaning and back again about every half hour. |
| 10 | So, it's not an animal, but it's as big as one. The zucchini in this area are monstrous. There must be some kind of use for them. |
| 11 | Parrot owls. They hide in the hollows of trees or cacti, right about head height, then pop out and spout off the last thing they heard the previous passerby speak. Is there a business opportunity here? Or, just a good prank? |
| 12 | Plesiosaurs in the lake/lagoon. This is a real Loch Ness. Little is known about the creatures and there is a reward for capturing one to prove to a scientific body that these creatures do indeed exist. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 13 | The animals appear to be unionizing. At least the house pests. Rats, possums, mice, squirrels–all of them are ganging up to distract humans while others make theiving runs into the food stores. Who is going to outsmart whom? It's time to build a better mousetrap. |
| 14 | The horses here are exquisite and beautiful. It is said they are direct descendents of horses brought to this plane by the edar. If one were to capture some, they might earn a hefty price from an edar. |
| 15 | In some sort of magical mixup, tree sloths seem to have adopted traits and habits from crel. Undead tree sloths. Just what the neighborhood needed. |
| 16 | Mammoths have caused the local dung beetles to become huge. Dung beetle riding is a venerated, though stinky, sport. |
| 17 | Interbreeding with fish from a dangerous lod has produced normal lake trout or rock fish that attack with venomous tines when caught by fishers. They last far too long out of the water and even crawl up on beaches to attack children playing on the shore out of some cruel instinct. Could there be something driving this behavior? Perhaps an arcane artifact deeper in the water? |
| 18 | Mosquitoes you kill here leave ghosts? What is wrong with this place? They don't just harass during the day, they poke and suck at your spirit at night. Someone needs to develop mosquito ghost repellent. |
| 19 | People here allow a type of tiny squid-like parasite from cave pools to enter their nervous system through a cut on their neck. It's disgusting to watch it wriggle inside. For several days the person is comatose. When/if they regain consciousness, they have one of the following random abilities (1d4) (1) cast the *message* cantrip prof. bonus times per day, (2) sense the presence of venomous creatures, or people with evil intentions within 10 feet, (3) enter a deathlike state of stasis similar to the *feign death* spell but without damage resistance, (4) gain advantage on one saving throw per day. The downside? Well, the locals don't like to talk about it: another voice in your head. And not a good one. |
| 20 | Monks in the area have trained primates to copy sketches, official notices, passages of books and small scrolls. The only downside is that if they get bored, don't like the meals, or the passage they are supposed to copy is too long, they make deliberate, and embarrassing mistakes. How do they get so much nuance? Is somebody teaching them snark? An investigation is warranted. Perhaps the monkeys aren't doing this willingly. Or perhaps the apes are not really apes. Or perhaps the monks should just give up and let the apes go back to playing chamber music. |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 8: Outlaws and Renegades

The long arm of the law doesn't quite reach here. This area is a known hideout for criminals of all sorts.

| d10 | 8. Outlaw encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Horse thieves have a corral here where they keep stolen horses, magically rebrand them, and arrange buyers. Locals know not to mess with them. Even the rangers and sheriff cast a shady eye. The trouble is, they take from anyone, including seekers.  |
| 2 | Runaways from a debtor's prison sweatshop in the city who were trapped in debt and unable to work their way out of it have made a camp nearby. But there are a pair of bounty hunters on the look for them. |

\columnbreak
| | |
|:-|:-|
| 3 | Two edar have been reported in the area. They could be spies, but will claim to be separatists fleeing their commander, with whom they have strong moral disagreements. When they learned Corion has its own natives and edar were alien, they lost faith in their cause. But, they also have no where else to go. Or, they could be lying about truly seeking asylum and actually be spies. Hard to tell with edar that convincing. |
| 4 | Religious extremists determined to exterminate the great abomination of the crel have begun operating and proselyting in the area. |
| 5 | A son or daughter of a noble, unwillling to take upon them the family name and all the corruptness associated with it has fled their home. Unfortunately, they aren't very good at survival in the wilderness. Harboring them, on the other hand, could be very bad for trade the seeker community needs to survive. |
| 6 | A rival group of adventurers or seekers has moved into the area. They're known as the "Dodgers", because they are made up of misfits dodging military service, taxes, alimony payments, court dates, and so on. Their ways are less subtle and restrained (more violent), but they are effective, and are gobbling up odd jobs you and the other Seekers need to earn money to support the community. If only the people looking for them knew where they were... Use the DonJon random [team generator tool](https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/rwby/) to quickly create the Dogders.  |
| 7 | The Spice Road Syndicate has controlled, patrolled, and "taxed" trade routes since time immemorial. Their so-called travel protection services and spice validation stamps are merely extortion wrapped in a robe of legitimacy. They gather secrets with which to blackmail the authorities that they cannot bride. Seekers communities near their routes have may make the way seem safer. Folks will be less likely to pay their escort fees, or pay exorbitant rates to stay at their (gross) "safe zone" hostelries. Tension has been rising for some time and everyone expects the syndicate to try something. If only we had intelligence on what they were planning...and a way to stop it. |
| 8 | A group of stray dogs begins to act like a pack. Trusted pets will even sneak out to join these canine gangs on nightly shenanigans. But when a hiker is chased by the pack and forced to spend a terrifying night up a tree, the problem has to be dealt with. The strays have to be separated and owners found, or the rangers will take action. |
| 9 | Some religious zealots calling themselves the Knights of Ka'rel are blockading the entrance to the storm hold. This is sacred ground, they say, and entering is sacrilege. Furthermore, they have planned to create a landslide or collapse a tunnel or bridge that will make the entrance inaccessible. Making martyrs out of them is a worst-case scenario. A display of divine power might be persuasive, or some occult phenomenon that scares them away. Perhaps the crel could be enticed to come outside to "greet" the new food...er friends. |
| 10 | The kid is supposed to be in school, but is intent on proving they can survive alone without any help from adults. But they do need help occasionally, if you can do it in the right way. (Props to "My side of the Mountain") |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 9: Hermit

In your wanderings, you've come across a hermit living alone, far from other civilization. Roll for what type of hermit you find.

| d12 | Hermit type |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Disabled war veteran. Loves to tell stories of the glory days. |
| 2 | Escaped convict. Afraid of being caught by a sheriff. Claims innocence. |
| 3 | Ornery and bitter widow or widower. Will help characters, but closed about their past. In need of accepting their grief. |
| 4 | Lively prospector. If players provide any food, they will tell tall tales, some of which reveal valuable information about the area. |
| 5 | A guru seeking enlightenment. Lives in a humble, primitive dwelling. Speaks in riddles, nonsense and contradictions. |
| 6 | Civil servant: ranger, game warden. On the hunt for a monstrosity, escaped convict, or tracking poachers of endangered creatures |
| 7 | Civil servant: forest fire watch or border patrol. Super bored. Sent clear out here because of a misunderstanding or a sleight towards a noble. Could be convinced to abandon their post and join the seeker community. |
| 8 | Retired sheriff. Claims just wants peace and quiet and no trouble, but will aid the players in tracking down a criminal. Deep down, wouldn't mind a chance to relive the glory days. |
| 9 | Delusional recluse (Mad Hatter style). Eccentric and nonsensical, this hermit carries on conversation with imaginary friends with whom the recluse expects them to converse and interact. |
| 10 | Dangerous villain. Will attempt to kill players and take their stuff. Roll again for their assumed identity. Home may be a trap, or dungeon (Hansel and Gretl style). May have magic spells or potions to aid them. |
| 11 | Disfigured person shunned by society. Fearsome or gruesome in appearance but tenderhearted (Quasimodo/Frankenstein's monster archtetype.) |
| 12 | Any of the above types of hermit, but with a charming son or daughter eager for news, adventure, or any kind of life away from their reclusive, controlling parent |

##### Complications

Living alone in the fringes of society always has challenges.

| d20 | Complication |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Some vital farming equipment is broken, or a farm animal has died. Without aid, the hermit will likely not raise enough food to survive the winter. They may need to be convinced to come to the seeker community or perish on their own. |

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 2 | Double trouble. There are actually two hermits in this area. Each  will only help the players if they promise not to help the other hermit (their ex). A chance for reconciliation? |
| 3 | A rich magnate, investor, or noble is demanding they sell their land so this person can make a vacation home. |
| 4 | The hermit has discovered valuable resources on their land and are paranoid that someone is going to try to kill them and take the resources. |
| 5 | The hermit has a painful disease or terminal condition. |
| 6 | The hermit is a political enemy of a famously cruel noble, who occasionally sends them news of their daughter or son who is bound to the noble's service or pledged to marry them. |
| 7 | The hermit is harried by predators (wolves), pests (giant rats), or a monstrosity. |
| 8 | The hermit's land is haunted or cursed. Something must be made right for the curse to be broken. |
| 9 | The hermit's home is in dire need of repair. |
| 10 | The hermit has a message they ask the players to take for them to another location: an apology letter to an estranged family member, friend, or colleague, the last payment on a mortgage, a letter refusing an invitation to join a conservatory or be a teacher at a school, etc.. |
| 11 | The hermit has a stash of treasure. They just can't remember where it is. |
| 12 | The hermit has medicine that can aid sick people at the seeker community, but will only part with it if the players do something distasteful for them, such as sabotage a rival, promise not to hunt on their land, or promise to send one of the youth of the community to be their farmhand/household servant. |
| 13 | The hermit has a split personality or alter ego they are not aware of which threatens the safety of travelers in the area. That Jekyl/Hyde problem must be dealt with. Players could seek herbal remedies (primal magic or alchemy), divine remedies (cleric/paladin divine healing, exorcism, prayers), clinical treatment psychotherapy (Intelligence History /Wisdom Medicine and Insight/Charisma Persuassion checks) including asking about their past, hypnosis, etc., fight a ghost possessing them, create a therapeutic magical item (artificing), or make a citizen's arrest.  |
| 14 | The players find something at or near the hermit's dwelling that clearly belongs to someone from the seeker community. |
| 15 | The players find a dead body near the hermit's dwelling |
| 16 | The hermit has a communicable disease the players might catch. |
| 17 | The hermit is concealing another discovery in the area. |
| 18 | The hermit has a valuable skill. |
| 19 | The hermit has dirt on the players and threatens to blackmail them. |
| 20 | The hermit is in league with bandits who want to rob the players. |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 10: Active Settlement

You have come across a site brimming with activity. Roll a d4 to determine the type of location.

| d4 | Settlement type |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Fishing/Hunting Village.** There are two kinds of folks here: those who are out doing the work, and those hoping they'll come back. Life is endless daily grind interspersed by biting tragedy with intrinsic beauty coating everything so heavily it can't be seen. In limping relationships among broken planks and bent nails, endless snags, mended by dull tools and moments these people don't survive. They just live. The fishers and hunters search the great open and catch what they can, besides cold sunrises and lonely perfect sunsets. <br> You can find what you need, mostly. There's a general store, those ordering things takes the better part of a year if you order in the fall before winter comes. There's a social hall. The pub. The toolworks. The docks. The stocks.<br> People are willing to help, if its not too much trouble. And they'll be knocking on your door in a pinch. The little don't get missed here: a birthday, a new hand-made toy, bunch of wildflowers in a bucket on the windowsill.<br> There's hunger, and sickness. Old wounds that never heal and folks you can't forget like the phantom pains in a missing limb and an ache that started long ago when somebody did something stupid. You live with it. You live together, more or less and with less or more. <br>There aren't any holidays really. But out here, the fact is, you can celebrate every next day you make it to. And some days you'll reel in the love of your life. Other days, you'll toss back the broken love live dealt you. But at the end of that day, if you're still breathing, it was one more day you fought for, and if you did your job, it'll be another day for a few other folks, too.  |

\columnbreak
| | |
|:-|:-|
| | |
| 2 | **Logging/Mining Town*** Boom and bust. These sort of towns pop up like dandelions in Spring and blow away just as easily with a change in fortune. First the miners show up, digging holes and tossing dirt. Then the lumberjacks arrive, chopping logs, and water wheel saw mills that cut the logs for mine shaft supports. Then the brothels and banks to get the money back from laborers.<br>Drop in a general store, the post, and a blacksmith with a bottomless pile of picks and chisels to be sharpened, and the smelter by the river. Wagons cart off the valuable minerals. There's a jail for whoever got caught stealing, and boarding houses for everyone who didn't. <br> It's wild, woolly. Money comes and goes as fast as the wind. Cave-ins are a constant worry, but no pace, no matter how unsafe can slake the thirst of the investors, who arrive in carriages and fine clothing, make speeches about progress, and get out before the dust sticks to their new boots. <br> The town has zeal under the gritty, grimy grip of greed. Passions run high. Fortunes and lives are made an lost in a moment, by that fickle thing called fate, which makes it all the more transitory. Live good while you can. That's the unspoken mantra. Because the road here has three other towns just like this. Only, they're already dead. |
| 3 | **Caravansary.** (See also Outlaw encounter No. 7 regarding the Spice Road Syndicate.) The caravansary is a large walled compound for keeping cattle and oxen, sheep herds, horses, and camels. The main building is a long line of open barn-like lower rooms where travelers can keep and care for their wagon and family animals. Travelers cook and slee in simple upper rooms above the stables. <br> The smell isn't great, but some protection from bandits is better than none. In some areas the Spice Road Syndicate enforces mandatory use of caravansary due to permanent (supposed) high threat levels. If you can't pay, they can always hold something of yours until you can, such as your child. Althuogh, inside the carvansary, you're liklier to be pickpocketed, or catch a disease. On the other hand, evening there is dancing and carousing, bard tales ...and fights, but above the chance to find other travelers to caravan with for safety At least that's the reason you told the good-looking person you met last night. |
| 4 | **Farming Community.** A few farmhouses and barns lay scattered within sight of each other, on either side of the road, backed by fields of grain and fenced pastures. Not a bad place to live. Picturesque, in fact. Maybe one of these families will trade a hearty home-cooked meal of sausage and pickled cabbage, fresh-baked bread, and cherry pie with cream. for some farmhand labor, or healing. Or, just spend an evening around a campfire out back, swapping stories and news for some variety in this quiet place. <br> The only ask in places such as this, is that you don't bring any trouble and leave more than you take. Well, stories count, right? So there's a start. Some dish washing, maybe some plow sharpening. Hmmm...this farming thing could grow on you. But the smell, and the early morning cow milking...everyday. Er, nevermind.<br> Also, be sure to ask for information before you leave. Farmers are up early and keep a keen eye out for trouble and trespassers. They might have seen something. And it doesn't hurt to know farmers like this come harvest time when wagons of grain and hay go up for bid. |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 11: Government Operation

Always around when you don't need them, never around when you do. Roll for your government/military discovery.

| d8 | Government/Military Operation/Outpost |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Surveyors.** A group of cartographers and surveyors, likely working for some newly inherited noble who is eager to find out exactly what land they own, have established a camp in the area. They make day trips to measure and map the terrain, noting buildings and geographic landmarks. A supremely boring bunch, they are utterly occupied with the accuracy of their work and will spend hours attempting to reconcile disagreeing measurements from two sets of notes. They are, however, quite knowledgeable about the area and their maps are first rate. You might be able to bribe one of them to make you a copy. |
| 2 | **Geologists.**  These folks' business if obvious from a distance, the way they keep stopping to pick up rocks, and take out hammers to chip off samples from cliffs. They're after minerals. Who hired them isn't clear, but they seem to be doing a thorough job of mapping the geologic formation types in the area.<br>And chatty. Every last one of them will talk your ear off about minerals.<br> Also, you've heard geologist don't wear underwear. Why, nobody knows. But, that fact is certainly not important to remember, which is why you never forgot it. I mean, you could just up and ask them if it is true. Or, you could ask them for where you can find some diamonds. Maybe they're just after sulfur, or salt deposits and there is plenty of other good stuff around. You could ask about the whereabouts of a large cave robbers use to store loot. Geologists are good at finding caves. |
| 3 | **Rangers on Patrol.** You would never have found their camp if you hadn't walked straight into it by accident. And you've got this inkling that if you look away and look back, you won't be able to see it.<br> Why the only useful people you could ever want to find in the wilderness as so good at making themselves impossible to trace, you have no idea. Aren't rangers supposed to help people?<br>They are a cagey bunch, not big on answering questions about what they're up to. But they'll be glad to ask you a few. What are you doing here? Where have you been? What wildlife have you been illegally poaching? Do you have a hiking permit, a camping permit? Any kind of permit? Do you realize that your very presence is disturbing the natural state of things? <br>But once you warm up to them, they'll tell you they rescued a kid from of mineshaft last week, killed a rapid cave bear, drove off a load of bandits, and healed a rare and valuable prize animal whose location they won't tell you. <br> And tough. These rangers look like they wouldn't care if nature hit them in the face...twice. And their gear--where do they get all that sweet climbing gear? And those arrows. No arrows are that straight. It's impossible. You could learn a thing or two from a ranger. But getting attention from one means you are either breaking some law you didn't know about, or you are stuck up a cliff or down a hole and desperate.<br>And now they're packing up. |

\columnbreak

|||
|:-|:-|
| 4 | **Customs office.** Only a government official staring at a map that had never even left a city would think of putting a customs office clear out here. Sure, it's halfway between the two nearest custom's offices, but that's hardly a consolation for how hard it is to find this place. There's a road here...if you can find it. Oh, but they do have forms. Lots of forms. And stamps for everything. <br> Remarkably, they have a small building for keeping merchandise they have confiscated, either for inability to pay an import fee, or lacking a trademark or missing from a manifest--you name it. If they want it, you've don't something to allow them to take it. |
| 5 | **Post Office.** It's more of a stopover for wagons delivering the post, but you can still drop off a letter or pick one up. They've got a stable, and even a few sending stones they use to relay a message, if you've got the coin for a long-distance call. But why do the postal worker take themselves so seriously? They have to be bored. They have to be. But every time you show up, no matter how deserted the stable and hitching posts are, there they are, sitting behind their counters with a pile of work, stamping away. After a while they get to you, and happy to take your money for postage, they'll  whisk your letter or package away to an unlabeled pile. As you see check your empty post box, and see yourself out, you can't shake that feeling  that your post will never again see the light of day. |

\pagebreakNum

| d8 | Government/Military Operation/Outpost (cont'd) |
|:-|:-|
| 6 | **Sheriff's posse.** Oh, here we go again. Somebody has the locals all riled up about something. You should probably go check it out. These posses tend to go in clammoring for justice and get in way over their heads. Sizing them up from a distance you've got: the village drunk in it for the stipend, the brute who just wants something to smash his fist into, the kid with the bow who thinks he's some kind of ranger, the girl who wouldn't stay behind–and good thing, she looks like she might have the only brain in the bunch, the sheriff–judging by the ponch and mustache, oh, and they brought a cleric with a mace at the ready. That's interesting. Now you definitely have to find out what they're up to. | 
| 7 | **Military strike force.** From a distance there is no mistaking a military camp. You can see at least one unit of infantry, backed by a squad of archers, and one or perhaps two spellcasters. Somebody means business. They're well equipped as well. Long pikes await use against charging enemies. Swords and armor flash in the sunlight. There are a half dozen supply wagons with teams, and a one ballista on a cart. The commanding officer with the red colored cap is pointing at something in the distance indicating something she sees as either a possible route of advance or threat. Oh, and look, they've spotted you, too. |

\columnbreak
| | |
|:-|:-|
| 8 | **Military recon operation.** The two scouts are just visible below the ridge, though from the opposite side, they would be undetectable. One has a spyglass, the other is keeping a wary out in case someone spots them. Well, too late. And there is the signal. A flash of light, just a glint from a coin in a hooded lantern light from off in the trees. The two respond immediately, keeping low and moving off in the other direction to join two other scouts, dropping back into a hollow. It's a reconnaissance operation. Could be government military, or a private force, or even bandits with professional training as mercenaries. <br>Well this is a pickle. They are watching the direction you were heading. Now what?  |

\pagebreakNum

#### Discovery 12: Valuable Resources

What a find. This could be exactly what you needed. Roll to determine the nature of your discovery.

| d8 |  Resource Type |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | **Personnel.** A few trades workers are new in the area. And they've got skills. Roll a d20 for each trades worker to determine their skill: (1) hunting and butchery, (2) brewing, pickling, and preserving, (3) paper making and calligraphy, (4) carpentry and joining, (5) surveying and cartography, (6) leather working and shoe making, (7) cooking, (8) glassblowing and jewelry, (9) teamster and animal handling, (10) masonry, (11) painting and plastering, (12) pottery, (13) smithing, (14) bookkeeping and finance, (15) weaving and sewing, (16) tinkering and plumbing, (17) woodcarving and basket weaving, (18) herbalism and nursing, (19) farming, (20) music teacher. Optionally grant each trades worker two skills if food and skills are scarce. | 
| 2 | **Wood.** The players find any or some of the following: a stand of tall trees near a river where cut tree trunks can float downstream, or abandoned fresh cut lumber, split logs for firewood, timbers for working, sawed logs, planks, beams, etc. It could be a forest of valuable dark wood, or a rare tree that has wood which is very hard or very light weight. |
| 3 | **Junk.** A first glance it looks like a pile of trash. But this is a survivalist's treasure: nails, scrap metal, hinges, axles, door knobs, tools that can be repaired, rusted weapons, materials to build and patch–fantastic.  |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 4 | **Coal.** In the winter, there is no better find than coal–the fuel to keep you warm and cook your food. And easier to carry and shovel than logs. It could be a coal deposit in a cave or mine, or else a discovery of a wagon loaded with coal, now abandoned. |
| 5 | **Herd of Large Animals.** Nearby is a herd of large animals, any of which could feed dozens of people for weeks. Could be mammoth, elephant, bison, elk, deer, cows, or sea creatures. So much food, so close. There is the problem of hunting, though. Good luck with that. Alternatively, the players find a herd of wild horses that could be captured and trained. |
| 6 | **Quarry.** An exposed rock face with plenty of broken stone at the base might once have been a quarry, or perhaps a landslide. Plenty of stone here for tossing with a catapult, or building stone piles for bridges, or masoned walls. Stone buildings last for a long time and insulate well.  |
| 7 | **Fresh water.** A source of clean fresh water spring is valuable, especially along frequently-traveled routes, or even inside a compound. Often sources of water are discovered while mining, crossing bogs or fields, or hiking along the base of a cliff or canyon. |
| 8 | **Minerals.** It's the ore you're looking for: iron, copper, lead, or precious metals. These sort of deposits are rare and take time to excavate properly, and refine, but this kind of resource will be valuable for all sorts of projects, and for trade. |

\pagebreakNum

## Mountain Geographies

### 1. Rolling Foothills

**Description.** Rolling foothills interrupt your view of the distant mountains, rising steadily higher, their dormant yellow grass like endless waves of gold (or new grass vibrant green from fresh rains). Occasional lonely oaks stand out against the horizon. On the shaded sides of the hills chaparral impedes your way: dense scrubby bushes that scratch at any exposed skin. Wildflowers and dandelions wave your welcome in a steady breeze, mingling their scents with the pungent odor of droppings from grazing animals along your path that you keep a keen eye out to avoid stepping in. Crickets buzz and flies make themselves your loyal attendants. Ground fowl scurry away, or take to the skies when you to stride close to their roosts. Turkey buzzards weave their drunken walk through the sky and lizards sun themselves on rocks, wearing their drab colors to avoid the attention of a wary hawk perched on an outcropping. It is not an unpleasant walk through a bovine's paradise, though your mind tends to wander, and the steady rise and fall of the hills leaves you a little wary of what could be ahead or behind, just out of view.

**Sunny Weather** Your boots are hot in the sun. Shade is scarce for anything larger than a rodent. Fluffy clouds tease with the unlikely promise of blessed showers later in the day.

**Inclement Weather** The steady downpour turns an otherwise enjoyable walk into one that tempts curses at the lips of everyone in the party: slipping on the muddy upslopes and sliding on the muddier downslopes. The branches of isolated live oaks on the hilltops tempt you to seek shelter (and make yourself a pretty target for a lightning strike)

**Random Encounters.** Use XGtE Hill Encounters (pg. 101-104)

#### Skill checks (in order)

**Pathfinding.** Make a Wisdom (Survival) check for navigating in a desired direction, and for avoiding dangers.

| Survival Total | Pathfinding results |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Navigating lead to areas with loose gravel and thick brush and no water. Lose 2d4 hours backtracking. Make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw to avoid taking a level of exhaustion. |
| 6-10	| Slow going, no water. Lose 1d4 hours backtracking. Make a DC 6 Constitution saving throw to avoid taking a level of exhaustion. |
| 11-15	| Perils avoided. |
| 16-20	| Path included access to water and shade, plus advantage on Hunting check.* |
| 20-25	| Same as above, plus advantage on Lookout check.* |
| 26-30	| Same as above, plus opportunity for extra discovery in this region.*|

*If you are not doing these extra checks and discoveries, alternative rewards for good navigation might include: an encounter with a wandering trader or traveler with news from the wider world, or finding a campsite location with sufficient cover for a long rest now or in the future.

\columnbreak

**Lookout.**
Make a Wisdom (Perception) check to spot dangers, settlements, followers, abandoned gear, etc.
| Perception Total | Lookout results |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | One team member was bitten by a rattlesnake. DC 14 Constitution saving throw or suffer poisoned condition until finish a long rest. Team is surprised by any random encounter  |
| 6-10 | Team is surprised by any random encounter. |
| 16-20 | Team is not surprised by any random encounter. |
| 20-25 | Team has a surprise round against any random encounter. And, team discovers abandoned equipment worth 1d10 gp.|
| 26-30 | Same as above, plus have opportunity to pan gold. For every 4 hours spent panning gold, each player collects 1d10 x level GP in gold dust. |

**Hunting game.**
Make a Wisdom (Survival) check to find game to hunt.
| Survival Total | Game Found (rations on successful kill)|
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | None |
| 6-10 | Ground fowl: grouse, pheasant, quail (1d4) |
| 11-15 | Small game: rabbits, foxes, possums, raccoons (1d6) |
| 16-20 | Big game: antelope, deer (4d6) |
| 20-25 | Massive game: wild boar, elk, bison (8d6 rations) |
| 26-30 | A herd of big or massive game (can attempt two simultaneous attacks) |

Make a Stealth check to approach, otherwise shoot from distance at disadvantage.

Make an attack roll to hit. A second shot has disadvantage. On a hit, small game goes down. Game that doesn't go down on one hit will need to be tracked: DC 12 Survival or DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. After tracking successfully a second shot will bring it down.

\pagebreakNum

### 2. Wide Canyon with River
**Description.** The next rise opens to a surprising vista: a wide canyon bridging a gap in the mountains with a turbulent river carving its way through the middle. Various game paths descend the steep sides to the valley below. Cattails attend the flatter portions of the river's course where beaver lodges widen it. A road meanders from the one side of the river to the other, dodging clifs, though the crossings do not appear to be in great repair. The river spills over boulders and through gaps into deep pools that beg for swimming or proffer fresh trout for the skilled fisher.

Light plays off the water in a mesmerizing dance as cautious squirrels keep watch from the branches of their trees that bend greedily over the river.

A more pleasant route is rarely found, where, in the summer wildflowers paint the meadows in gorgeous array, like an embroidered skirt for the mountain in its finest colors.

Evidence of game abounds near the water's edge. A canyon such as this seems it ought to have a mill and logger camp or hunting lodge, and more than a few ranches for breeding hardy riding stock. But perhaps the altitude makes it inhospitable in winter. Though, the view does not lack for its seemingly primitive state. Rather, it seems a place where busy, busy nature can slow a while to catch its breath–all while taking yours away.

**Random Encounters.** Use XGtE Mountain Encounters (pg. 104-105)

**Inspiring Opportunity.** In exchange for the risk of doffing armor to refresh by swimming or bathing: (1) grant inspiration , or (2) reduce one level or exhaustion, or (3) grant advantage on the next Constitution saving throw, or (4) grant advantage for next Charisma (Persuasion) check due to smelling nice. (Grant after players make choice–don't bias choice by offering it.)

\columnbreak

#### Skill Checks

**River crossing.** 
Make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check for crossing a river.
| Check Total | River crossing results |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Slip and fall. You suffer 1d6 bludgeoning damage and are restrained in a undertow. You can escape or be rescued by a successful DC 16 strength check. You also have the below result. |
| 6-10 | Slip and fall. Your clothing and items are drenched. Paper items not protected against water are ruined. In cold weather you must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion until you are a warm and dry. You also have the below result. |
| 11-15 | Step in water. Your foot is wet. You have disadvantage on your next Dexterity (Acrobatics) check in the next 10 minutes. |
| 16-20 | Successful crossing |
| >20 | Your successful crossing shows a better way to cross. Next ally to cross has advantage on their skill check. |

**Fishing.** 
For each 4 hours spent fishing make a Wisdom (Survival) check to catch trout.
| Check total | Fishing result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-10 | An old boot |
| 11-15 | 1 meal for 1-6 characters |
| 16-20| 2 meals or 1 ration of smoked trout |
| >21 | 4 meals or 2 rations of smoked trout |

\pagebreakNum

### 3. Steep Canyon with Climbs

**Description.** A steep-walled canyon interrupts the path between the high country to the lowlands. Spectacular sheer cliffs rise up from the valley before, breathtaking, and terrifyingly daunting. Even scrambles up loose scree lead to perilous traverses. The spray from waterfalls makes the rock perilously slick. Circumventing the climb may take days. Falling may take your life.

**Random Encounters.** Use XGtE Mountain Encounters (pg. 104-105)

\columnbreak

#### Skill Checks

Ascending or descending a cliff can be the defining challenge of an entire session. This terrain may consist of two climbs, such as a long dry climb, and a short wet climb, or a "warm-up" climb and a final climb under pressure. Recall, fall damage is 1d6 bludgeoning per 10 feet of fall.

**Athletics Checks.**
In the ideal case, the team has rope, climbing harnesses and pitons. The lead climber must make a Strength (Athletics) check to ascend or traverse each 10 foot section, then make a Wisdom (Survival) check to hammer a piton as an anchor.

**Climb points.** Each player has a number of "climb" points equal to their Constitution modifier which they can use to (1) grant another player advantage on climbing a section by either pushing from below (within reach), or by hauling on the rope from, or to (2) attempt to redo a section of climb that they failed. Once all climbing points are gone, players make Strength (Athletics) checks with disadvantage, until the set a piton and rest.

Climbing points are recovered on a short rest.

**Doing the climb.**

1. **Climb a section.** DM sets the climb DC for each 10 foot section of the climb, for example DC 15 for the crux, but DC 5 or 10 for the easy parts. The climber can attempt to climb a section as an action. If the climber fails, the DM can attribute this to either the climber lacking the requisite strength, flexibility, or technique, or fault a piece of the cliff rock coming loose. If a climber fails a section, they can spend a climbing point to tray again as an action. Once all points are gone, all further climbing attempts with disadvantage. 
2. **Place pitons.** Each time a climber succeeds to climb a section, they can attempt to place one or more pitons as anchors as an action, rest briefly as an action, and then attempt the next section without disadvantage as their next action. However, they do not recover any more "free redo" climbing points until they finish a short rest. Record the Survival skill check total for each piton placement. (Players can place more than one per section if they have them.) This is the piton's "rating", which is distance in feet the piton will support medium creature's fall. (Double it for small creatures. Half it for large creatures.) <br> If the fall exceeds the piton's rating, the piton rips out, but the creature's fall height for damage calculation is reduced by the piton "rating". For example a piton placed with a Survival check total of  12 can support a medium creature fall of up to 12 feet. If the creature falls 20 feet, the piton reduces the effective fall height to 20 - 12 = 8 feet.

**Climb DC Modifiers.**

* Add +5 to the DC for wet rock. 
* Add +3 to the DC for downclimbing. 
* A player has disadvantage to climb if hit by an attack or forced to make a saving throw while climbing. 
* If a character is using a rope to follow the lead climber, reduce the climb DC for each section by 5.

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### 4. Narrow Canyon with Rappels

**Description.** The way quickly winnows out into narrow canyon, with escarpments rising steeply on both sides and precipitous drops. The slot canyon blocks all but a narrow stripe of sky, tempting your gaze upwards at the impressive sheer cliffs, though your attention can't stray from the path for long. Your hands and feet are busy stemming over fetid pools, perilous crevices, and watching for the occasional drop off where descent by rope seems the quickest and safest way to continue.

#### Skill Checks

The DM selects the rappel height, such as 50-100 feet.

**Rappel Investigation.**  
The rappel investigation can be done as a Wisdom (Survival) check or Intelligence (Investigation) check. A familiar or other flying creature can assist (advantage) on the investigation.

| Check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | The check identifies an anchor for the rope, such as a tree or rock. However, this "anchor" is not secure and will come loose if loaded improperly by a medium creature that fails its Survival check to lower another creature, or a downclimbing creature fails its Athletics check. On a failed descent, roll percentile dice. The result is the percent of the rappel or downclimb not yet finished when the anchor comes loose and the creature falls. |
| 6-10 | A secure anchor is found, however the check underestimates rappel height. Tell players the estiamted length is 25 feet less than the actual length of the climb. This is only a problem if they run out of rope and have to climb back up. To climb the rope make a DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check. Creatures as the top will have to make a DC 16 Strength check (with advantage if multiple creatures are helping) to haul a creature up. |
| 11-15 | Height is successful estimated and a secure anchor is found. |
| >16 | Above result and a suitable location is found to place a piton or other device as a backup anchor. This grants a reroll to one player that makes a failed descent check.

If at least one player has a climbing kit with a climbing harness, they can lower others and then themselves. If no player has a climbing harness, each player must attempt to slide down the rope, or downclimb using the rope as an aid. If the players make a successful DC 10 Survival or DC 12 Investigation check, they will realize that they can use another rope around the creature as a backup.

If the rappel is more than the length of rope available, the team has several options. (1) Tie two ropes together (if they have them), or (2) with a successful DC 12 Survival or DC 14 Investigation check realize that they can anchor the rope with a releasable knot (such as a macrame knot) and use a length of string to pull the release once everyone is down, or (3) leave the tied-off rope behind. or (4) use a suitable magic ability to retrieve the rope or descend without needing it.

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**Descent Check.**

If a creature with a climbing harness is lowering another creature or lowering itself, it must succeed on a **DC 5** Wisdom (Survival) **belay check** to successfully lower a creature. On a failed check, the creature it is lowering suffers a short fall, taking 2d6 bludgeoning damage. If a backup rope is tied to the creature, grant advantage on the check and half any damage.

If a creature is downclimbing with the aid of a rope, it must make a Strength (Atheltics) **downclimb check**. If a backup rope is tied to the creature, it gains advantage on this check and halves any fall damage.

| Downclimb check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Climber falls, either to a failure in the rope, their strength, or the rock they are putting weight on. Roll percentile dice to determine where on the climb the climber falls. It also gains the below effect. |
| 6 -10 | Climber slips, suffering rope burns on their hands. Player takes 1d4 fire damage and has disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks in the next hour, or until it recovers that many hit points. | 
| 11-15 | Climber descends safely |
| >16 | Climber descends safely and finds a safe place to assist with the descent of the next creature. Grant advantage to the next creature to make a descent check on this rappel. |

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### 5. Alpine Valley with Meadows

Nestled among knob-like peaks and just below the tree line, lies a basin-like depression. Pines snuggle into the sheltered vale where huge stray boulders lie strewn about like toddler's building blocks, harking back to the passage of an ancient glacial flow.

The hardy pines are not tall here, reaching twenty-five to perhaps forty feet, nor are they dense, making any path you choose as good as another. Places for comfortable campsites abound, and the small brook that trickles across the basin offers a cool sip of fresh snow melt.

The sky takes on that paler blue of high altitude. And, as the sun takes its afternoon arc, clouds billow out of nothing, offering refreshing showers and sudden changes of temperature.

But the most awe-inspiring sight of all are the meadows where trees give up entirely, offering tiny wildflowers a chance for center stage. Squirrels, chipmunks, ravens, bluejays, and magpies in their black tie best all make their cameos. But the show is stolen by a newborn speckled faun, just getting to its feet with occasional nudges from the mother.

You watch its first awkward steps, and its first try for mother's milk. The sacred beauty of nature's way is awe-inspiring to witness. The mother looks in your direction occasionally, as if to remind you of the privilege.

Yet, the course of nature is ever changing. Your eye catches movement nearby.

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#### Skill Checks

**Nature check.** Attempt to discern what is in the brush.

| Nature check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | It is difficult to recall whether deer are solitary when delivering their young, or whether other does will keep watch. It seems to you that this might be another deer grazing nearby. Perhaps it is best to do nothing. |
| 6-10  | It may be a predator. However, you can't be sure. And the doe's senses are more attuned that yours. If she is not concerned, there is likely no problem. |
| 11-15 | You notice that whatever is moving is approaching from downwind. It is likely the doe has not yet smelled the creature. This is typical of predator behavior. |
| 16-20 | See above result. Also, you note that it blends well enough with the golden grass that you cannot see it well. It must be similar coloration. Also, there does not appear to be any coordinating movement from other directions. So, not wolves. It is likely a mountain lion. If you intervene, you could save the doe. |
| >20 | See above result. Also, there is a hollow in the rocks against the side of the cliff, not too far away. That could be the cougar's den. This time of year the mountain lions also have their cubs. This is likely a mother seeking food for her pups. |

If the players do nothing, the mountain lion will haul off the faun into its dens.

If the players decide to intervene to attempt to frighten the mountain lion, make a DC 14 Intimidation or Animal Handling check. On a success the mountain lion flees. The doe also flees, though it is clear that mother will return for the faun hiding in the grass.

If the players follow the mountain lion or kill the mountain lion, they will discover it has its own cubs. Hence, it was best to do nothing.

**Survival check.** Find edible plants.

| Survival check total | result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Thistle is edible, 100%. Somebody help me with this–ow! |
| 6-10 | The edible root you discover is bitter, but satisfying in a stew. Also, it gives everyone the runs. Yarrow root is apparently a laxative. |
| 11-15 | Dandelions are edible, right? Hey, who wants a salad? Wait–are you supposed to eat the fuzzy heads, too? |
| >16 | A salad with dandelions and pine nuts whets the appetite for a roast marmot stew with wild onions and meadow sage, followed by a melange of elderberries and honeycomb, and an after dinner mint tea. Magnificent! |

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### 6. Aspen Slope

**Description.** Countless pale green leaves quake in a passing breeze, a whispered chorus from the thousands of otherwise mute aspens standing guard on the mountain slope against enchroaching pines. It is awesome to think that it is said by druids and scholars alike that this entire forest is a single organism with all the white-barked trunks grown up from a common root system that spans hundreds of acres.

All this wood, it ought to be useful for something. There's a fallen tree nearby.

#### Skill Checks

**Crafting.** Each player can make a suitable skill check to devise a use for aspen wood. (Like Dude Perfect's "get crafty" segments.)
| Skill check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | It's a walking stick...for a halfling...a short halfling. |
| 6-10 | It's a curved arrow for shooting sideways. Who wants to try it? |
| 11-15 | Firewood. And some logs to sit on around the campfire. You're welcome. |
| 16-20 | It's a toboggan sled. You can pull stuff with it. | 
| >21 |  A rocking chair made of curling steam-shaped aspen branches tethered by bark strips, with a joined wood seat carved to fit your toushie just right. Who wants to carry it? ...If only, I'd made a sled. |

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**Sledding.**

The shaded slope just above the forest has snow leftoever from the last storm. It looks perfect for sledding. Make an acrobatics check to slide as far as possible. Roll with advantage if you have a toboggan or shield to ride.

| Acrobatics total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | "No, not that way!"" You sled off a small cliff and suffer 1d6 bludgeoning damage, a faceful of snow, and endless embarrassment as your sled run is imortalized in the memory of all who witnessed its awfulness. You also have the below result. |
| 6-10 | Attempting to correct your course, you roll and tumble through the snow, losing one item of 1-5 gp value, or less if you have none. |
| 11-15 | Your slide reaches all the way to the aspens, where you wisely bail before hitting a tree. It's a run that's going to be difficult to beat. |
| 16-20 | Sledding down the slope and up one side of a fallen tree you launch into the air, complete a sommersault and land in a soft snow drift. That run is a real winner. |
| 21-25 | At first you are afraid your speed is a bit too high, but weaving your way between the apsens, you manage to reach the far edge of the forest, where you finally stop in a pile of leaves. |
| >25 | Why sled when you could ride an avanlanche? With carefully tossed stones, you trigger the collapse of a wind cornice. An overhanging shelf of ice and snow thunders down the slope. Riding the churning snow clear through the forest, you also leave a swath of downed trees in your wake to forever mark your victory. "Anybody need any more wood for their craft project?" |

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### 7. Barren Highlands (Above the Treeline)

**Description.** Atop the mountain range, at last, the world takes on a strange aspect. Here, above the treeline, the ground is covered with mossy lichen, and littered with fragments of boulders. Shallow ponds and lakes dot the landscape, though you doubt any of them offer fish as these would all freeze solid in the winter.

Bald-top mountain peaks alternate sharp escarpments cut by glacial flows. Above all, the moonscape offers tranquil solitude, a hard-fought refuge for the mind. So far from villages and the bustle of life, your feet take on a mind of their own. To walk is a reverent thing. To stop, almost sacrilege. The journey is almost metaphorical, with a pale sky overhead and a white sun offering a quick sunburn and chapped lips for unprotected skin, along with stunningly still reflections in the silvery clear water.

A few scraggy bushes grow nestled against protective boulders. The scene has little else to offer than this soaring respite for the soul. The altitude quickens your breath, and you feel that somehow you should find somewhere safer to travel, somewhere more sheltered, less exposed. Yet, something inexplicable tugs at your heart, urging higher, ever higher, and the creed of the climber sings out its clarion call within you.

You belong here at the roof of the world, where spirits play just under the heavens and light makes a peculiar dance in the skies, giving way at dusk to the most brilliant stars you've ever seen–far more than you ever thought could possibly exist, all turning slowly overhead in a cosmic marionette's dance.

**Cairn building.** With little vegetation to tread and form a path, and so few travelers, the way is often unclear. Hikers leave small piles of rocks known as cairns behind as an aid to those to follow. The building of the tallest cairn quickly becomes a contest in your traveling group. Make a suitable skill check (Strength, Sleight of Hand, Mason's Tools, etc.) to attempt to make the tallest cairn, using available tools and abilities. Grant advantage or a bonus d4 to a player that is particularly clever or entertaining.

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#### Skill Checks

| Cairn building total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | It was the biggest...before it fell on you. A weapon or tool was damaged. Subtraction 1 from skill checks, attack rolls and damage rolls using this item, until it is repaired. |
| 6-10 | It's a tall cairn, but it leans to the side perilously. I don't think anyone will want to go near it. |
| 11-15 | Visible for several hundred yards, this cairn is unmistakable. It also reminds you of your aunt for some inexplicable reason. |
| 16-20 | Not only is it remarkably tall for a cairn, at nearly to your waist, with a bit of mud-daubing and wedging of pebbles, it's very steady. Nothing will topple it, short of a rival with a polearm. Also, you found a trinket under a rock. Roll on the trinket table. |
| >21 | A masterpiece, your cairn features rocks with aesthetic quality and inspriring balance of proportion, framing the peaks behind in thoughtful negative space. It is the sort of creation people are want to observe for a long time and write poetry about. You and one other player of your choice who gazes upon it gain inspiration. |

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### 8. Alpine Lake

**Description.** A stream trickles down through a short series of cascades, widening into a beautiful lake the stretches into the distance: a vast alpine lake. The great mirror reflecting sharp mountain peaks is broken momentarily by circles rippling out from where a fish has risen to nab an insect. Trees and rocks line the shore. The lake bed is silty with little vegetation. Water skeeters jet about in the shallows along with axolotls and salamanders. The fishy smell promises something to fry up for supper when the sun dips and the mosquitoes come out, begging the fish to rise.

There are plenty of outcroppings from which to demonstrate your cliff diving expertise. If only there was a boat to cross on, you wouldn't have to carry your stuff...

#### Skill Checks

**Fishing.** See #4 Wide Canyon with River.

**Cliff diving.** With one player as the impartial judge, allow each player to make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Charisma (Performance) check to impress with their cliff dive. Highest total wins bragging rights or a service from the player with the lowest total, such as washing their clothes.

**Raft building.** Someone has a great idea to save having to walk around the lake: make a raft.
Dividing into two teams, the party attempts to make rafts to float their gear across the five mile long lake. Allow two players from each team to make a suitable skill or tool check. The first check is for capacity and buoyancy. The weight supported is equal to the check total times fifty. The second check is for sturdiness. The raft lasts a number of hours equal to the second roll. The teams can paddle, sail, or pull their rafts for that duration. This is useful for hauling food from a recent successful hunt, lumber, and for getting larger fish (bass) from deeper in the lake. Allow players to recover a level of exhaustion, or 1d4 spell slots, without a long rest for each 8 hour period on the raft. Optionally  allow the the team with the boat that lasts longer to discover a sunken boat in the lake with a chest containing lvl x 10 gp of money and gems, a set of reparable tools, and a common magic item.

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### 9. Gentle Pass

**Description.** You've chosen your route well, it seem. The gap between the mountains widens into a gentle pass with expansive meadows perfect for frolicking, games, and picnics, set against a backdrop of towering snow-capped peaks. Occasional remains of aged barn or burnt-out smokehouse show that you weren't the first to come this way. When you pass a broken wagon that appears to look almost new, your curiosity is piqued.

#### Skill Checks

**Broken wagon investigation.** Make an Investigation check, or check with Carpenter or Tinker's tools.

| Check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Whoever left this wagon did so for a good reason. It doesn't look reparable. And it looks heavy. |
| 6-10 | It looks like you could repair this wagon, but you would need tools and supplies from a village, which means you would need a wagon to ride there–wait... |
| 11-15 | The wagon is, indeed, practically new. You just need something to pull it, like a pair of horses, donkeys, or oxen. The wheel has simply come off the axle. That's a few hour job for a wheelwright, though you suspect a big mallet or hammer could do the trick. (Make a carpenter's tools check. The wheel stays on a number of miles equal to the total, whereupon it breaks hopelessly.)  |
| 16-20 | The above result, plus it seems possible to cut the wagon in half and make it into a hand cart, avoiding having to fix the bad wheel altogether. Make a DC 10 Carpenter's tool's check. On a success you obtain a 30 gp handcart that can carry 600 pounds of gear.|
| >20 | The above result, plus you find evidence of sabotage: small saw marks on the axle near the wheel. There was foul play involved. Checking further, you find blood on the driver's seat of the wagon, and nearby a chest broken open behind a bush. There is no money within, just a set of boots (magic item: Boots of False Tracks), a candle (magic item: Candle of the Deep), a spice pouch (magic item: Heward's Handy Spice Pouch), and a rope cut into pieces (magic item: Rope of Mending). Among the mundane items strewn about you also find a polish wooden rod (magic item: Wand of Scowls). It's too bad the owner seems to have been robbed or murdered. They must have been a rather jolly fellow. Having been warned of bandits, your team gains advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to spot ambushes for the next 8 hours. |

**Find the owner.** If the team later encounters this trader and returns all the items, the trader will offer as thanks the player's choice of a periapt of wound closure or cloak of elvenkind. These items are valuable, but not to a traveling performer. If the players attempt to rob the trader or lie about having the magic items, they will be attacked by the bandits by surprise. (Karma strikes again!)

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### 10. Icy peak or glacier.

**Description.** 
Many years of accumulated snowfall and the shelter of a tall mountain peak have left this side of the mountain with a perennial glacier that ends abruptly at lake such a deep blue, that it seems to be liquid sapphire.

Debris from rock fall and wind-blown dust streak the glacial flow in furrows like the creases of a grandfather's skin. But, many of those creases are not surface deep. Crevasses plunge out of sight into icy, deadly caverns. Ice and snow crunch underfoot. The sound of your footfall is unsure, is if the ice might break through at any moment and leave you falling into an icy abyss.

Perilous placements of ladders and poles can bridge the narrower gaps. Progress is slow and the breeze chill and harsh. The whistle of wind through the would-be tombs rings in your ears and fresh snowfall makes the edge of a crevasse even harder to gauge.

Step. Tap. Step. Tap. You work your way across the flow, checking for weakness, knowing it is only a matter of time before the ice betrays you like a faithless lover.

As the slope steepens another problem presents itself: slipping. If even one foot loses grip, you will slide toward the edge of the glacier and take a plunge into a crevasse, or that deep blue water where you will have only minutes to get out of the water before you succumb to the numbing, breath-stealing, strength-sapping, muscle-freezing chill.

Step. Tap. Creak...

**Random Encounters.** Use XGtE Artic Encounters.

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#### Skill Checks

**Unstable Crevasse.** A crevasse lies in your path, which cannot be circumvented, due to unstable ice in either direction.

The distance across is 15 feet, which could be jumped. However, the edge of the crevasse is weak. If a creature attempts to jump across, the crevasse will widen by 5 feet. This can be determined by a DC 12 Investigation or Survival check. Another option is for a character to downclimb to where the crevasse is narrower and then climb up the other side, bringing the rope across with them. This can be done with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check with some kind of sharp tools like a crow bar, axe, or dagger. Boots with spikes (crampons) grant advantage. Hauling someone up who fails to ascend the other side can be done with a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.
If a character cannot jump the full distance, but are within 3 (Str >= 12) they can make a Strength-based attack roll with a dagger, axe or ice pick, to anchor on the opposite side at the end of their jump. THe AC for ice is 13. Also, once across a similar attack roll can be used to create an anchor in the ice. (Adventurers will not likely have drills and screw anchors for ice.)

Once a ladder or pair of ropes has been anchored, players can cross with a DC 5 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. However, a DC 10 Wisdom or Charisma saving throw is needed to have the courage to cross. If a player has fallen already, the DC becomes 12. The DC to cross increases by 5 if there is strong wing and falling snow or rain that makes the rope slick.

**Falling through.**
This skill check is a surprise cave-in. Assuming players have roped themselves together at 10 foot increments on a rope, as the team advnances across the ice shelf, each player takes turns rolling a d20. There are 4 weak spots in the ice.

If a player rolls 1-3, the ice breaks and they fall through. (Only one break through per challenge.)

Once a cave-in occurs, each player besides the one that fell must make a check to avoid being pulled down.

Strength (Athletics) Check to brace: DC 13, advantage with crampons (spikes on boots). Acrobatics can be used but the DC is 18.

Strength-based attack roll to plant a weapon such as an axe, dagger or spear into the ice, vs. AC 13. Dexterity can be used for the attack roll, but the AC is 18.

This is a team skill check. More successes than failures means the team is not all pulled into the crevasse.

Note, instead of bracing, a player can also make a DC 10 Strength or Dexterity based attack that deals slashing damage on the rope to cut themselves free before they are pulled in.

The crevasse is 30 feet deep, but damage can be halved by a successful Dexterity saving throw of DC 15. Roll with advantage if the player is wielding a weapons that deals piercing damage or wearing crampons.

**Add a monster.** To make this more challenging, add a monster at the bottom of the crevasse, such as ice mephits, a remorhaze, a yetti, saber-toothed tiger, or ice-themed ooze. If the ice mephit explodes when another player is at the edge of the crevasse, the section under that player collapses.

\pagebreakNum

### 11. Alpine Slopes

**Description.** The crunch of fallen needles under foot in the barren soil, the sharp, refreshing scent of pine on the air, and the intermittent shade of the lodgepole pine boughs high overhead makes for a familiar welcome to the alpine zone. Pine cones dot the ground with a few weeds, though the pine needle mats are mostly empty of plant life in a sort of desert within a forest. Aside from a few birds and insects, the great forest that blocks out the sun and poisons the soil with its alkaline roots and inedible needles seems to support very little life.

Tranquility it offers in abundance, though. ...Until the scene changes abruptly. The green canopy ends and what lies before you is a scene of silvery ash. Bare, fire-scarred trunks stand like fence posts out of an ashen sea where a forrest fire has recently passed.

A nearby pond, reflecting the grey sky and silver ash looks as though it were made of quicksilver. You tread carefully, knowing that all of these burnt-out tree trunks can fall if disturbed by the wind, or a careless touch of the hand in passing.

The hike through the dead forest is uttery surreal, with the remains of the trees standing like monuments amid their collective urn. To your eyes, the unending grey, black and silver merge into a ghost-like scene and the fire scars on the trees become faces screaming at you from the ravaged bark.

#### Skill Checks

**Cause of the fire.** Make an Investigation or Nature check. If the first check hints at the players to check lower on the slope for the cause, describe the crime scene and allow them to make another check with advantage.

| Check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | It isn't clear where this fire began. It could have been anything: campfire, lightning, magical storm. |
| 6-10 | Finding the source of the fire seems daunting. Perhaps the wind changed direction while the fire was burning. |
| 11-15 | One thing seems certain. This forest was likely overgrown with underbrush so the flames from each tree fed through the underbrush into each other, creating a firestorm that created its own self-sustaining wind draft. Some of the tree trunk appear to have detonated, their sap boiling explosively in the heat. A forest can become that overgrown when it goes too long without a fire–perhaps protected by a group of people? It does seem to reason that the fire started downhill and burnt up toward the ridge, rather than the other way around. Perhaps not lightning. |
| 16-20 | The above result. Also, a pocket of trees low on the slope is less burnt. Perhaps the fire started there. |
| >20 | The above result plus, marks of several trees near the start of the fire are indicative of magical blasts: the *fire bolt* spell. A battle between casters occurred. Further investigation shows splashes of acid on the other side of trees, and fractures indicative of ice damage. A pair of humanoid footsteps lead away from a looted, fire-scarred corpse. |

**Adventure hook: a new route?.** Offering no cover from branches, the dead forest is an easy place to spot your people traveling and perhaps setup ambushes. The players may want to trailblaze an alternate path. This will require some additional exploration and navigation checks, and perhaps clearing out of monsters from the area.

**Tracking the arsons.**  Make a Wisdom (Survival) check to track the footsteps. A player with proficiency in Investigation can grant advantage to this check. The distance the steps can be tracked is equal to the check total times one hundred yards. You also gain the following information from the tracking and investigation.

| Investigation check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | These people were in a hurry. The steps are far apart. |
| 6-10 | The  above result. Also, there are tracks going both directions. The attackers returned the same way they came. |
| 11-15 | The above result. Also, based on the depth of the footfalls and strides, there was one woman or youth and one man. |
| 16-20 | The above result. Also, there are more tracks headed up than headed back. The person that is now a dead body might have been fleeing and finally caught. |
| 20-25 | The above result. Also, the third set of tracks changes into a giant elk's. The victim could have been riding a giant elk | 
| 26-30 | the victim was a druid that had wild shaped into a giant elk, likely in an attempt to both flee, and survive blasts. |

If the players choose to follow the tail they are rewarded with another discovery in this area.

A good druid might choose to spend 8 hours casting plant growth to assist in rehabilitating the area, which could provide food sooner than expected in the growing season thanks to the ash fertilized and plant growth magic.

Players may also take advantage of the opportunity to create a road or path through the dead forest, with less effort than usual required to clear vegetation.

**Pranks.** As an alternative to the forest fire hook, characters can make skill checks to prank each other. Allow players to describe the nature of their prank and what skill or tool they are using to pull it off. Pranks, while sometimes funny, can have unexpected consequences.

| Check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | It's all fun and games until...1d6 damage of appropriate type to the target. If no physical damage is appropriate, use psychic damage. And below result. Payback is likely. |
| 6-10 | A clothing item was damaged; bad feelings. |
| 11-15 | Guffaws all around. The perfect tension reducer. |
| 16-20 | You got 'em good. This is one not to be forgotten. |
| >20 | Nailed it! A prank so good no one will dare try to prank you back. |

\pagebreakNum

### 12. Shady Canyon with Woods
**Description.** Following the likeliest path, you enter a canyon guarded on one side by a tall, steep slope that gives the canyon shorter daylight hours. It is cooler here. The brook that carves through this shady canyon is clear and the water refreshing. Afternoon sun splits into dozens of shafts of light as it passes through the tall branches of the trees crowding the creekside. In the clash of light and dark, your eyes seem to play tricks on you: objects moving in the corner of your vision, little splashes of color diverting your attention.

Is is just a trick of the light, or there something else mysterious going on? Probably a good idea to look ahead, thought the sharp bends in the canyon limit your view. Despite your wariness, there is nothing more pleasant than the babbling of the brook and the friendly chirping of birds and crickets keeping each other up with the latest forest gossip.

The animals seem particularly chatty in the early part of your journey, but then grow strangely silent.

#### Skill Checks

**It's quiet. Too quiet.** Be aware of your surroundings. Make a Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check.

| Check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Fond memories of the last tavern you stayed at keep distracting you: the warm hearth fire, the pleasurable company you kept–not to mention the food! Wait, where are we? Did we miss a turn? |
| 6-10 |  Why is it so quiet? Did our bard finally shutup? Is someone planning a prank? Alright. Out with it. Who's been nicking snacks out of my pack while we're hiking? Or whatever it was you've been up to... |

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 11-15 | Well that's strange. The birds have gone silent. And none of the squirrels are out pestering each other. Odds are, they're avoiding something. The question is what? Is it something that is coming? Or is it something that is already here? Hard to tell. |
| 16-20 | The above result. Also, you notice a member of your party is walking awkwardly, perhaps an ache in their joints. Could be storm brewing. Might be a good idea to find shelter. |
| 21-25 | The above result. Also, the grass has been trodden here recently. It's possible there is already someone in the canyon. In fact, you got that itch that you're being watched. Grant advantage on a survival check to find shelter. |
| >25 | The above result. Also, that outcropping ahead looks like a prime spot for an ambush. Look how the brush has been pulled back in places to make for a clean shot. And the ground, the way leaves are spread in one area but not around that. Could be a pitfall, or a snare, or a bear trap. Grant advantage on a survival check to find shelter. |

**Sneak Around.** If the players decide to circumvent what appears to be an ambush, make a group stealth check with a DC appropriate to the average passive perception of whatever enemy or ally you choose, for example DC 10+(party level/2)

**Shelter.** If the players seek to find or make shelter, make a Survival check.
| Check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | We could just stand under a big tree. The would keep the rain off us...for a while. |
| 6-10 | Let's cut down a small tree and make a lean-to. Who has an axe? | 
| 11-15 | A few hundred yards back was a hollow in the cliff undercut by the river, before the stream changed course. That would at least keep us dry. Also, let's start gathering firewood before it gets wet. |
| 16-20 | The above result. Also, it could be a cold night. Setup our shields and breastplates to reflect the fire's warmth toward us. Cut pine boughs for insulation against the cold air and cold ground. |
| 21-25 | We're all going to freeze unless we stay close. Bury a bunch of coals under the sand and everybody get cozy under the same blanket. Advantage on COn saves against exhaustion from cold exposure. |
| >25 | The breeze from up the canyon is going to get nasty. Cut down a tree for a wind break. Advantage on Con saves against exhaustion from cold exposure. |

**Tall tales and Backstories.** Nobody is going to sleep well tonight anyway. The weather is too nasty. Why not take turns telling stories. Make a Performance check. The best performance can grant inspiration to any other player of their choosing. This is a great chance for players to expound on their backstories.

\pagebreakNum

## Island and Coastal Geographies

### 1. Coral Reef

>DM's Note
This is a frequent encounter in an archipelago so it is loaded with lots of skills checks and and encounters. You don't have to use them all the first time players visit a coral reef. The first history check will guide the rest of the encounter. For instance if players decide to hunt for shipwrecks and treasure or spear/bow hunt, this will take the better part of a day and they won't get a chance to look for pearls while the light is optimal.<br>Also, the sea animal encounter tables can be used in most of the oceanic geographies.

#### Description
Shallow clear water reveals a riot of color life beneath the surface. This area is sheltered by a vibrant coral reef. Calm warm water invites you swim among schools of shimmering tropical fish or dive among luminescent anemones, sea stars, and curious clawed crustaceans. Ocean swells crash against the outer barrier of the reef, while within the lagoon sea turtles bob in the placid tranquility and occasional dolphins fin past on a shortcut to the other side of the reef. Occasional perils exist from poisonous corals and jellies to hungry reef sharks that occasionally brave the shallows for prey. But, for the most part the reef is a paradise for the curious explorer, offering countless diversions, plentiful food, underwater coves, and the occasional remains of a old boat that crashed on the reef.

But first, you have to get there.

#### Skill Checks

##### Getting through the barrier reef

Like most archipelagos, these islands formed when a volcanic caldera sank just below the surface and the rim has become a coral reef. Beyond the reef, waves pound against the sharp volcanic rock and corals. Boats must find a way through the barrier reef to get into the sheltered lagoon. As a DM, you can run this check several ways: (1) not at all, (2) as a simple Water Vehicles piloting check, (3) a Perception check to find a gap in the barrier, or (4) as a full-blown team challenge peril.

##### Check DC and Roles
Set the challenge DC for each skill check to 8+player level. Add +4 for night and +4 for stormy waves.

The boat starts out in the center of the approach to the passage. 
Players can choose team roles including:

* **Lookout** makes Perception checks for hazards such as rocks, predators, or hostile natives
* **Pilot** make a water vehicles navigation check to either turn the boat left or right or stay straight.
* **Crew:** can choose to paddle normally (15 ft.) or aggressively (30 ft). One or more crew can also elect to be a helper.
* **Helper(s):** can choose to help the lookout, help the pilot, handle hazards, make a hasty repair, or take another action.

##### Combat/check order

1.  The helper can choose to grant advantage by helping the the lookout, the pilot, or balance (advantage to Dex saves to stay on board if the boat hits an obstacle. The helper can also throw a rope to someone overboard, pull them back, or pull someone on board (3 separate actions), or choose to attack whatever monster the players come across during the passage.
2. Lookout makes a perception check for hazards (disadvantage in dim light). If successful the the player is told either there is a hazard such as a rock or predator to the (d4): (1) left, (2) center, (3) right, or (4) no hazard. Tip: the passage does not have to be straight.
3.The crew declares whether they will row regular or aggressive. If aggressive, crew attempt Constitution saving throws. On a fail, that crew member takes one level of exhaustion which goes away after a round of normal paddling.
4. The pilot declares whether they are turning turn left, straight, or right and makes a Water Vehicles skill check, which can either use Strength (storm weather) or Intelligence (tricky currents). On a success the boat turns 45 degrees or stays straight accordingly. On fail fail the boat's prior course is altered randomly (d4): (1) 45 degrees left, (2) surges ahead 10 ft., (3) 45 degrees right, (4) pushed back 10 ft. 
5. Resolve actions: the boat moves in the resulting direction 15 ft. plus and an additional 15 ft. aggressive), plus or minus any current-driven movement.

##### Rock
If the boat (e.g. 50 HP) hits a rock it suffers 2d10 damage and everyone on the boat must succeed on a DC 12 Acrobatics (balance) or Athletics (hold on) check or fall overboard.

##### Flooding
If a shore boat takes 20 HP of damage from rocks, it is leaking. Each round of leaking the flooding level increments by 1, which increases the check DCs by the same amount and reduces speed by 5 ft. If a helper takes the pitch and bail action they can prevent flooding that round only. If another helper is bailing the flood level decrements. Flood stage 5 is sunk.

##### Attacks
Choose a few hostile creatures along with obstacles to turn the skill check into a challenging combat. If the boat comes within reach or range of hostile creature it may attack or if the creature spots the boat it may move on its turn to attack. All these creatures will attack to bite or grapple prey and drag them away, especially if there is a character in the water. A creature may also try to tip the boat (Acrobatics save against challenge DC versus falling in.)

Roll 1d10: (1) giant constrictor snake, (2) reef shark, (3) giant octopus, 4) crocodile, (5) hunter shark, (6) chuul, (7) Swarm of natives with shortbows. Scale according to challenge rating (CR):(AC 13+CR/3, 15+CRR*15 HP, +4+CR/2 to hit, (CR d10's)+5 damage (half damage if below half hit points), Dex save +3+CR/2)–these may be on a sand bar near the channel or on a boat, (8) merrow.

\pagebreakNum

##### Coral Reef History check

Once inside the lagoon, have a player make a History check to determine what they know about this area. This important check largely determines the type of activities they will get to do within the reef.

| History Check total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | You've heard about this place before (only you've confused it with another similar location). Your errant information causes disadvantage to the next History, Investigation, Nature, Navigation, Water Vehicles, or Perception check, at which point everyone realizes you were horribly wrong. |
| 6-10 | This place seems familiar, but it could be one of a couple of different regions. One thing is for sure, there are a lot of fish here. With the water so calm and clear, it is a great chance to try spear fishing or bow fishing. |
| 11-15 | The above result. Only you can tell this area must be the one that is noted for its large oysters with valuable pearls. Not only that, it is also for the hazards it poses in the form of predators that lurk in the depths and poisonous corals and fish. This warning grants advantage on a Nature check to identify natural perils |
| 16-20 | The above result, and also you recall that this area has frequent shipwrecks near a false opening in the reef. Your team has advantage on the next Investigation check to find a shipwreck here. Note, a separate Perception check is provided to actually find treasure at the shipwreck. |
| 21-25 | The above result and you once read an obscure document that referred to an area known as the devil's vault. It is a secret cavern accessible only by undersea cave where a gang of pirates and smugglers reportedly kept a stashes of loot and contraband.  |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| >26 | The above result and you have advantage to find the entrance due to an obscure riddle "at eventide he passed over and under, then keeled over tried for four leaf clover." (Players might be able to guess: even tide means evening, but it also can is halfway between low and high tide. Enter the channel at even tide so your boat can ride over the coral, but not at high tide so your boat can get into a cave. Go as far as you can in the channel then flip your boat over (keel over). Overwise ocean swells can smash you against the roof. From under the boat, you are protected from the ceiling.  |

##### Coral Reef Nature Check

Perils here can be identified with a successful Nature check. These include toxic corals which can contacted while diving for pearls or wading through shallows for spear/bow fishing and box jellyfish. If players fail a Perception check of DC 8+player level, they have a 50% of contacting **toxic corals** during their activity and a 10% chance of contacting **box jellyfish**. **Kelp bass** will attack anyone who is diving for pearls, but only if they succeed on their stealth check versus a diving player's passive perception.

For the toxic corals, there is a slow stinging sensation, fever, hives and shortness of breath. Make a DC12 Constitution save versus paralysis after 1d10 rounds which lasts for 1 hour, but which can be removed by lesser restoration or greater healing.

The box jellyfish are small but deadly. They cause immediate pain and then severe pain, cramping, nausea and heart problems after 2 hours. Attempt a DC 14 constitution save. On a success the player is incapacitated for 4 fours. On a fail, the player attempts a Constitution saving throw, each hour, suffering one level of exhaustion on a each fail. After three fails, the player falls unconscious and drops to 0 HP and begins making death saving throws. After three successes the player regains consciousness but is incapacitated for a total of 8 hours including the previous checks. This condition can be cured by *lesser restoration* or greater healing.

\pagebreakNum

Kelp bass are a rare and lesser known species of predator and grow to large size. It waits in the kelp for something to get near and then uses moves in rhythm with the waves to drift closer before striking. A kelp bass will strike a creature up to one size smaller.

___
> ##### Kelp Bass
>*Medium or Large beast, unaligned*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 45
> - **Speed** 5 ft., swim 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)|14 (+2)|14 (+2)|3 (-4)|12 (+1)|7 (-2)|
>___
> - **Skills/Senses** Perception +4, passive Perception 14, Stealth +4
> - **Challenge** 2 (400 XP)
>___
> ***Natural camouflage.***  The Kelp bass has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks in a coral reef or near underwater kelp. 
>
> ***Thrasher.*** The kelp bass does not provoke opportunity attacks from its target after a tear attack.
> ___
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The kelp bass makes two melee attacks, and will make bite attacks until is has bitten prey. After a successful bite attack, the kelp bass will use either the thrash, tear, or swallow attack. 
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit* 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage. Target is grappled. 
>
> ***Thrash.*** Reach 5 ft., one grappled target. Target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or have the wind knocked out of them. On a fail the target is suffocating.  
>
> ***Seize*** *Melee Weapon Attack* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit* 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage. Target is grappled.   
>
> ***Tear*** *Melee Weapon Attack* +5 to hit (advantage), reach 5 ft., one grappled creature. *Hit* 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage. Hit or miss, the target creature in no longer grappled.  
>
> ***Swallow*** *Melee Weapon Attack* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one grappled creature. *Hit* the target creature is ingested, or partially ingested, restrained and blinded. At the start of each of its turns the swallowed target takes 5 (1d6+3) bludgeoning damage and 5 (1d6+3) poison damage and must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw of have the air knocked out of them. On a fail, the target is suffocating.

\columnbreak

| Nature Check total | Results |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | It's a reef. So there's coral. Looks sharp. And those things moving around in the water: definitely fish. |
| 6-10 | I dunno if there is anything alive that is dangerous here. Just don't jump in where it's shallow because coral looks sharp. |
| 11-15 | Okay, listen up. This place looks beautiful but it can be deadly. The coral that looks like tiny parasols with bright colored centers: paralyzing. |
| 16-20 | The above result. Also there are box jellies here. Deadly. Keep an eye out. |
| 21-25 | The above result. Also, the oysters with the largest pearls will be deeper. |
| >25 | The above result. Also, this area is known for kelp bass. They very big and difficult to spot. |

\pagebreakNum

##### Coral Reef Beachwear Crafting

Lacking appropriate beachwear, characters can attempt to craft their own beachwear some using native materials such as seashells, coconuts, banana leaves, yucca fiber thread and grass, and reusing some old clothes. Make a Dexterity (Sleigh of Hand or Weaver's Tools) check.

| Crafting total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | It looks great. It fits great...until you go in the water. Then it's...<em>gone</em>?|
| 6-10 | It's more-or-less a few well-positioned leaves. Simple and easy. Can't go wrong with that. At least no worries about tan lines. |
| 11-15 | The strings of small shells on the ties were a nice touch, and with a little clerverness you can usually turn the side of the grass skirt with the most coverage to face whomever is closest. |
| 16-20 | Not exactly designer, but by canibalizing some of your other clothes you put together something that not only looks great, but you can actually swim in it. You might just keep this set. |
| 21-25 | Your creation that perfectly compliments your physique is stealing all the attention on the beach. You have time to help one ally repair their creation (re-roll their skill check). |
| >25 | The above result and you should think about opening up a shop. You are so efficient you can take payment from any other players to grant them a re-roll on their check. |

\columnbreak

##### Coral Reef Spear and Bow Fishing

The shallow water and abundant sea life offers a change for testing your speed and aim. From the boat, the shore, or wading in the shallows, you can simply tie a string to your spear or arrow, wait for a fish to come and throw your spear or shoot. It's harder than it looks, but the rewards of a fresh catch and a satisfying meal are worth the effort.

If players don't have a spear or bow, but they have suitable tools they can attempt to fashion one from available materials in their pack and on the shore. Make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand or Woodcarver's Tools) or Survival skill check. On 8 or higher the weapon is usable, but with disadvantage. On a 14 or higher, the weapon is usable without disadvantage.

Make a ranged weapon attack with the spear (Strength) or bow (Dexterity).

| Fishing Check Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Wait, what is refraction? I thought that was a cuss word. (No catch.) |
| 6-10 | You hit a big one! But, it got away. |
| 11-15 | A catch just about right for dinner for two. |
| 16-20 | A nice haul--sushi for everybody! |
| 21-25 | Man, these fish are stupid! Any ideas what to do with all this fish? |
| >26 | By catching a fish and then using it as bait for a larger one, you worked your way up to a hunter shark, which is tethered to your spear by a strong rope and currently finning around the bay waiting to be hauled in. Any volunteers? |

\pagebreakNum

#### Pearl Diving

At the edge of the reef an ocean current cuts through the lagoon creating a lush upwelling where crustaceans and shellfish abound. Many of these oyster beds have ha purportedly had their oysters seeded with grains of sand. Many of the oysters are now enormous, tempting you to imagine the size of what pearls could lie within.

But the undisturbed beds are undisturbed for a reason. They are deep. And perhaps other reasons (sharks, giant octopus, and kelp bass).

But the wealth is right there for the taking.

**Guidelines:** A player can hold their breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). Spells like *alter self* and *water breathing* and several warlock features, as well as many racial abilities which allow for amphibious breathing or no breathing. Movement speed in water is half walking speed. Several other special effects apply to underwater combat as described in the DMG or SRD.

Also, <em>"When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it can survive for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 round). At the start of its next turn, it drops to 0 hit points and is dying, and it can't regain hit points or be stabilized until it can breathe again."</em>

**Optional rule: Breath holding checks.** When a character takes damage underwater, treat holding breath the same as you would concentrating on a spell: a Constitution saving throw of DC 10 or half the damage taken. On a fail, the player loses their breath and are suffocating.

**Optional rule: sharing breath.** A player with two or more minutes of breath left can share half of their breath with another player. Both players then have only one minute of breath remaining.

**Optional rules: dashing.** Each time a player dashes, they lose three rounds of air instead of one. So dashing for one minute uses three minutes of air.

\columnbreak

**Optional rules: resuscitation.** If a player has died from suffocating and another player begins resuscitation within one minute, the resuscitating player must make DC 10 medicine checks each round, counting successes and failures. If three failures are reached, the dead player cannot be resuscitated. If three successes are reached, the character is alive and stabilized.

##### Perception and Athletics checks for finding/retrieving oysters

At each depth below 10 feet (dim light = disadvantage), characters make Perception checks for undisturbed oyster beds within 15 feet. DC is 18 at 10 feet depth and increases by 2 with every 5 feet of depth to DC 10 at 30 feet.

On a success the player can move to the oyster bed on their next turn and attempt to pry an oyster free as an action with a DC 12 strength check using a knife. On a fail a player takes 1 point of slashing damage from the razor sharp oyster shell.

Once a player is bleeding, there is a 10% chance a reef shark will show up each round. This is true regardless of how many sharks are already present.

If players reach 30 feet, there is a 10% chance a kelp bass will strike if they attempt to harvest an oyster. (5% if they have native beachwear.)

If a player harvests more than ten oysters a giant octopus will attack, wanting to steal the oysters. (They're smart.)

##### Tallying the Pearls

After collecting oysters, players can roll a d20 for each oyster. On a 20 the oyster has a pearl worth a number of gold pieces determined by 2 times a percentile dice roll.

If players kill a shark, kelp bass or giant octopus, they are rewarded with a fifty pounds of meat.

\pagebreakNum

#### Swimming in the Lagoon

If players relax in the lagoon, roll 1d8 for an encounter.

| Roll | Lagoon Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | A friendly sea turtle with a hook stuck in its flipper |
| 2 | Awakened sea horse colony can understand and read Common and Aquan. They don't speak, but can form letters as a group. They are interested in business. |
| 3 | A dolphin who, on a successful Wisdom (Animal Handling) check, will lead the PCs to a struggling/drowning swimmer, or unconscious person washed up on a small island or sandbar. |
| 4 | A few jellyfish that only cause mild stining and rashes, but which give off an arcane glow. Can be harvested (painfully) for alchemical ingredients. |
| 5 | Fey water sprites that play in the lagoon at night, which gives off a beautiful and entrancing glow |
| 6 | Natives who demand tribute for using their hunting grounds |
| 7 | A private tour company on a steam boat that offers the adventurers a chance to explore the island with an experienced guide beginning with a trip up the river, and culminating in an exciting hike to the lip of the volcano. |
| 8 | Some debris that indicates a ship crashed nearby. |

\columnbreak

#### Crafting Canoes

There is plenty of driftwood, and jungle trees and vines near the shore. Why not rig yourself an outrigger? Building a canoe takes about a week: cutting the tree, burning out the dugout, twisting rope and lashing it together, not to mention making paddles. Simple rafts can be made in less than a day. Make a Survival or Carpenter's Tools (Intelligence, Dexterity, or Strength) check.

| Crafting Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | After all that work, it came apart when the first wave hit it, and then sank–how does wood even sink! |
| 6-10 | It floats, but just enough that anyone riding it's butt gets soaked. |
| 11-15 | It's a little heavy and slow, but it works! Was it worth effort?|
| 16-20 | A canoe anyone would be proud of. It works just like a longboat, but you can even wave surf on it. |
| 21-25 | You find a message in a bottle. It's a treasure map. |
| >26 | The above result. Also, a buyer for your amazing boat arrives. Negotiate a price. |
####

\pagebreakNum

#### Riding the Waves

There is a spot not too far away where the ocean waves break in a perfect curl just outside the reef. Surfs up!

Make an Athletics or Acrobatics check to bodysurf the waves, boogie board with a plank, surf on a wooden gangway from your ship, or crash the waves in the traditional dwarf barrel riding style.

| Surfing Check Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Is the ocean allergic to you? You didn't catch a single wave, except the one that caught you by surprise from behind as you were splashing your way up the shore and dumped you like a string of kelp on the beach. You take 1d4 bludgeoning damage. |
| 6-10 | Dude, there was that one wave you caught–so epic. You were in the tube! Then the wave smashed you like a toy and you spent the rest of your strength in the wash trying to get back to shore. |
| 11-15 | You finally got the hang of this. Paddling hard you managed to catch a few good waves and ride them gracefully to shore. Hopefully the lookers on the beach were watching. |
| 16-20 | Of all the waves you caught, you cant'f forget the big one that curled around you like the jaws of death itself–and all in vain as you rode your way out of the tube and out into the sunshine to the cheers of your peers. You were totall tubular. You gain advantage on your next Charisma check. |
| 21 - 25 | Merely riding a wave, you are so beyond that. You learned to cut up and down the wave, skip off the lip and do aerial tricks. You gain inspiration. |
| >26 | When the storm surge started and the waves got dangerously high and everybody went to shore, that's when you got your game on. With a pair of your trained dolphins pulling you by ropes with handles, you managed to tow-in surf a wave far too big to catch by simply paddling. Like a massive dune rising from the sand, the wave carried you skyward. You blasted down the perilous sloped  of the foaming water as the wave began to curl, surfing for your life, only to ride out the monstrous tube like a dragon-slaying champion. You and all of your allies who were watching you gain inspiration. |

#### Investigation Check to Find a Shipwreck

Rumors of shipwrecks and sunken treasure abound in these shores. With all the unexplored isles, hidden coves, and sea caves, it's a smuggler's heaven and a gold digger's dream.

Make an Intelligence (Investigation) check to find possible locations of shipwrecks.

| Investigation Check Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | A local fisherman claims to have seen a shipwreck out beyond the reef toward the next island to the north. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| |  He neglected to tell you that if you go during a receding tide, you can't get out of the area until the tide comes back. If you survive the undead ambush, you may find the cause of the infestation on the largest shipwreck in the reef: a mind fragment of Ka'rel obsessed with gaining souls in order to reclaim its original power that has possessed a dead human pirate captain and his crew. Use vampire or wight stat blocks. |
| 6-10 | Paddling around the island you spot the remains of a longboat sunken in the coral. The remains of the ship it came from are nowhere to be seen. Anyway, it had to have had something heavy on it in order to sink here. Players that dive down to the longboat find crates of lead pipes and some alchemical supplies in stoppered wax-sealed bottles of varying color. If opened the bottles release various type of mephits matching the colors. A successful alchemical supplies check will reveal that the still-bubbling potions are useful and safe. The mephits (or other elementals) were merely a preservative added to maintain the magic: potion of water breathing, potion of dark vision, potion of cold resistance, and one bottle with a tiny rolled up scroll of alter self. It appears these were supplies from a failed treasure hunting expedition. |

\pagebreakNum

| Shipwreck Investigation Total | Results (cont'd) |
|:-|:-|
| 11-15 | Exploring the beach you find an old hut with the notes of an inventor. A map indicates the area inn which the person was apparently looking for something. If the players explore the area they find a broken submersible. The inventor apparently found the treasure, but not before something else found them. A huge crab guards the submersible. A successsful Wisdom (Animal Handling) check of DC 10 reveals that the crab is treating the submersible like an egg sack. Within the broken remains of the submersible is a juvenile huge crab  (giant crab stat block) that has been feasting on the gold inside, turning its carapace gold. Perhaps the gold can be extracted or perhaps the players will come up with another use for this gold crab. A successful Intelligence (Nature) check reveals that the huge crab has a taste for kelp bass and can be lured away a distance of 60 feet with a successful Wisdom (Animal Handling) check of DC 8 to bait it with increasing pieces of kelp bass meat. |

\columnbreak

___
> #### Huge Crab
>*Medium or Large beast, unaligned*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 15 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 45
> - **Speed** 5 ft., swim 30 ft.
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)|12 (+1)|16 (+3)|3 (-4)|10 (0)|7 (-2)|
>___
>- **Skills/Senses** Perception +4, passive Perception 14
>- ***Saves*** Con +5, Str +5
> - **Challenge** 2 (400 XP)
>___
> ***Protective.*** The huge crab has advantage to attack anyone within 10 feet of its baby.
> ___
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The huge crab makes two melee attacks, and will make bite attacks against prey it has grappled. 
>
> ***Claw.*** Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 13). The crab has two claws, each of which can grapple only one target.
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack* +5 to hit (advantage), reach 10 ft., one grappled creature. *Hit* 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.
>
> ***Wild Thrashing.*** (recharge 5-6) The huge crab thrashes all its limbs, stirring up dust and heavily obscuring a 20 foot radius area which lasts until the end of its next turn. All hostile creatures within 15 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw (disadvantage if they do not have a swim speed) or suffer 2d6+3 bludgeoning damage.

\pagebreakNum

| Shipwreck Investigation Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 16-20 | Combing the shore you discovered a recent-looking piece of a crate branded with the "GGG" trademark of a well-known shipping company: Grugen's Gooder Goods.the players can attempt a 2x2 grid search, with a 25% chance of finding the wreck and random coastal encounters in each grid where they do not find the ship (Xanathar's Guide to Everything). See also the ambush described in the >26 result. |
| 21-25 |  The above result. Also, you can tell by the smell of the wood that this company was shipping spices. With a successful Animal Handling check of DC 18, or by the use of *speak with animals* or telepathy DC 10, you can convince or train dolphins to follow the smell of spices to lead you directly to the wreck. That failing, grid search as above. See also the ambush described in the >26 result. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:- |
| >26  | The above result. Also you realize that this wood did not arrive the direction that the current would have take it. It was left here on purpose. You are likely being tricked into collecting spoils from the wreck so lazier salvagers can just take the booty from you. Be on your guard. The ambush consists of a small ship such as a keel boat and 5-10 pirates. Use the Monster Manual bandit stat bloc for the pirates and bandit captain for the pirate captain. Pirates can be bargained with (parley!), tricked, or outrun/outmaneuvered, rather than just brawling.  |

>While exploring sea wrecks, adventurers occasionally take refuge in **bubble kelp**. Its luminous bell-shaped bulbs filled with breathable air will allow a PC to refresh their breath. But after several rounds the bubble kelp begins excuding an inhaled toxin that induces sleep, followed by paralysis (DC 12 Constitution save versus poisoned and incapacitated, then another save after another round versus unconscious).

\pagebreakNum

### 2. Barren Island

Cursed by nature or geography, this island is barren waste. Surrounded by water on all sides, its ground is a parched desert. You have reached this place hoping for a source of fresh water to replenish your stores. Now, hope turns to despair and panic as those in party begin to realize the danger of running out of water.

The ceaseless breeze is hot and dry. Your voice seems to vanish in the wind. The tang of the salt air only mocks your thirst as the sun rises every higher into the sky, blanching the colors the rock. Lips chap. Eyes ache from the reflection of the sun off the sand. Tongues swell from dehydration. Your vision swims as mirages appear on the horizon. How much longer can you survive without water.

#### Find Water

Players need to find water. Either an antimagic zone has caused their decanter of endless water to fail, or the cleric/druid with create water can't keep up with all the needs of the team, or they have recently rescued many NPCs that have increased their water usage. Whatever the reason, water must be found.

Players can choose any number of ways to attempt to find water. An artificer might use their intelligence to attempt to build a still (distillation gadget). A druid or ranger might attempt to use their knowledge of Nature or Survival to find a likely location to dig a well, whereupon the team members help to excavate using their Constitution. A conjuration wizard might make a bucket or spade to help with the digging. A warlock, paladin or cleric might petition their patron for direct aid.

The island has several areas that can be explored for potential reservoirs of water. Reveal the following.

\columnbreak

1. A shallow, tidal area makes an easy spot for players to come ashore with ample space for crafting a still.
2. A wide shallow inland basin that seems ideal for collecting rain water in the center.
3. A ridge with many obvious cave entrances.

##### Constitution Check

Each half day the team is on the island, they must pass a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or suffer a level of exhaustion from dehydration. The team can explore up to two areas of the island per day.

##### Tidal Area: Still Crafting

This area offers plenty of space to attempt to build a still. Materials might include a sail as a condensation surface and a rowboat to hold water, bamboo as pipes and so on.

Make an Intelligence (Investigation or Tinker's Tools) skill check to invent a device to distill ocean water into drinking water.

| Still Crafting Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Your still is complete, but as the sun rises and the water begins to evaporate, there is not enough shade for the sail to stay cool enough to condense water. Then, to add insult to injury, the wind caught the sail and tore the still to pieces. It was all for naught. |

\pagebreakNum

| Total | Result (cont'd) |
|:-|:-|
| 5-10 | The still works to produce a trickle of water. It is enough to slake your thirst, however it doesn't have enough output to fill your water bottles and barrels. Players all gain advantage on one Con save vs. dehydration on the island, but must find another source. |
| 11-15 | Your idea to dig a pit to find cooler ground to condense water seems to have worked. You are able to fill enough water for a day's journey to find more water. Players all gain advantage on two Con saves' vs. dehydration on the island, but must find another source. |
| 16-20 | The still works and you are able to create enough water for your daily needs, and slowly accumulate water to fill your barrels. You no longer have to make Constitution saves against dehydration, but filling your barrels enough to reach the next island will take a full week. Will your food last that long? Might be worth looking for another source. |
| 21-25 | The still is quickly filling your barrels. However, the heat and sitting around is making everyone ornery–they might kill each other before the water barrels are full. Might just head out to explore for a diversion.  |
| >25 | Well, that worked. Where to next? Anybody want a nice clean shower first? |

##### Shallow Basin

The interior of the island has a wide shallow basin that looks perfect for collecting rainwater. Perhaps the center will be a good location to dig a well.

Once the players reach the center of the depression, the sand begins to slide. Each turn players move 15 feet toward the middle and must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) DC 13 saving throw to avoid falling prone. The sand is difficult terrain. After the second round, a great mouth appears in the sand.

Use the roper stat block from the monster manual.

If the players manage to kill the sand creature, it falls back into the ground, revealing a large cavern with an underground lake from which the sand monster drank, as well as plenty of plunder from the bones of previous visitors to the well.

##### Ridge with Cave Entrances

The caves along this ridge appear to be lava tubes that lead downward. It is possible there is a subterranean source of water. In any event, the caves are the only source of shade on this Ka'rel-forsaken rock.

Navigating the winding, intersecting and frequently dead-ending lava tubes is a tedious task. Make an Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check to map the cave network and the find the deepest tube.

Keeping your sanity in the dark, winding places is difficult. Characters must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or lose their cool. See  [DM's Guide to Better Roleplay through Stress Effects](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MxbDaaIT0cQVn2ZJ8LX) for fun ways to roleplay stressed out characters. Or cause a level of exhaustion that goes away after a short rest outside the caves.

\columnbreak

| Cave Mapping Check Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | The volcanic rock is wicked sharp and you chose a really bad route. Each player must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or suffer 1d6 slashing damage. |
| 6-10| Okay, so you now know which way not to go. If you try the caves again on another half day excursion you have advantage on your check. |
| 11-15 | You managed to fully map the caves and discovered one small pool of water from which you are able to refill your flasks. Players gain advantage on one Con save versus dehydration exhaustion. |
| 16-20 | The above result. Also, you can see where the pool is filling from a drip in the ceiling. With some effort you are able to widen the crack in the ceiling and now the cave roof is a continuous spout. It may not last forever, but you have enough for a full day. You have one day with automatic successes on your Con saves versus dehydration. |
| 21-25 | The above result, and you are able to track animals living in the cave to a small pond/lake. Getting their is arduous and carrying heavy water out even worse, but you manage to refill your barrels. DC 15 Con save versus a level of exhaustion.  |
| >25| The above result. On your way out, you find a crack in the rock where you can simply lower a bucket down to the pool. It's a regular well! |

\pagebreakNum

### 3. Volcanic Island

The smoke rising from this island is visible for more than day, guiding you towards an island rising steeply out of the ocean into a towering volcano. Greenery fueled by the rich volcanic soil climbs the black volcanic slopes, reaching toward the steaming barren rock that punches out of the jungle like a smoldering torch. At night, a red glow reflects off the bottom of ash clouds from active lava flows cascading languidly from one side of the peak.

Sure volcanoes are dangerous, but look at this island. The trees have been growing here for decades, maybe even a hundred years. And what a chance to see lave spurting from the mouth of the earth!

And hot springs. There have to be hot springs near a volcano, right?

#### Greet the Natives

This remote of an island is bound to have some odd customs. As you approach the island, natives paddle alongside your boat while others bearing spears and bows gather along the shore. And the language they're speaking doesn't sound like anything you've ever heard.

Make a Charisma (Persuasion) check to show that you mean no harm.

\columnbreak

| Persuasion Check Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Your gesture of open hands raised to the skies seems to incense the locals. You have discovered a vulgar gesture. Roll initiative. |
| 6-10 | Music is the universal language. Singing an introduction via personalized sea shanties–what could be more peaceable? Only, the off key singing of your allies has the natives thinking you are making fun of them. Music is sacred here. Prepare for a battle of the bands. Losers take a one-way trip to the volcano–provided it's not them. |
| 11-15 | While successful in your attempts to convey nonviolent intent, you are mistaken for a party of traders that owes them money. Alternatively, the human sacrifice of one of your allies would suffice to appease the affronted volcano deity. |
| 16-20 | Not only do you seem peaceful to them, you are recongnized as revered seekers. The village shaman, via easily understandable drawings conveys that a mind fragment of Ka-rel is disturbing the volcano. You are invited to solve the problem.   |
| 21-25  | The above result. Also, after you solve the problem with the mind fragment, there will be a luau and you will be granted the opportunity to marry one of the chief's children in a grand ceremony. |
| >25 | The village elders and matrons respect you as adventurers and invite you test your bravery in the "portal of courage." This village has an unclaimed lod. Who knows what riches could be within! |

#### Sightseeing on the Island

After negotiating a fair price with the natives, you are granted a tour of the island's beauty, beginning with a stunning, if not shocking, dance performance by the village's competition dance squad. Wow. That evocative performance of fire stick twirling, rhythmic chants, drumming and acrobatics is going to be hard to forget.

The following day you are led inland to a beautiful waterfall. No skill check here, just a day of splashing in tropical pools and relaxation. You earned it.

Although, the longer you stay, the more endearing the natives become. Surely you will wed one of them and stay on this island forever, where the great volcano watches over all.

Make a Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check to avoid offending your hosts when it is time to go. (These are preliminary results designed to provoke roleplay, not final results.)

| Check Total | Farewell Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | The natives agree you cannot stay, so as a concession you will take something of their island with you to remember them by. You are offered your choice of their youth which will be sacrificed alive in your honor and their ashes will be given to you in a farewell journey urn. |

\pagebreakNum

| Check Total | Farewell Result (cont'd) |
|:-|:-|
| 6-10 | Your offer to remember them always seems to have been received well. You are offered one of their children whom you can raise, so you always have a way to remember this island, and you will be encouraged to return often. |
| 11-15 | Smooth talking your way out of some very awkward offers, you manage to escape with a shrunken skull necklace which you have vowed never to take off. If you do, you will bring upon yourself a horrible curse. (This shrunken head acts as a periapt of wound closure (one time use). If removed, a player loses half of their remaining hit dice and must make a DC 15 Constitution save against blindness (or deafness) until lesser restoration, remove curse, dispel magic, or greater healing is received.  |
| 16-20  | Parting gracefully, the natives agree to make the traditional exchange of weapons: one of your well-used and treasured weapons for one of theirs blessed by their shaman. DM, be creative with the abilities of the weapon. It could be +1, or it could have the ability to heal or signal the presence of edible forage or game with an owl hoot sound. It could replicate bird sounds or transform into a ridable beast, or cast a potent cantrip, cast detect magic, or give the bearer advantage on saves against being frightened, or increase their breath holding time by 2 minutes. It could make the bearer visibly more fit and attractive. |
| 21-25 | You are invited to send a member of your party on the native trial of courage: dashing across a recently cooled lava flow. The volunteer will take 4d6 fire damage (half on a Dex save of DC 14) but be granted a native tattoo. (See Tasha's Cauldron of Everything for magic tattoos.) |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| >25 | As you leave, the chief gifts you with a magic crystal with 1d4 charges of the *dream* spell, ostensibly to contact the island and hangout in a dream. |

#### Hiking the Volcano

Seeing the active volcano up close is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, the volcano is much steep than it looks. (All the easy routes have sulfur vents and lava flows.)

Make a DC 14  Strength (Athletics) Check. On a success you reach the summit and gain inspiration as you gaze out on the open sea and glimpse distant isles you never knew existed. On a fail, you get close to the top, but turn back when a change in the wind sends a choking cloud of sulfurous fumes your direction. If you fail by more than five, you also suffer one level of exhaustion from smoke inhalation. If a character succeeds by more than five, the group finds a cave with large quartz crystals useful for artificing and which are of such quality that they can be used as substitutes for diamond in spells that require diamond material components. You are able to collect an amount worth percentile dice times 2 GP.

If a character has developed a relationship with a native character, the view from the top of the volcano is the perfect chance to steal that magical kiss, which grants +10 temp HP for an entire day.

If the players have not yet found the storm hold, the island with the storm hold will be visible from the top of the volcano.

\pagebreakNum

### 4. Deep Ocean

It has been long since you've seen an island and beneath you ocean extends cold and fathomless. The sea makes known its supremacy here, and sailing these hopelessly vast waters only remoinds you of your own nothingness. The waves grow long and deep, gradually rising until you cannot see beyond the neck. You fight up and careen down the sides mountainous waves like liquid dunes, like thunderous jaws ever trying to catch your ship.

But something leads you on over this great abyss, some intrepid instinct.

#### Stormy Seas

There are three (or more) rounds of skill checks during the storm. The storm DC starts at 12 (or higher as appropriate per the characters' advanceement) and increases by 2 each round.

As the storm grows it becomes critical to keep the ship heading into the waves so it is not capsized by a wave. The pilot at the helm must make a Wisdom (Perception) or Dexterity (Sleight of Hand or Water Vehicles) check to stay workways with the waves. But in order for the helm to control the ship, the sails must be properly trimmed or furled. It is all hands on deck now to manage the sails before the storm gets out of hand. The PCs will make a group skill check against storm DC 12. Each player makes an individual check using using whatever skill they possess for aiding the ship such as a Strength check to hold a rope, or a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to climb a mast and tie down a sail, or perhaps a Wisdom (Perception) check to spot a rope on a sail coming loose.

If the majority pass, they grant advantage to the piloting check. If they fail, the pilot has disadvantage. If the piloting skill check fails, roll on the mishaps table.

\columnbreak

| 1d6 | Ship Piloting Mishap |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Disaster! The turns into the face of a wave that crashes over the deck and ship capsizes. Everyone is overboard. |
| 2 | Disaster! An errant wave crashes over the deck. Each player must make a Strength save against the storm DC or be cast overboard. Players that fall over overboard suffers one level of exhaustion at the beginning of the next round. They must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) check against the storm DC or suffer another level of exhaustion. Players that go overboard during the storm cannot be retrieved until after the storm and their skill checks count as failure.|
| 3 | The strain of the storm winds rips a sail loose or breaks a mast. The ship speed is halved. Subtract 1d4 from all piloting checks |
| 4 | The sail tie snaps or comes loose and the boom swings around wildly as the ship suddenly lists powerfully to one side. Each player must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against the storm DC or suffer 3d6 bludgeoning damage from being hit, thrown against the deck or hit by shifting cargo. Any player failing their save is injured and has disadvantage to complete their next task. |
| 5 | A wave crashes over the desk, spilling into the hold. The ship takes on one level of flooding. See  [Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn). In this case, each level of flooding simply counts as one automatic failure on the skill checks. |
| 6 | No mishap.  |

\pagebreakNum

#### Deep Sea Diving

A salvager is obsessed with legends of an edar spelljammer which crashed in the ocean and claims to have discovered its location almost one mile under the surface by means of the *clairvoyance* spell. They have constructed at great expense a deep sea submersible and are recruiting brave adventurers with arcane abilities to assist in the repair of the spelljamming help and recovery of the ship, which would be a tremendous asset to Corion, granting a chance to study astral transport technology as well spy on edar movements and attack supply lines. This could be a major turning point, as the edar keep spelljamming ships and technology as a closely guarded secret.

While water breathing spells may allow individuals to breath, the cold in the depths and the time required to descend and ascend would make it nearly impossible for a normal Corioni to survive, even a Perlu. Also, who knows what horrors lie in the deep places of the earth? Better to have some metal between you and the monsters!

##### Contingencies

In order to survive an accident at great depths, the team must prepare against the worst. Here are some possible scenarios which result from a roll on the mishap table. Magical means to fix leaks or summon creatures that can operate outside the submersible, or manipulate from distance are exceptionally valuable.

##### Submersible

The vessel is a class 1 submersibleas explained in the [Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn), which has the same stats as a class 1 airship, but more armored with a damage threshold of 10.

\columnbreak

___
> ## Deep Sea Submersible
>*Large Vehicle*
>___
> - **Armor Class** hull 12, tail (~mast) 18 , fins (~rudder) 18 , ballista 15; threshold 10
> - **Hit Points** 100/75/50/50 (hull, helm, rudder, ballista/harpoon)
> - **Speed** swim 20 feet (2 crew operating a winch drive), max ascend 15 ft
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>| 12 (+1) | 18 (+4) | 12 (+1) |
> ___
> ### Ship Actions/Stations
> ***Tool stations.*** Characters within the submersible can operate one of the ship's tools or functions as an action.
>
> ***Ballista/Harpoon.*** Ranged Weapon Attack: +(crew Dex + prof. bonus) to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 3d10 piercing damage.
>
> ***Fin Slash.*** Melee Weapon Attack: +(1+crew prof. bonus) to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 13). 
>
> ***Tail Thump.*** Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit (advantage), reach 10 ft., one grappled creature. *Hit* 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.
>
> ***Lights On Full.*** (recharge 5-6) The submersible flashes its diving lights. Creatures within 15 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for one round.
>
> ***Gust.*** Submersible features a mechanical device (fan) enchanted with the *gust* cantrip which can also be used for clearing dust away from wreckage, and as a backup propulsion source (speed 5 feet).
>
> ***Manipulator claw.*** Melee Weapon Attack: +1(+crew prof. bonus) to hit, range 5 ft., one target of size medium or smaller. Hit: target is grappled. Operator may use a bonus action to stow an object in the collector basket.
>___
>### Description
> The deep sea submersible is a fish-shaped contraption that holds up to 10 creatures. It has a claw and basket on each side, for collecting samples and forward. It features hooded lanterns on the sides, bottom and front (30+30 feet bright/dim). 
>___
>### Mishaps 
> When the ship takes more than 20 damage in a round or when a ship segment reaches 50% and 25% HP, roll 1d6: (1) flooding, (2) station broken, (3) power failure (no lights or gust), (4) smoke (Con save vs. blinded), (5) shaking (Acrobatics/Athletics save vs. stunned), (6) none.

\pagebreakNum

##### Managing Submersible Mishaps
The mishap DC is 15 or half the amount of damage taken in the attack that cause the mishap, whichever is higher.

1. **Flooding.** If the submersible develops a leak, this can be repaired with shoring action (Strength check to brace a pole between on a patch panel and the other side of the hull) versus the mishap DC. If shoring fails, each round the ships takes on another level of flooding per the *[Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn)* rules. If shoring fails, players can try hasty repairs with using transmutation wizard's *minor alchemy*, a conjuration wizard's *minor conjuration* (Arcana check vs. flood DC), or smith's tools check together with a magician using the spell heat metal spell. However, a failed repair using tools may cause the heat to further damage the hull (mishap). The team could prepare extra panels ahead of time which they could attach over a leak.
2. **Station Broken.** If a station broken mishap is rolled, the DM determines which station is broken, presumably the one closest to attack or the point of damage, or rolls 1d6: <br>(1) Fin. There are two fins. The ship suffers -4 to Dex for each broken fin.<br>(2) Tail. When the tail is broken, the only means of propulsion is the gust fan (speed 5) and disadvantage on Dex saving throws.<br>(3) Lights. There are four lanterns: fore, port, starboard and ventral (bottom). When a lantern is broken, that area becomes darkness.<br>(4) Gust fan. If the gust fan is broken the ship can no longer clean debris from salvage or operate the backup prosulsion system. Claw operations may have disadvantage if an object if it remains partially buried in silt.

\columnbreak

2. (cont'd) (5) Manipulator claw. If the claw is broken, players can no longer manipulate objects outside the submersible using the claw and would have to rely on magical means such as summoned creatures or *mage hand*.<br>(6) Collector basket. The first mishap renders the collector basket unable to receive additional objects. A second mishap detaches the basket completely. <br>**Repairing stations:** An Investigation check versus the mishap DC must be performed. On a success, the nature of the failure has been identified. Roll 1d6: (1-3) the cause is external; (4-6) the cause is internal. If the cause is internal it can be repaired from inside the submersible with appropriate tools and a skill check of the same DC.
3. Power failure. The arcane conduits must be repaired. This requires a tool check versus the mishap DC, and costs an amount of valuable gold or platinum pieces equal to 150 GP or five times the damage taken in the attack that cause the mishap. The money is used up in the repair and cannot be recovered.
4. Smoke. In a confined space, smoke is deadly. Players have 3 rounds to put out the source of the smoke before they must hold their breath. At the start of the next round, the interior becomes lightly obscured. At the start of the following round, the interior becomes heavily obscured. An Perception check against the mishap DC reveals the source of the smoke. Any suitable tool check or magical ability such as mage hand, prestidigiation, control flames, gust, shape water, etc.) can extinguish the source of the smoke. At the start of the each round after the cause the source has been stopped, the level of obscuration decreases by one. Once the level of obscuration returns to lightly obscured the air is again breathable.
5. Shaking. The submersible tilts to one side. Each character must make an Athletics or Acrobatics save versus the mishap DC or become stunned (no actions, bonus actions, or reactions) for one round as the must spend their turn attempting to reorient themselves and reach their station.

##### Deep Sea Encounters.

The search for the spelljammer wreck is 2x2 grid pattern. Roll 1d4 to determine the quadrant the wreck and permute the other encounters clockwise.

| d10 | Deap Sea Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Spelljammer wreck
| 2 | Aboleth or Giant Octopus (or several, depending on player level) |
| 3 | Swarm(s) of quippers controlled by a merrow (or several) |
| 4 | Undersea terrain such as a narrow canyon, steep ascent with falling debris, or a field of random steam vents. Make Perception and Piloting skill checks to avoid collisions. Slow speed grants advantage to both, but the ship could be taking heat damage from undersea lava vents, or pursuing creatures. A successful Perception check indicates the "position" of the next peril: left, right or center. A successful piloting check moves the ship up to one position over or maintains the position. A fail leaves the ship in a random position (left, right or center). A collision causes 3d10 bludgeoning (or fire) damage. Circumventing by going back the other way invites additional monster encounters. |

\pagebreakNum

##### Extravehicular Activities (EVA)

Once the spelljamer wreck has been found, or if external repairs need to be made, one ore more players may exit the submersible by magical teleportation such as a fey step, *misty step*, *dimension door*, *teleportation*, etc. If players have no such abilities, the captain may have touch-activated misty step lockets that have been charged with 2 uses each. Or, PCs can purchase spells scrolls (and waterproof them).

Once outside, players are subjected to extreme cold. For every 10 minutes in the water, a player suffers 1 level of exhaustion. Additionally, each round of activity such as exploration, skill checks, or combat, players must succeed on a DC 12 Con save or suffer 1d6 cold damage. Cold resistance additionally grants advantage to the save and a potion of cold resistance grants immunity to this type of cold. Players have a limited amount of air in their lungs (2 minutes plus Con modifier), unless they have a magical or racial ability that grants water breathing, such as the spells *alter self* or *water breathing*.

Each time a player casts a spell with a verbal component, they lose one minute of air.

In order to raise the ship, players must explore the wreck, and make a successful Arcana or Investigation check to discover the purpose and nature of the spelljammer helm (see Astral Adventurer's Guide). The players might find a user manual, or a ship's log describing a change of crew and who is currently attune to the help. They may also interact with the ship's sentient embedded spellbook (see Order of Scribes Wizard in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.), which might only speak Elvish.

\columnbreak

The wreck is haunted by has undead edar who stubbornly remain to protect the wreck. Consider will o'wisps, ghosts, skeletons, or an elemental such as invisible stalker. Or, the classic: sharks. A giant octopus might have decided to make the spelljammer its home. An edar spellcaster may have hidden themselves with a *sequester* spell with a trigger to be woken if another creature attempts to attune to the spelljammer helm.

Attuning to the spelljamming helm requires a spellcaster and 1 hour. Means must be provided to protect the spellcaster from cold damage and drowning, as well as fending off curious and hungry deep sea creatures. For example, conecntrating on the the *heat metal* spell for one minute might warm the metal in the bridge enough to stave off damage for 10 minutes, scaling with upcasting.

The spelljammer doubtless contains many valuable treasures.

##### Raising the Spelljammer

Once a spellcaster has attuned to the helm (conversing with the spellbook by the attuned spellcaster will now be possible telpathically–no need for Elvish), it can be raised from the deep. However, the ship's sentient spellbook will inform the caster that the ship's life-support systems must be repaired in order to provide sufficient warmth survive the ascent to the surface. See submersible mishap #3. The cost is 1d10*100 GP. If the players don't have the gold, they may have to return again with enough valuables, or they may have to attempt to extract the required valuables from other treasure on the ship.

\pagebreakNum

### 5. Contrary Winds

#### Description

Strong winds blow incessantly, driving against your course, as if the powers of creation oppose your voyage. With your sail actings as a foil and your keel redirecting the wind's cross force into forward motion, you can cut across the wind, then tack back, zigzagging a diagonal path toward your destination. (If only your destination could be changed. But there is one very good reason above all to keep on your present heading.) The deck leans hard, listing with the force of the wind, and all hands move to the upwind side as ballast. The steeper the angle, the shorter the voyage. But sailing into the wind is ceaseless work, trimming sails and adjusting course. And each tack, as you turn the ship comes with a sudden shift of the deck, the sail and the sails swing violently around, flapping unpredictably before snapping taut, testing knots and seamanship with unrelenting vigor.

But that is nothing to real problem at hand. The unfriendly flags waving from the group of ships pursuing you seem to think you will soon give up, and your cargo become plunder and your team and crew slaves to their piracy.

The pursuit is a perilous game of strategy and precision. Too long in one direction and they'll get their cannons on you. Tack too frequently, and they'll catch up.

#### Enemy in Pursuit
 
Two (or enough to make the PCs flee) enemy keel boats or sailing ships, such as edar or perlu pirates, sailing one white vessel and one black are pursuing your vessel. Since the larger ships are faster running before the wind, your best chance is to take advantage of your smaller ship's agility. This skill check pits your piloting skill and teamwork against the firepower of the pursuers in a classic 5e chase adapted for sailing.

\columnbreak

Your current heading is 45 degrees to the wind, the maximum angle the ship can take. Any tighter an angle and your speed drops. Any shallower an angle and the large vessels will be able to close the distance more quickly. The enemy ships are at range 120 feet. Once the ships are out of then normal range of their mangonels (200 feet), the chase is over.

Characters/enemies can take the following actions.

* Pilot action: Steady (no change of heading)
* Pilot action: Tack (disadvantage to all ranged attacks) Pursuers gain, but when Pursuer's tack they lose more (big ship, hard to turn)
* Lookout: (one player can watch one ship) On a successful Perception check, lookout can use their reaction to warn the pilot. The pilot can use their reaction to do an evasive maneuver.
* Pilot reaction: Evasive maneuver (+2 AC, pursuers +10 ft).
* Trim the sails (on a tacking turn). Disadvantage on the check if not enough characters participate (DM discretion). the entire crew does not participate (DM discretion.) On a fail the pursuers gain another 10 feet. The DC is set according the guidelines in [Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn) "Crew skill checks" section. For example, basic sail trimming is DC 5, +5 for rough seas, and +3 for ship under attack, or **DC 13**.
* Hiking: (leaning into wind) pursuers -10 ft. if all but one of the PC's besides the pilot participate. If the ship is hit, hiking characters must make an Athletics or Acrobatics check to avoid going overboard. Sailors can wear secure lines, but they lose a turn hauling themselves back up onto the ship (an Athletics check of the same DC).
* Cast a spell, such as fog cloud, warding wind, or gust of wind to cause disadvantage to enemy attacks. Spellcasters concentrating on a spell can only take the spyglass or hiking action.
* Fire the ship's weapon (ballista or mangonel). These weapons require several crew members to operate, per the ship's stat block.

\pagebreakNum

##### Plotting movement.

The PC ship (nominally a keel boat) is heading east and the wind is from the northeast. With the PC ship at origin, quadrant 1 is northeast, quadrant 2 is northwest, quadrant 3 is southwest and quadrant 4 is southeast. The PC ship doesn't move. Pursuit ships will be moved closer or farther depending on the what each ship chooses to do. The movement is resolved at the end of the round.

For theater of the mind, track x and y coordinates.

The white ship is 90 feet (-9x) to the west and 30 feet north (+3y) in quadrant 2 and heading east. The black ship is 60 feet to the west (-6x) and 60 feet south (-6y) in quadrant 3 and heading north.

>Winning: Once the sum of x and y distances of a ship is more than 20, it is out of the chase.

**Ship in quadrant 1 (to the northeast)**
| PC Ship Heading: | East | North | Tack |
|:-|:--:|:--:|:--:|
| Pursuer: East | no change | +2x, -2y | +3x |
| Pursuer: North | -2x, +2y | no change | +3y |
| Pursuer: West  | -6x | -4x, -3y | -4x |
| Pursuer: South | -3x, -4y | -6y | -4y |
| Pursuer: Tack | -3x | -3y | -1x, -1y |

**Ship in quadrant 2 (to the northwest)**
| PC Ship Heading:  | East | North | Tack |
|:-|:--:|:--:|:--:|
| Pursuer: East |  no change | +2x -2y  | +3x |
| Pursuer: North | -2x, -2y  | no change  | +3y |
| Pursuer: West  | -6x | -4x, -3y | -4x |
| Pursuer: South | -3x, -4y | -6y | -4y |
| Pursuer: Tack | +3x | +3y | -1x, -1y |

**Ship in quadrant 3 (to the southwest)**
|PC Ship Heading: | East | North | Tack |
|:-|:--:|:--:|:--:|
| Pursuer: East |  no change |  -2x, -2y | +3x |
| Pursuer: North | -2x, +2y | no change | +3y |
| Pursuer: West  | -6x | -4x, -3y | -4x |
| Pursuer: South  | -3x, -4y | -6y | -4y |
| Pursuer: Tack | +3x | +3y | -1x, -1y |

**Ship in quadrant 4 (to the southeast)**
| PC Ship Heading: | East | North | Tack |
|:-|:--:|:--:|:--:|
| Pursuer: East | no change  | +2x, -2y  | +3x |
| Pursuer: North | -2x, +2y | no change  | +3y |
| Pursuer: West  | -6x | -4x, -3y | -4x |
| Pursuer: South | -3x, -4y | -6y | -4y |
| Pursuer: Tack | +3x | +3y | -1x, -1y |
 
 \columnbreak

##### Resolving artillery fire

Due to the wind, PC ship shooting into quadrant 3, the PC ship has +30 feet of range and -30 feet of range shoooting into quadrant 1. Similarly the enemy ships shooting from quadrant 3 have -30 feet range, and shooting from quadrant 1 have +30 feet of range.
,
##### Mishaps

Whenever a ship segment has its HP reduced to 1/2 of max HP, and 1/4 HP or takes more than 30 damage from a hit, roll for a mishap. Repair actions take a turn in which the ship system is not used and require a successful skill check versus the challenge DC (e.g. 13).

For flooding and fire refer to [Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn)

\pagebreakNum

#### 6. Shallow Sea

The water gradually clears from deep dark blue to crystalline turquoise until you can see the sea floor as though through tinted glass. The lookout keeps a sharp eye out for the coral formations that jut unexpectedly into the ship's path, calling out hazards for the pilot. The gentle breeze keeps the ship slicing through the shallow sea, where the gentle waves that lap at the ship feel more akin to the shore of a lake than of a grand ocean.

The constant expectation of arriving at an island grows into a weary sort of hopelessness, even as the mysterious beauty of the sandy sea floor creatured by crustaceans and cephalopds draws your gaze ever downward, tempting you to take plunge into warm water.

Purportedly, this difficult to find area that only kisses the oceans surface, has a few salvageable wrecks and several convenient anchorages, as well as one primitive Perlu community build up on a lonely sandbar of an island that is famous for its seafood and sea lore. Salvagers who can find this place seek them out, bartering stories like currency. And if there is something you need to find in the ocean, the Zatui tride can guide you there–so long as the adventure makes a worthy story for Tunea Mayakala, the chief storyteller of the Zatui tribe.

The Zatui also have knowledge of rare sea plants and animals and their use herbal medicine. Should you contract a rare disease, the tribe's knowledge may be worth the search for this lonely isle.

\columnbreak

##### Rare Medicines

You set out to collect several local species vital for Zatui medicines that can remove tumors and cure rare skin conditions and even paralysis. In the shallow sea, specimens can be collected free diving. Some species present acute toxins until they are prepared in the customary manner.

A 2x2 grid search pattern of quadrants 1-4 can be used to find specimens (roll random coastal encounters from XGtE). A Perception check in each area will yield the following things which can be collected with successful DC 14 Athletics checks to descend to the depth and DC 12 Sleight of Hand checks to collect without contacting any toxin.

| Check Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | That Zatui shaman was full of crap–probably having a good laugh. There is nothing down there except an old boot somebody threw overboard. |
| 6-10 | Well, there these spiny purple urchins. The shaman said the ones that stop bleeding were harmless and pink, but that could be a translation error on the color. A successful DC 15 Nature check reveals this is indeed very toxic and contact causes toxin severe bleeding which can only be stopped by the actual pink urchin. Lose one hit dice per hour, and then 1d6 HP per hour until pink urchin medicine is administered. 
| 11-15 | The above result. Also, there are yellow sea slugs here. Their mucous is beneficial for healing lung problems. But if any gets on your skin it causes numbness for an hour (disadvantage on Sleight of Hand) or senseless blubbering if on the tongue.
| 16-20 | The above result. Also, you find the shrimp that restore sight and heal nerve damage. But they are hard to catch! DC 18 Sleight of Hand check. |

\pagebreakNum

| Perception Check Cont'd | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 21-25 | The above result. Also, the elusive pink urchins are here and spirobranchus (Christmas tree) worms that can keep a patient in a death-like coma until they can be healed (touching DC15 Con save vs. incapacitated for 1 hour). Also, there are sharks in the area. |
| >25 | Here, though difficult to find, there are psychadelic-colored sea snails that cure several mental illnesses including anxiety and depression, as well as certain fevers. Also, there is a load of sunken treasure! |

#### 7. Coastal Community

Visiting perlu tribes isn't all about bargaining for fresh fruit and water, swapping tall tales, and negotiating for the release of your friends for trespassing on sacred (unmarked) fishing grounds–a widespread tradition you suspect is nothing more than a good old-fashioned thug shakedown.

We're talking about getting perlu makeovers!. Nobody does exotic makeup and jewelery like the perlu. When you are in a funk and your style isn't cutting on the beach, why not island hop and try out local fashions until you find the one that suits you...until you need a new look again.

##### Perlu Makeovers

Upon reaching a new island, players must attempt to portray their greatness in a way that inspires the locals to decorate them as heroes.

Make a Performance check to tell a story of your mighty deeds, a dance that inspires awe at your athleticism, or a song that displays your lyrical genius. Alternatively, you can do a feat of strength (Athletics) or Acrobatics. Lectures on the wonders of Nature can work on occasion, however, that usually just nets you a hut-ful of students at the local shaman school who end up wanting to try their experimental medicines on you.

\columnbreak

| Check Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | At first, you thought they were cheering. No, that is definitely not cheering. They're either laughing, or they're screaming and are going to flay you for heresy. Tough crowd. (No makeover.) |
| 6-10 | Cute? They're calling *you* "cute"? What part of your epic performance gave them that idea? They bring you some bows for your hair and a doll. (wah-wah) |
| 11-15 | Alright! Hero status makeover. Wait–what are those shears for? I didn't ask for a hair cut. Ah well, at least it's free. |
| 16-20 | The locals began an intense debate after you finished your performance. Gradually you realize that there are two opposing fashion factions, one of whom wants to paint you like the god of death, and the other who wants to paint you like a deity of mercy. You must decide. |
| 21-25 | The makeover took all night and into the next morning. But it was worth it. You basically look like you rule the entire province. Actually, now that you mention it... |
| >25 | You fell asleep during the epic makeover. (It was shaman medicine in the scented candles.) When you wake up you find that you have been tattooed with a magic tattoo. Also, your hair and nails look fabulous. |

>Performance checks with a total of 16 or more that earn a hero makeover grant the performer inspiration.

\pagebreakNum

#### 8. Strange Shores

The druids say a typhoon is coming. Better find a safe port, and fast. There is a small chain of low islands nearby, but the typhoon might well destroy the entire archipelago. There is another option. There is a good chance you could reach the outmost of the Halatu Isles with a day a night of sailing. The tall islands protected by the mysterious monks of Halatu have famously well-sheltered coves and sea caves.

And, well, it's the monks of Halatu! Who wouldn't want to see their spiritual mountain enclaves and famous martial arts like the *way of the ascendant dragon* and the spooky *way of astral self*?

True, the waters around the Hallow Isles are rife with pirates cast out of the monk's territory. But shouldn't they be seeking shelter, too, if a typhoon is coming?

True, the monks are eager to share their knowledge and techniques with all who oppose evil.

True, their hospitality and mercy to those in need is legendary... Wait, there is no downside to that either. What are we waiting for?

>Key Lore: The monks of Halatu are guarding a secret underwater storm hold that lies beneath the surface in the shallows between their two most central islands.

##### Sailing to the Halatu Isles

Finding the Halatu Isles in a storm is tricky. The stars are veiled by clouds. A sextant can't be used to estimate latitude. The players need a compass to keep a heading, but they have little no way of knowing when to stop and turn aside to search for an island. Measuring knots accurately in the storm surge is likewise challenging. Make a Navigators Tools check.

| Check Total | Result |
|:-|:-|
| 1-5 | Should have been there by now. Oh, crap. Is this compass even working? Did somebody leave it on top of the oven! Looks like you'll either be out in the typhoon in a storm or make an Intelligence check to triangulate a new heading. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 6-10 | The pounding of the waves makes the compass needle bounce around; keeping a steady course is basically impossible. You arrive at the Halatu Isles, but the eventually arrive at what you believe is one of the outermost of the Halatu Isles, but the storm has already begun. You have disadvantage on your next check to get through a channel into a harbor cove. |
| 11-15 | You sail past a few small islands until you see one that is unmistakably one of the Halatu Isles, a huge rock rising out the sea. It's harbor isn't as sheltered as you had hoped but it is definitely better than open ocean, and not too difficult to enter.  |
| 16-20 | On the wings of the storm, you sail into the midst of the Halatu Isles. Take your pick: a wide harbor that will be easier to enter safely in the storm surge, or a narrow harbor entrance that could smash up your boat if a wave sense you into the rocks, but will provide certain protection from the storm.  |
| 21-25 | Following a slipstream, you manage reach the Halatu Isles just as the storm rolls in. You catch a glimpse of the majestic monasteries high of cliff tops overlooking the sea lit by a magnificent sunrise, tassels and banners flapping in the steadily growing gusts. Guided by the monks, you find the sheltered lee of the main island. You gain advantage on your next check to safely enter the harbor. |
|> 25 | The above result. Also, each member of the team gains advantage on their next Charisma check to interact with a monk of Halatu. |

\pagebreakNum

##### Safe Anchorage: Approach

Approaching the rugged shores of the Halatu Isles in the brewing typhoon you must navigate the ship away from obvious hazards such as rocks along the cliffs, as well as potential unseen hazards under the water, all while getting tossed by crashing waves that pound the hull with full wrath of a vengeful sea.

The approach to shore is difficult. Choose any of the graphics to use as a battle map to represent the approach.

Going in with sails unfurled will power your ship through the waves, but leaves you susceptible to a sudden gust, and it can be a challenge to drop the sails quickly to prevent crashing against the shore. Going in with sails furled, using only oars makes the journey slower, but leaves you less threatened by a dangerous gust. The more sails deployed, the greater your ship's speed, and more the ship shifts with a wind gust.

Each round the ship moves as follows:

##### Safe Anchorage: Crew Actions
Skill checks start at DC 12. Apply disadvantage or advantage per the previous check "Sailing to the Halatu Isles." Characters can choose to take the following actions as a team (majority pass = success) before the wind direction is declared using the ship's Dexterity, plus crew proficiency as the modifier.

\columnbreak

* **Hoist sails:** increase from no sails to half, or half to full sails
* **Drop sails:** decrease from full to half, or half to no sail
* **Fight the waves:** Athletics Check to reduce forced movement by 5 feet. 
* **Turn the sails:** Athletics Check to change direction of last 5 feet of forced movement.

##### Safe Anchorage: Mishaps

If the boat hits an obstacle roll for a mishap.

| d4 | Mishap |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Hull rupture. Hull take 5d10 bludgeoning damage. Flooding begins. Each round flood stage increases by one and ship Dexterity decreases per [Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn) flood guidelines, which makes checks harder. |
| 2 | Overboard. One crew member at random falls overboard. Swim speed in rough water is half of usual swim speed (for 30 feet movement use 10 feet one round and 5 feet the next, alternating). For each overboard crew, apply a -2 penalty to team skill checks tallies. |
| 3 | Sail torn or oar broken. Reduce movement in desired direction by 5 feet. |
| 4 | Minor collision. Hull takes 3d10 bludgeoning damage. |
| 5 | Rudder/helm damage | Reduce desired movement direction by 5 feet and add it to the random movement, plus 3d10 damage to rudder/helm. |
| 6 | Run aground. Ship is stuck on a rocky prominence, but has a chance to be freed each round on a reroll check (d6) of 5-6. Each round it is stuck, the hull takes minor (3d10) damage as waves pound it against the rocks. |

Click the gmbinder "view source" button to find the links for the below images to download the file for VTT, or print.

\pagebreakNum

##### Ascending the Great Stairs

The monks of Halatu make a daily ascent of the great stairs. It is an exhausting, soul-expanding climb that strengthens the body and the mind. Guests are invited to ascend the great stairs before conversing with the elders, so they can order their thoughts and consider their ways.

Those who ascend the stairs may never be the same again, so transcendent is the experience.

>Tip: When the PCs ascend the great stairs take time to invite each player to share what their character is thinking about or reflecting on. This is a great opportunity for roleplay and repose, to capture all that has happened on their adventures and to their character. Perhaps they mourn a loss or a missed chance, or let go of some harbored revenge, or make a vow. <br><br> Immediately before a level-up is a great time for this journey as a player may want their character to multiclass, or develop a new ability as a result of their revelation. Invite players to elaborate on their result.

Characters stubbornly trying to stay who they are and *not* have a kum-ba-ya wilderness hippy-dippy experience make a DC 14 Charisma saving throw. Those looking for a change can willingly fail.

| d4 | Great Stairs Charisma save success |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | All you can think about is noodles. Everything on the trail makes you think of delicious noodles. Why does this hike have to be before breakfast? |
| 2 | All the pollen in the air–it's just awful! Don't any of these monks have allergies? |
| 3 | Possessed by the temptation to hide behind a tree and jump out and scare the next meditating monk to walk past, you waste your climb snickering to yourself and looking for good hiding spots. Roll a DC 15 stealth check to surprise a monk. |
| 4 | That super-hot monk that brought you the hot pot dish last night is all you can think about. Did they like you? Were they making eyes at you or did they have an eyelash stuck in their eye? Where is their bunkhouse? You spend the hike looking for them. |

| d8 | Great Stairs Charisma save fail |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | The world–nature–it's so beautiful. But you are not. There is too much ugliness in your soul: anger, grief, violence, bitterness, ...pranks. It mars your soul, burdens you. Your steps grow heavy and slow, until you can go no further. Either you must change (alignment shift toward good or lawful), or you must turn back and spend many days in seclusion before trying again.|
| 2 | The way the branches move in the wind, the wings of butterflies, the dance of the clouds of the sky–there is something here, something new and possibly powerful. You must/may either change your preferred weapon, cantrip, or fighting style to something that conforms to this natural movement you are feeling. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 3 | Reflection on your life and its higher purpose has led you toward a new vision for yourself, especially the way your past has shaped you. You feel a strong desire/compulsion to honor a mentor, friend, or relative from your past. You feel compelled to spend several days crafting a eulogy, personal history, monument, or gift, which will doubtless cost precious money, but such is your fidelity to this vision. |
| 4 | A greater understanding of yourself leads you to a new ideal of appearance. You either change your hair style drastically (shave head, mohawk, crew cut, pixie cut, or extreme dye job), or get a conspicuous tattoo to memorialize your experience here.|
| 5 | An extreme change in your soul has led you toward a new path for yourself and your future. You must/may multiclass or change your subclass either in the material plane or mindspace or both. |
| 6 | You were not prepared for the raw emotion that this experience would evoke. You spend the rest of the day in intermittent burst of tears, your mood swinging from joy to sorrow. You gain inspiration and 1d10+level temporary hit points. |
| 7 | One thing was clear from your journey alone: life was not meant to be spent alone. Your bond shifts to "finding my soulmate." You also adopt a new pet. |
| 8| Your journey to ultimate self has only just begun. You undertake a regimen of fasting and meditation. The stress on your body causes you to lose half of your hit dice, but you gain advantage on Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws through your next adventure. |

\pagebreakNum

##### Monk NPC Interactions

To create a memorable connection with the players, consider a more specific, and non-mission critical interaction with an NPC, or NPCs. Monks can be met doing the following (d12): (1) daily chores like hauling water from the well (why don't monks believe in plumbing?), chopping firewood, or Karate-kid type activities like painting the fence or sanding the floor design to enhance their martial prowess, (2) working in the kitchen, (3) fishing or meditating alone in the woods or on a bluff overlooking the ocean, (4) combat training, (5) sneaking into the pantry late at night for an unauthorized snack and having a tussle with whomever else was there (possible doing the same thing) or running into someone at the bathhouse or washing clothes, (6) calligraphy/painting class or both sneaking away from a boring cultural performance like an oration, play, or concert, (7) dance training/practice, (8) hiking, (9) doing ship repairs, (10) entertaining children, (11) bartering for supplies, (12) sparring.

Determine the NPC "role" (d8): (1) cultural ambassador–explains to the clueless PCs things about Halatu culture, food, clothing, etc. A good example is a precious child, (2) a cryptic guru/mentor with whom PCs can discuss their personal issues, (3) a love interest. This NPC can either show interest in one of the PCs, or more than one. Make a love triangle. Create complications that prevent this NPC from being with the PC, such cultural (foreigners) or situational (already promised to a noble on another isle), (4) a tag-a-long such as a teen wannabe seeker who wants to see the wider world, and peppers the PCs with questions about their adventures and plans, scars, equipment, etc., (5) a counter-culture character who sees the downsides of Halatu culture and believes revolution is the only way to free a repressed populace.

\columnbreak

(6) another outsider who has lived with the Halatu for many years with a mysterious past. Could be a castaway, political exile, escape prisoner, dead-beat dad, construct, etc. (7) the overworked/lonely widow/widower with a child, where the child serves as a bridge to try to connect a PC with their stubbornly independent but inwardly emotionally desperate mother/father, (8) a legendary weaponsmith or skilled crafter.

##### A Challenge of Valor

After greeting the elders of the Halatu monks, you are invited to prove your courage in a test. If one or more team members take the challenge, the Halatu will make the team honorary members of their order and share with you some vital lore.

Rowing to a nearby island, you come to wavering portal which is the entrance to a lod. This lod leads to a fragment of an unknown plane, but dangerous plane filled with nightmare creatures that spawn from the darkness within the souls that enter (yes, like Yoda's swamp).

Each player must enter alone and faces solo combat versus a fiend or aberration that represents some aspect of their character. For instance a barbarian might face a mighty barlgura, and shadow sorcerer might face a shadow demon. This will be a terrifying thing for players, because they don't know that if you die in a lod (which isn't technically their home plane) they are only banished back to their home plane, arriving somewhere in the Halatu isles. (You can private message this information to any player that dies.) So, the team will be surprised when they get "back to camp" and find their ally alive and well. This is true for this lod, but a successful arcana check reveals that some lods are more integrated with Corion and would likely not have the same effect. After the challenge, the elders reveal the monks of Halatu are protecting a hidden storm hold under the sea.

\pagebreakNum

\columnbreak

##### Entering the Sunken Storm Hold

After passing the challenge of valor the Halatu elders reveal that their order exists to protect a storm hold which lies just under the surface of the ocean between two of their central islands.

The sunken storm hold has two entrances on opposite sides of the base at a depth of 180 feet. One is arcane locked and can be opened with the *knock* spell, or *dispel magic* followed by a DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check. The other has been partially damaged. A successful Investigation check of DC 14 reveals that the damage is a result of something attempting to break out. To open the partially damaged stone door of AC 17 requires dealing 150 damage. This stone door has resistance to slashing, cold, and fire damage, vulnerability to bludgeoning damage, and immunity to psychic, poison and necrotic damage, and a damage threshold of 10.

Once 150 damage has been dealt, a successful Strength (Athletics) check of DC 18 can remove the remained of the door enough for medium-sized creatures to enter.

The lower levels of the sunken storm hold are all flooded. Green lights illuminate dark corridors. Skeletons are present here, and many undead, including aquatically-adapated crel (deep scion stat block).

There are still levels and rooms of the storm hold where air is accessible. By exploring sufficiently the team can discover a control room and by repairing it, enable the storm hold to expel water from certain areas.

##### Sunken Storm Hold Flooded Area Encounters

While maneuvering through the flooded area, each encounter is a 40 foot long section or varied width. All areas are fully submerged (no air) unless otherwise specified.

| 1d20 | Flooded Area Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Runelight bathes a room with vaulted ceilings where sea plants grow tall. [Kelp bass](#dms-guide-kelp-bass) can be encountered here. Food can be harvested. A 10x10 foot wide 3 feet high bubble of breathable air exists at the top of the 40 foot high cylinder. |
| 2 | The space is a low-ceilinged conference chamber. In the center is a partially functioning illusory map of this level of the storm hold with explanation cyberunic. 1d6 areas can be deciphered by a creature that can read the language.  |
| 3 | A cargo bay door with active cyberunic keypad: one on either side of the bay doors. Once unlocked this room can be accessed from the sea. (Perils may enter or leave.) The bay doors are simply operated. Two people (or one and a mage hand) must press and hold the open button on both keypads. The other 3 buttons are close, sound audible alert and flash lights, and emergency close. The alert button works if pressed from either side, as does the emergency close button. If the emergency close is pressed and a creature is in the doorway, it must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw versus 3d12 bludgeoning damage. If they fail by more than 5 one limb is severed. |

\pagebreakNum

| 1d20 | Flooded Area Encounters cont'd |
|:-|:-|
| 4 | Cryobay. Here there are many opened (either from the inside or cracked from the outside) cryobays. None are functional though some have flickering lights. Those who read cyberunic can determine this was a room for zantir statis. An DC 18 Investigation check will reveal an illusory image log of the zantir while in statis, then an image of them all dead. This room holds remains of medical equipment. 1d4 potions of healing or greater healing can be found with a DC 12 Perception check. A creature that drinks and old potion must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution save or become poisoned for 1 hour. A will o'wisp will have a 50% chance to appear after players spend more than one minute here. |
| 5 | The mechanical room with a powerful energy source is supervised by a 1d4 constructs. See [Expanded Golems](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-Mxa3t1r5PHn7MrlYS1s) by Sonixverse for sundry stat blocks. If players defeat the golems and attempt to collect the energy source, they are pulled into a mind fragment. If players search for anything broken, they will find that the power source is misaligned. If they can explain that in a cyberunic sequence to the constructs, the constructs will begin repairing. If the characters try to do the repairs, the constructs will attack. |
| 6 | A hangar bay with a dozen small astral spelljammer fighters in various stages of construction. These unfinished and nonfunctional class 1 (patrol boat) astral ships look like anglerfish and one is complete enough to feature a medium-sized object (orb) on the front that accumulates 4 charges per day. The orb can be activated with a cyberunic sequence and can expend 1 charge to cast fog cloud, 2 charges to cast daylight or darkness, 3 charges to cast hypnotic pattern, and 4 charges to cast charm monster. If separated from the astral vessel, the orbs stop accumulating charges.

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 6 | ... It seems these were ships designed to function as scouts or decoys in astral space. The ships have one ballistae in the nose, a nose cone the swings open into a cockpit large enough for one crew group. It balances on two lateral/ventral fins and has three fish tails at the back that appear to be some kind of physical armor for deflecting attacks. |
| 7 | A power containment leak in this area is causing the effects of the spell *sickening radiance* (DC appropriate to the PCs level). A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals the leak is preventing the ship's environment control system from expelling the water. The containment leak can be fixed with a suitable tools check, for example Smith's Tools. Once the leak is fixed, the breathable areas can be explored. |
| 8 | Aquatic-adapted crel live is this underwater biome with strange bubble kelp. If they can be reasoned with in cyberunic, a fight can be avoided. Otherwise, it is a dinner party. |
| 9 | An orbyx is in this area. It can transmute into a Perlu. It discovered this storm hold many centuries ago and can point aventurers toward the reactor leak (encounter 7). |
| 10 | A merrow or hunter shark is in this area. It is discovered by first encountering a swarm of quippers, and once there is blood in the water... |
| 11 | This area has giant lightning eels and energy storage pods which could be useful to artificers, if only they were charged. (Tales of the Yawning Portal) |
| 12-20 | No encounter. Allow players to choose a direction at an intersection. |

\pagebreakNum

##### Sunken Storm Hold Breathable Area

Once in the space with air, PC's find a partially open door which has the *alarm* spell on it, alerting 2d8 Crel to the presence of intruders. The alarm creates a green pulsation which should tell the players that they have activated something. This is a classic 5e chase. Pursuers start 90 feet away. The area is a grid of 60 feet corridors. Roll 1d10 for complications each round. When a PC reaches the end of a corridor they can use an action to make a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check into the next corridor segment: left, right, or straight. (3 characters can do 3 simultaneous checks.) A successful check reveals that corridor's hazard. Otherwise, characters can barge ahead down their chosen corridor without sacrificing a turn.

| 1d10 | Sunken Storm Hold Chase Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 |  Plants occupy the middle 20 feet of the corridor making difficult terrain |
| 2 | Stray conduits and wires dangle from the in the first half of the corridor, sparking dangerously. Characters must make a DC 14 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to avoid the wires, or suffer 2d6 lightning damage. Failing by more than 5 causing a creature to become restrained, suffering 2d6 lightning damage each round. The creature can be freed by another creature using a turn to remove the wires. Moving half speed grants advantage on the check |
| 3 | After the first PC passes, 1d4 skeletons or one will o'wisp emerges from the rubble to attack. The skeletons may be of any Corioni race. (Hint that creatures here were one of all races.) |
| 4 | The corridor has a vampiric mist which cannot leave the corridor. |
| 5 | The corridor is booby trapped. As soon as a creature passes the midpoint, doors at the front and back close. Doors can be opened via knock, or dealing 50 damage. They have the same properties as the main door | 
| 6 | Flickering lights impose disadvantage on ranged attacks and make manuevering among debris difficult. Make a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check to avoid the prone condition.  |
| 7 | A pit trap exists in a 10 foot wide section of false floor 40 feet into the corridor. Make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to avoid falling 15 feet and suffering 1d6+2 bludgeoning damage. A dashing creature has disadvantage. A creature following the first creature has advantage. Another option is a fall into a flooded area. |
| 8 | The corridor opens into a maze of wide pillars offering cover and a chance to hide. |
| 9 | Recent remains of crel meals (fish) in the area disguise the PC's scent. Crel do not have advantage to smell PCs. |
| 10 | One stray crel is lurking in this corridor which will attempt to grapple the last character. |
| 11 | A semi-submerged area is difficult terrain, though it offers the chance for cover. One giant poisonous snake is in the area. |

| |  |
|:-|:-|
| 12 | This corridor has 3 open doors into storage areas with crates. The crates have a variety clothing that has rotted with time, with attire suitable for all Corioni races, though crel are all seemingly human. This is a hint that the storm holds are of Corioni origin and that there should have been other races on the stormholds as well. |
| 13 | A crel-cast illusion is present midway down this corridor that appears like a solid wall. A DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check or physical interaction reveals it to be an illusion. |
| 14 | A crel-cast illusion is present here which makes a section of wall appear to be an operable door, if a particular rune sequence is pressed. This is major image that interacts with the touch of a character to alter the rune pattern. A successful DC 14 Investigation check reveals it to be an illusion. |
| 15 | Two doors in this corridor have cyberrunic keypads. One can be discerned to be inoperable with a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check. The other can be operated with the correct cyberunic sequence. This is a puzzle that is DC 25, with the DC reducing by 3 with each successive attempt. It opens to a control room that can be both physically and magically-locked from inside. |
| 16-20 | No complication. On the third roll of no complication, the PCs find a mind fragment. |

\pagebreakNum

### Shipwrecked

The ship you are travelling on has foundered. Reasons abound (1d8): (1) sabotage: developed a leak, (2) old ship, poor maintenance, (3) unseen shoal/reef, (4) capsized in storm waves, (5) attack by pirates, (6) took on too much water in rough seas, (7) bad/inexperienced work at the helm cause it to capsize in a strong wind, (8) sea monster attack.

The survivors make are able to swim to a nearby island which is uniquely:

| d8 | Island Theme |
|:-|:-|
| 1 |...littered with relics and belongings of past castaways. Apparently this is a very common island to be shipwrecked on. Players can find journals, spellbooks, magic items and weapons–the sorts of things someone who is dying of hunger and thirst doesn't need. This can an opportunity to dig up dirt on a rival or enemy in Starky's Cove, or discover campaign-relevant lore. Perhaps edar were shipwrecked here. |
| 2 | ...populated by aggressive tiny animals which form swarms of 1d4: (1) rats, (2) ravens, (3) insects, (4) quippers, (5) wolves or dogs, (6) large flightless birds. The creatures are territorial and may "own" the water hole or another valuable item such as a lookout point.|
| 3 | ...dotted with vacation homes. The PCs have landed on a private island. There is likely plenty of food in those cabins and bungalows. If only they weren't locked and guarded by local staff. |
| 4 | ...barren. A recent storm appears to have destroyed most of the trees and vegetation on this island. There is minimal wood for signal fires and cooking and the large game on the island such as boar had all died from hunger. This is survival mission. Solutions may come from scavenging wrecks.|
| 5 | ...pleasant. The temperature is moderate. Daily rains fill natural depressions. Coconuts and dates and mangos are plentiful. Fish abound in the reefs. It's perfect, except for one tiny detail. The native perlu don't like sharing with outsiders. The PCs will need to find a way to show their worth to the natives to earn their trust and respect. |
| 6 | ...quarantined. This island has "quarantine" signs all over it. A strange pestilence has corrupted those who were last marooned here. They may be even more zombie-like than the crel. Or, it may be a battlefield graveyard and populated with undead such as wights. Or, there may be lycanthropy here: werewolves, wererats, weretigers and so on. |
| 7 | ...festive. This island is populated by locals who do nothing but party. They are not interested in the least in helping the players escape, because who would want to escape from pleasure island? |
| 8 | ...suited to a secret base. This island has a cove that will work as a secret sheltered harbor. One side is a lush foret with trees, a lookout peak, a spring and stream that runs year round. There is a large cave that leads from the cove into a secret hideaway grotto with sunlight peaking through the sinkhole opening, a sandy beach and plenty of space to put in a dry dock.

| | |
|:-|:-|
| | A nearby shipwreck was apparently carrying a load of iron ore, so there's plenty of that. There's even enough mild volcanic activity for hot springs. The lagoon is teaming with fish. There is only one problem. Some pirates have noticed the exact same advantages and they are moving in to take over. (This is a home-alone episode–time to defend your island by making loads of hilarious traps.) The campaign could even shift locations from Starky's Cove to here, and Starky's Cove may become a holiday destination. |

As survivors, you have several priorities. Each of them could lead to roleplay drama and skills checks. As a DM, choose the most interesting/exciting activities for your party.

* **Find water.** Finding water can involve searching for a water barrel, or any kind of barrel, from the ship, as well as improvising a rain collection system, searching for a spring or creek, or digging a well (last resort). 
* **Get help.** A sending stone or *sending* spell could do it. Message in a bottle is another way. But first you'll need to know where you are. Make a DC 12 Navigators Tools or Surveyor's Tools check. If you don't have the tools, including a sextant and a wound clock to get longitude, the DC is 16. On a success you are able to ascertain your general direction relative to Starky's Cove. On a fail, your numbers are off, and help will not arrive.

\pagebreakNum

*  **Building montage.** Do an in-game time dilation of three to six months and allow the players to decide what they will construct in that time. They can make plans for a massive tree house, or make a boat, or setup a business.
*  **Perfect your castaway look.** Ripped shirts, dreds, some leather stuff wrapped around random body parts–face it, there is no sense being marooned if you can't look rugged.
*  **Make a signal fire.** Even chopping wood without tools is a challenge.
* **Hang out at the campfire.** Being a castaway is a perfect time reminisce about life choices and past adventures. Lots of blame to pass around and roasts of each other to make while passing the time under the stars.
* **Rig an outrigger.** This could involve making a dugout canoe or simply lashing logs together with ropes salvaged from the wreck or woven from local plant fibers. If it works, you are on your way home. Only, you need plenty of water, and oars, and probably a lot of other things.
* **Hunt a pig.** Nothing says castaway like a "Lord of the Flies" style pig hunt.
*  **Get food.** Make skill checks to climb coconut trees and open them without losing all the water. Make spears and nets. Catch fish.
*  **Change islands.** Wade or swim across a long shallow reef at low tide to another island with more resources. Sharks are always the risk on the reef.
* **Plot your revenge.** Someone is to blame for this.
* **Make budget spells scrolls.** You might have to resort to local materials like berry ink and rough-beaten fibrous parchment, but what else are you going to do? They make only be good enough materials for cantrips, but once you get rescued you can sell them.
* **Parley with pirates.** Of course, you didn't know they were pirates when you got their ship's attention with your smoke signal. They are more than willing to take you aboard. Whether on not they ever let you off is another matter entirely.
* **Explore the island.** You may find a lod with magic items you need to get off this paradise prison, or an ancient site surrounded by strange carved stone pillars with a functioning teleportation circle and some gems with sufficient charge to take you back to Starky's Cove...or anywhere else.

\columnbreak
 
* **Go bonkers.** (Check with players before hand to make sure this is an okay roleplay as mental health can be a personal or sensitive issue, though it can make for interesting and informative roleplay as well.) As a result of long isolation you begin you to lose your mind. Roll to determine the unique mental malady that effects each player (d10): (1) anxiety and panic attacks, (2) hallucination, (3) fear of water and swimming, (4) hypochondria, (5) arachnophobia, (3) multiple personality disorder, (6) social anxiety, (7) muttering to yourself, (8) you develop animal-like traits and behaviors (furry), (9) insomnia, (10) low self esteem–you blame yourself for what has happened to the group.  
* **Multiclass.** Being stranded is the perfect time to learn some new skills. Perhaps you'll become an artificer to get the skills and tools to get off this island, or perhaps you'll become a druid or ranger to help find food, or maybe you've developed rage issues and take a level of barbarian. As a DM, you can give everyone a free level up or feat for being stranded for a year, so long as it can plausibly relate to being stranded. It's fun, it's against the rules, and by golly, they aren't going to expect it! Or, if nobody wants to multiclass, you can allow them to change their background feature or gain a new one.

\pagebreakNum

### Lush Island

#### Jungle Cruise

Your travels have brought you to the jungle island of Kovatu, famous for it's ancient ruins and impenetrable jungle.

Beyond that are the tales of powerful magical entities that haunt the jungle ruins. It sounds and awful lot like free-roaming mind fragments. Since most mind fragments of Ka'rel are associated with storm holds, the rumors are promising for seekers. If edar are in the area, there may be a race to the mind fragment.

Sailing into the port city of Banadan on the arid leeward side of the island, the steep rocky slopes are bare and the port entry is narrow, a harbinger of the harrowing passage upstream.

Outfitters and river guides abound, some with less than ideal reputations. Your eye is drawn to several of the smaller tour boats. Based on your knowledge of this island's geography, the smaller boats will be able to get further upstream. Against the current you'll want a good strong set of muscles. Your gaze stops at Makanaw's Ruins Ride–for more than one reason. A skilled pilot in Mackanaw himself, a strong porter and deck hand in the tall, dark and handsome Jukes, and an unforgettable tour guide in Mackanaw's daughter Coriona.

When you describe your purpose in coming, it's clear you made the right choice. Mackanaw explains the ruins you want to see are away from usual tourist area. He knows the way, though it's bit of an adventure. The capable tour guide takes your pay and agrees to depart within the hour. Coriona can show you around the waterfront to get a bite to eat, pickup some gear, or look for creepy souvenirs. Then you are all piling into the riverboat, it's tiny steam engine, so new an unreliable on Corion, chuffing away as you head upstream.

\columnbreak

A half hour into the ride, the air grows dense and you make a turn to the windward side of the island.

Everything changes. Greenery closes in around the river, roots and vines grasping at the boat, insects buzzing hungrily, large fish swimming in the water, eying *you* like some kind of catch-worry find. Jukes stops playing banjo and sits down lower beside the gunwale. Coriona climbs to the front of the boat, takes her seat as low as possible and beckons you to do the same.

"Keep an eye out for trouble," she says. "These are not the friendliest waters." You notice Machanaw's hand is on the handle of his pistol.

Something is agitating the wildlife. Roll 1d6.

| d6 | Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Apes. The apes are territorial, acting as though they are protecting something. (Anyone else read *Congo*?) Fight your way through or scare them off. |
| 2 | Giant lightning eels in the water and giant constrictor snakes dropping off branches overhead. |
| 3 | Swarms of quippers. They're harmeless, until they start splashing enough water into the boat that they can jump in and swim around to nibble on toes. |
| 4 | Zombies. They reach out f the water, fall out trees, grasp from the bushes--terrifying. Clearly necromantic magic is at work in the jungle. |
| 5 | Swarm of insects. Use the monster manual stat block, except they have a toxin that causes blindness for one hour on a failed DC 12 Constitution save (can be removed by lesser restoration). |
| 6 | Assassin vines (Ghosts of Saltmarch.) |

\pagebreakNum

The river winds past ruins, none of which seem to hold any of mysterious artifacts or mind fragment magic. They are empty. Mackanaw explains that the real tour starts here. Disembarking the team finds a few previously stowed canoes hidden in brush. One of the tour guides will go with the adventurers on a short portage to another river. The other two will take the boat back to port. After the portage, the canoes are put in on a narrow, fast-moving stream. The real ruins are down river.

##### Whitewater

Navigating the river takes skill. If the PCs do not have proficiency in water vehicles, they may make an Intelligence check to learn from the guide. On a successful Intelligence check of DC 14, the PCs will gain half proficiency in canoes. If they succeed by five or more, they gain full proficiency for this skill check.

There are three cascades with DC 10, DC 14 and DC 18. The first check is to position the canoe (Athletics). The second check is to stay in the canoe (Acrobatics). If a player falls in the water, they can attempt to get back in the canoe, though the player in the canoe then has disadvantage on the position check.

If a player goes of a cascade not in the canoe, they must make an Athletics check of the cascade DC. On a success they suffer no damage. On a fail they suffer 1d6 bludgeoning damage or 2d6 bludgeoning damage if they fail the check by more than five. If they fail the check by more than ten they are trapped in an undertow. A DC 20 Strength check by an ally is required to get them out. Each cascade section is hundred feet long and players will have to climb up the sides of the river (difficult terrain) to assist.

\columnbreak

A player can make a strength check a number of times in a row equal to three plus their Constitution modifier (similar to dashing). Thereafter, if the character does not rest for a full minute between attempts before they suffer one level of exhaustion per check.

As they come around a corner they are in a random position (1d3): (1) left, (2) center, (3) right relative to the main current (1d3) (1) left, (2) center, or (3) right. A successful Athletics check allows them to move to an adjacent position. A check that exceeds the DC by more than five allows to move from left to right or vice-versa.

Each drop is in a random position (d3) (1) left, (2) center, (3) right or (4) split falls left and right with a rock in the center.

If the boat is not in position, the acrobatics checks to stay in the canoe over the falls has disadvantage.

For a bigger challenge, add hazard such as a rock or low hanging branch in a random (1d3) position (left, center, right). A perception check of DC 10 is required to spot the hazard (or alert from teammates ahead.) Add +3 to the check DC for boat that goes over the cascade in the same position as the hazard.

##### Natives

To add more drama, natives are shooting at the PCs with blow guns. The natives are on the left shore. If the players are in the left position, the natives have advantage on their attack rolls. If they are on the right position, the natives have disadvantage. On a hit a player must make a DC 12 Consitution saving throw or suffer 1d8 poison damge and have the Poisoned condition until the next fall.

\pagebreakNum

##### Ruins of the Broken Storm Hold

The thunderous roar of the falls fades as the river widens at the base of steep-sided canyon. Emerging from the mist the canyon walls reveal themselves to great stone buttresses of an ancient fortress, towering stone structures still splendorous after thousands of years of neglect. This hidden valley, nestled between two terrifying cascades is truly a place apart from time.

On the shore a bipedal lizard dashes from view. It seems even dinosaurs survived here.

A cove with a beach is your first place for a takeout. With light fading quickly, you'll have to make camp and explore the ruins in the morning.

At night, a strange cry calls from further into the jungle. It sounds as those someone is screaming, terrified. If the PCs go searching for the sound, they will find nothing. It was made by feral crel attempting to lure the adventurers into a trap. There are two traps in the area, a pit trap covered by large leaves, and net snare that hauls anyone standing on the net up twenty feet into the air. Both traps are large size and can hold up to 4 creatures. There are two routes to the sound, on is along a small tributary, the other is along a ridge and then down a small ravine. The pit trap is along the tributary. The net is in the ravine. The traps can be discovered (disadvantage without darkvision) a DC15 Perception check. The pit trap is 15 feet deep and the sidewals are set with  downward facings wooden spikes to discourage climbing out.

If the players do not fall for the crel's attempts to lure them from their camp, dinosaur-riding crel attack. A strider from the monster manual is effectively a dinosaur mount. For a higher level challenge include flying mounts.

\columnbreak

Either fleeing the crel, or exploring the area, the adventurers will find the ruins are of two kinds. One is a ruin of an ancient civilization. The other is quite obviously a storm hold. Why does it not attract lightning as other storm holds? The answer is that this storm hold was broken. A successful Investigation check reveals that tectonic or volcanic action was responsible for fracturing the top half of the storm hold off.

Either storm hold can be entered through the broken top, via a rappel. See [Mountain Geographies 4: narrow canyon with rappels](#dms-guide-mountain-geographies-4-narrow-canyon-with-rappels) for an example skill check.

The crel have abandoned the storm holds and live as uncivilized, almost feral primitives. They are responsible for training the apes. However the magical surges that are affecting the wildlife are a result of changes in the mind fragments with the storm holds.

One of the mind fragments has become corrupted, either by isolation, or by edar influence. It must either be purged and repaired, or combined with a more stable mind fragment, or otherwise dealt with or the mind fragment will wreak further havok on this island.

The upper half of the storm hold is nonfunctional. It has one "sane" mind fragment that wants to help.

The lower half of the storm hold is partially functional. It has the deraingeed mind fragnment.

Aberrations are an appropriate monster type for this storm hold and/or the mind space.

As an interesting alternate scenario, the edar and PCs might have to join forces against the crel in order to make it out of the valley alive. They can climb overland through the jungle or descend another large cascade to the coast.

\pagebreakNum

#### Herbology Expedition

*"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"*

On the island of Kovatu, characters may meet someone who is looking for a missing person. Or, they might be chartered to go to the island to help look for this person. The missing person is a famous botanist and alchemist Dr. Horgath who was investigating the properties of the unique plants on Kovatu. Roll to determine the person who is searching for Dr. Horgath:

| d3 | Searcher |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Janely, a dedicated student from the university who studied under Dr. Horgath and needs to find him so she can get her thesis approved and graduate, or else feels like she owes all her success to his mentoring, or else wants to finish his vital studies which could cure a rare and deadly illness in the archipelago. |
| 2 | Chanda, the wife of Dr. Horgath, refuses to believe that he is dead. She has an artificer's artifact from his magical tinkering that she believes remains enchanted because he is still alive. A successful Arcana check will reveal that her claim is true. |
| 3 | Rotherbert, a bookish junior account manager at Dimwort Investment Bank in Starky's Cove, has been dispatched to reconcile Dr. Horgath's debt. They cannot seize his assets without proof of his death. And, if he is alive, they want their money back that they laid out for his expedition which was supposed to deliver medicinal ingredients that would make them all fabulously rich. Dr. Horgath may be faking his own disappearance because he can't repay the loan. Or, he may be dead. Either way, the bank is willing to pay for assistance in locating Dr. Horgath (or his remains). |

\columnbreak

___
> ### Kovatu Gobbler
>*Large plant, unaligned*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 13 +1/3 CR (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** (15 x CR) + 15
> - **Speed** 0 ft. (rooted)
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)| 10 (+0)| 16 (+3) | 2 (-4)| 12 (+1)| 6 (-2) |
>___
> - **Skills/Senses** Stealth 3 + 1/3 CR, Tremorsense (while buried) 30 ft.
> - **Challenge** 1-5 (adjustable)
>___
> **Terrible Tuber.** The gobbler can bury itself, leaving out small antennae to detect the touch, smell, or vibrations of creatures moving nearby. A gobbler emerges as a reaction to sensing creature within 15 feet or less, or a gobbler emerging within 30 feet.
> 
> ___
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The gobbler makes makes two bite and/or beatdown attacks, or a swallow attack.
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 +1/2 CR to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit* Target is grappled.  *Hit* CR d8 +3 piercing damage.
>
> ***Swallow.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 + 1/2 CR to hit with advantage, reach 5 ft., one grappled creature of medium or smaller size. *Hit* CR d6+3 bludgeoning damage plus CR d6 acid damage. Target is restrained and blinded.
>
> ***Beat down.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., throw 20/60, one grappled target. *Hit* CR d8+3 bludgeoning damage and creature is prone.
>
> ***Uproot.*** (1/day) The gobbler tears itself out of the ground, moves up to 30 feet, and replants.

\pagebreakNum

The search for Dr. Horgath begins with an overland trek into the jungle, following clues provider by the searcher.
A Survival check should be made to avoid the wrong path into the **Valley of Moving Shadows**. A fail may lead to a difficult descent such as a rappel, or needing to cross a river (crocadiles, leeches, quippers...).

A Perception check from a treetop lookout after and Athletics check climb (potentially disturbing apes on a fail), or an Investigation check of a grid search (dinosaur encounter on a fail), will lead to a set of crude ruins.

There is a makeshift hut in the ruins with several keepsakes of Dr. Horgath. His notes reveal that the "Kovatur gobbler" sap has numerous medicinal properties from analgesic, to anti-inflamatory, to antiseptic, and last but not least, and ominously incriminating: hallucinogenic.

The final letters are crudely written, as if by a shaking hand. The notes indicate the largest population of gobblers is near the head of the river, where falls rush out of the mouth and eye sockets of a skull carved into the cliff face.

As to what a gobbler is, the PCs are left to guess. If they attempt to seek out a native, they are warned not to enter the Valley of Moving Shadows and to beware the fraying vine (a description of the gobbler antennae).

Coming to the gobbler farm, the adventurers find Dr. Horgath. Roll for how he is encountered.

| d6 | Meeting Dr. Horgath |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Dr. Horgath is living at the top of a rocky island in the jungle where he survives on grubs and rainwater. He is surrounded by gobblers and cannot leave. |
| 2 | The players walk into a nest/farm of gobblers and must fight their way to rocky ground. Climbing up they find themselves at the center of a rocky island in the jungle. All around, the jungle is moving. The gobblers are closing in on their prey. It is there that the players find the bones of Dr. Horgath. Escape is possible via negotiation, distraction, or other improvisation. The gobblers are sentient and understand and can draw crude pictograms. This can be discovered by an Investigation check on the nature of the crude ruins in the valley.  |
| 3 | The (barely) sentient gobblers surround the players, shepherding and forcing them toward a giant clearing in the jungle where stone monoliths rise on either side of a makeshift throne. There Horgath sits, revered as a god by the gobblers. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| | Taking him away may a threat to their faith. He may not want to leave, or may be desperate to leave. The searcher could be installed as the new god of the gobblers. Or the PCs may find another solution via negotiation or stealth. The gobblers are less active at night. |
| 4 | Dr. Horgath is a mindless wreck, having become addicted to the mind-bending sap of the gobblers. He hunts them with a passionate ferocity. He also can no longer distinguish humanoids from gobblers. |
| 5 | Dr. Horgath is not dead. Neither is he alive. Having become trapped in a cave from which he could not escape (or be eaten by gobblers), Horgath discovered a lob and made a pact with an entity there which grants him a lich-like existence. Horgath is not himself, and the souls that have come searching for him will certainly pay his remaining debt to the fiend in the lod, allowing his transformation to immortality to be completed. He no longer cares about the gobblers or studies. He only craves power and eternal life. The remains of all those who came looking for Dr. Horgath to this point are in this cave, and they will rise to do the necromancer's bidding.  Certainly there will be loot here. |
| 6 | Dr. Horgath is living in a simple hut alongside a river and lagoon...along with his native Perlu wife and small half-perlu children. He started the rumor about the gobblers to keep people out of his perfect valley. However, he might just be wrong about the gobblers being a rumor. There is a corner of the valley where even he does not go...where the shadows move. That place is where the all the herbological evidence points to a unique biome suitable for medicinals. But Horgath has no desire to upset the perfect life he worked so hard to create. |

\pagebreakNum

### Coastline with Coves and Beaches

There are many reasons to explore a rugged coastline. Roll or choose from the following. For each scenario the team will make a group skill check. The result applied depends on how many of the group succeed or fail. Set the DC lower or higher depend on the challenge rating, and whether you are allowing each player to make checks based on their individual best skill. In the chart below XX means excessive fail, X is fail. + is success and ++ is excessive success.

| Successes | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6  | 7 | 8 |
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
| 0 | XX | XX | XX | XX | XX | XX |
| 1 | X | X | XX | XX | XX | XX |
| 2 | + | + | X | X | X | X |
| 3 | ++ | + | +  | + | X | X |
| 4 | | ++ | ++ | + | + | + |
| 5 | | | ++ | ++ | + | + |
| 6+ | | | | ++ | ++ | ++ |

| d6 | Coastline Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Avoiding enemy patrols. Skill/task check: how to hide the boat and camp. <br>XX: Enemy patrol ambushes party. <br>X: Enemy patrol finds hiding place and sets up blockade. <br>+: enemy patrol moves past. <br>++: Party can ambush, trap, or sabotage enemies. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 2 | A much needed vacation away from pleas for help. Skill check ideas:  <br>- History or Survival check to find a hidden retreat. <br>- Navigator's Tools check to plot a sneaky route. <br>- Wisdom Check/Save or Detect Magic Perception check to avoid Scrying/Clarivoyance/Sending spells. <br>- Deception check to plant a false trail. <br> - Performance check to entertain team to help them relax. <br>- Perception check to spot ships with groupies or messengers bringing quests. <br>- Religion check to petition divine powers for respite from incessant requests and for good weather. <br>XX: The party is found by groupies who want attention, and beset with 2 requests for aid: help with pirates and help with a monster. <br>X: The party receives a request for help with either pirates or a a monster, or are found by groupies. <br>+: The party successfully avoids an adventure. However, there is a minor challenge with a monster in the cove. ++: The party avoids detection and finds treasure.  |
| 3 | Escorting wealthy tourists. Skill checks include Investigation (good location), Navigation (to arrive), Religion (petition divines for good weather), Piloting (convenient anchorage), Performance (entertain guests), Survival (fishing expedition), History/Nature (interesting sights/annectdotes), Perception (spot danger). <br>XX: Incognito fail. Pirates want some rich hostages. <br>X: The trip is a disaster. Refund expected. No pay. <br>+: Mostly successful. Pay received. <br> ++: Pay received, along with a hefty bonus for a fabulous voyage. |

\pagebreakNum

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 4 | A place to make ship repairs. According to the *DM's Guide* and the more detailed rules in  [Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn), permanent repairs to ship damage must be performed at a port with a dry dock. However, with a small vessel, it is possible to improvise a dry dock by using a high tide or storm swell to beach the ship, and then another high tide or storm swell to float it again. Skills checks include the History for a suitable location, Piloting to beach the boat, Survival to find repair materials like wood and pitch, and Tool checks. <br>XX: Hull takes 4d10 additional damage. No repairs. <br>X: No repairs are achieved before a high tide. <br>+: 1/2 of repairs are completed.<br>++:All repairs completed and ship damage threshold increases by 3 HP. |
| 5 | A fugitive hunt. You are sought to apprehend (d6) (1) a dangerous, derainged criminal bent on mayhem, and who is believed to be responsible for numerous arsons and ship sinkings, (2) an edar leader who fled a battle when it looked like they would be captured who may have valuable information about the edar invasion, (3) an anarchist bent on assassinating a beloved leader, such as Duke Garishan or Duchess Shalae, (4) a serial killer that has left trail of innocent bodies through Starky's Cove, (5) a couple responsible for numerous violent ship and bank robberies (Bonny and Clyde), (6) a powerful spellcaster who experimented on innocent people and caused their death, and who refuses to face justice. Information about the fugitive's hideout was provided by an anonymous tip: a section on the rugged southeastern coast of Skull's Gate island. <br>Skill checks involved in finding the criminal include <br>-an Investigation check about their crimes. A success may reveal (d4): (1) they were framed, (2) they have an accomplice hiding in Starky's Cove that could lead you to them or provide valuable insights, (3) they have likely booby-trapped their hiding place, (4) they have powerful perlu allies and killing them without a trial may have political ramifications. A fail yields no additional insights.<br>-a History check about the area. A success reveals two possible hideouts used by criminals in the past: one in a sea cave accessible only at low tide, and another in a cliff-side cave accessible only at high tide. A fail points leads the team to a resort town with expensive services, and mole that tips off the criminal that they are being hunted, if the players do not succeed on Deception checks. |

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| | |
|:-|:-|
| | Fugative hunt cont'd...  |
| |-Navigator's Tools check to find the caves.<br>-a Stealth check to approach.<br>-Athletics checks to swim underwater through the submerged cave entrance or climb to the elevated cave entrance.<br>-Perception check for traps.<br>-Persuasion check to convince them to come quietly and a fight if unsuccessful. If the villain was warned they will have allies both inside and outside the cave. |
| 6 | A ghost hunt. Hauntings along the coast have disturbed shipping, causing delays and even shortages in Starky's Cove as superstitious crews avoid the area, which is a narrow passage between two islands. Going around adds as much as two days. More importantly, going around increases risk of pirates and cargo loss. The other areas are less-well charted and have navigation hazards, leading to ship damage and even more lost cargo–all because of hauntings.<br>Skill checks include <br>-an Investigation check of the eye-witnesses which may include <br>a Persusasion or Intimidation check to get additional information or to get someone to navigate to the site<br>-History check on paranormal activity in the area and mysterious deaths<br>-Arcana check to determine the nature of the creature doing the haunting.<br>-Nature check for possible natural causes. <br>XX: ill-prepared, a member of the party becomes possessed by the ghost, likely necessitating a hurried (expensive) trip to Exorcism Experts.<br>X: ill-prepared, the team arrives with 1 level of exhastion and faces enemies they were not suscepting (Scooby-Doo style).<br>+: the team successfully identifies the undead creature in the area and can confront it on favorable terms, such as during the day.<br>++:the team heads into the confrontation inspiriation for each player and find valuable salvage. |

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### Perlu Settlement

Arriving at a perlu settlement alwasy brings something unexpected. Every settlement is unique in culture and traditions, even physiology.

\pagebreakNum

\pagebreakNum

## Daily Drama

___
What is adventuring life without a little drama? (These are smaller, lighter issues than community troubles.)

| 1d20 | Daily drama |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Someone's diary was left out. Will it be read? (Opportunity for player to share what secret from their backstory another character would find out if they read their diary) |
| 2 | Someone ran out of TP using the bathroom. How will they cope? |
| 3 | One player's health drama becomes everyone's concern: insect sting, food allergy, asthma attack, jock itch, unsightly wart, psoriasis, dandruff, foot blister, hiccups. Time for home remedy suggestions. |
| 4 | Someone adopted a pet "something", and that "something" is causing problems (rat, cat, puppy, weasel, squirrel, bird, etc.). |
| 5 | A group intervention is proposed to deal with snoring, off-tune singing, nose-picking, muttering to oneself, stinky feet or other annoyance |
| 6 | A letter or package from home arrives. (Another chance to share backstory regarding a character.) Could be someone is ill, needs money, a lover is ending a long distance relationship, encouragement from a mentor, or even a valuable spell scroll, trinket, picture, locket, goodies to share, or magic item. |

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 7 | Something is lost. It could be a magic item, jewelry, a memento, writing supplies, a comb. Who will help find it? How? Was it stolen? Was it found in a compromising place? |
| 8 | Gossip. Let each player write a bit of gossip about another player's character or an NPC and pass them to the DM. The DM can either read them or re-distribute them to players to leak during the episode. |
| 9 | A violation of trust occurs. Somebody leaks a secret they weren't supposed to tell, or witnesses something they weren't supposed to see. Invite players to come up with a violation of trust, either intentional or accidental which they could be responsible for and submit them to the DM for possible use in the episode or in the future. |
| 10 | Flea market. Players can attempt to sell junk they are carrying around and don't need, or buy other junk. Use the trinket table in the DMG. |
| 11 | Malpractice? Somebody wakes up with a kink in their neck or a sore back. How will the team respond as untrained chiropractors?  |
| 12 | The flu. Allow players to describe how they cope with the illness, which make include getting sick. Ask who cleans up the messes. |
| 13 | Stupid people tricks. Around the table or campfire characters begin demonstrating their quirky talents and abilities. Allow each player to describe their character's weird talents or body tricks. |
| 14 | Gambling night. Allow players to put money in a pot, then make a percentile dice roll, then all to go around and either fold or raise the bet. When somebody calls, the highest percentile roll wins. Continue until everyone is out of money. Include an NPC or two so it isn't a zero sum game. |
| 15 | Offended. Somebody said something that offended someone else. Allow a player to describe what offended them. Roleplay from their. The accused offender can beg forgiveness, deny they did anything wrong–react however their character would. Other players can get involved to try to sort out the spat |
| 16 | Stupid uses for magic contest. |
| 17 | Someone is fed up with doing all the chores: hauling water, washing dishes, breaking camp, setting up camp, starting the fire–whatever. It's time to gripe about chores and find out who is shirking. |
| 18  | Getting to know you games night: characters play two truths and a lie. |
| 19 | Fashion faux pas: somebody has a made a possibly ill-conceived fashion change: a new haircut, change to their attire, makeup, beard/shave, etc. Perhaps they regret it, or are being made fun of. Perhaps others have started copying them. Perhaps a particular fashion/hairstyle is getting too expensive to maintain, or takes too much time and an intervention takes place.  |
| 20 | Bad digestion: indigestion, flatulence, the runs, worms, getting sick–was it bad food, bad cooking, bad hygiene? Who is hit the worst? How will the team get back in fighting shape? Will food be discarded? |

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## Trail Encounters

TO add variety When traveling through familiar or friendly territory roll for a random trail encounter. Details for encounter follow, along with tables for NPC quirks for more flavor and fun that can be used with any of their encounters.

| 1d10 | Trail Encounter | 
|:-|:-|
| 1 | Interesting NPC(s) |
| 2 | Traveler washing |
| 3 | Wounded/ill traveler |
| 4 | Runaway |
| 5 | Stowaway |
| 6 | Authorities |
| 7 | Traveler hunting/gathering |
| 8 | Traveler cooking |
| 9 | Doo-doo |
| 10 | Roadside Merchant |

#### Trail Encounter 1: Interesting NPCs

You encounter a number of NPCs of size (1d4): 
1. one person
2. two people: friends, relatives, or couple
3. Small group of 1d4+2 people who are (1d4): (1) friends, (2) a family, (3) coworkers, (4) motley crew of unlikely allies thrown together by chance or misfortune.
4. A family : 2d4+2 people 
5. Multiple families: 2d6+2 people
6. Large group: 2d12+2 people

For each of the NPCs that they players interact with, use the "interesting NPC" tables that follow the encounters to add fun quirks and roleplay prompts.

#### Trail Encounter 2: Traveler Washing

You encounter a traveler who is washing (1d8): (1) themselves, (2) dishes, (3) clothes, (4) blood off themselves or their clothing, (5) a fish they've gutted, (6) their child, (7) a wound, (8) animal pelts

#### Trail Encounter 3: Wounded Traveler

You encounter a traveler grieved by a wound or medical condition (1d12): 
1. hobbling injury such as a sprain angle, blister or broken leg
2. a head injury, 
3. heat exhaustion or hyothermia–depending on the weather
4. starving
5. dehydrated, 
6. broken arm/hand/collar bone
7. spinal injury,
8. infected cut or bite
9. shot by an arrow or bullet
10. face injury such as mauled by an animal attack
11. poison such as poison ivy or stinging nettle of spider/snake venom
12. allergy (bee sting, pollen, food)

\columnbreak

#### Trail Encounter 4: Runaway

You encounter a runaway from (1d10):
1. a child labor mining camp
2. a prison inmate work crew doing trail/road maintenance
3. a religious site or revival encampment
4. a horrible step parent
5. a job site
6. a boarding school
7. a seeker or adventurer group or community
8. a trade caravan
9. an arranged marriage, or else eloping for love
10. the military (deserter).

#### Trail Encounter 5: Stowaway or Sneak
 
 You encounter (1d2):
1. somebody who followed you from where you set off
2. somebody who went out ahead attempting to scout. The results of finding may be (1d4): (1) supremely annoying, (2) mercifully lucky for both your group and the sneak, (3) tragic for the sneak, (4) doomed to give away your position or cause an impediment to your progress or immediate situation.

\pagebreakNum

#### Trail Encounter 6: The Authorities
 
 Somebody tattled on you to a (1d8) a:
 1. sheriff
 2. ranger
 3. local land owner
 4. trade route/guide enforcer
 5. edar commander
 6. community governing noble (like Rojborn) or one of his agents
 7. somebody you owe a debt to
 8. a relative (and now they have found you)
 
#### Trail Encounter 7: Traveler Cooking
 
 Either by chance or following your nose, you have found a traveler cooking up... (1d8): 
 1. Vermin they’ve caught
 2. Some soup or stew and it looks like they have enough to share
 3. A roast beast such as a deer or pig–the smell travels for a half mile,
 4. Bread or pies to sell or trade
 5. Dried fruit, roasted nuts, and hard tack biscuits for trail rations
 6. a pot of warm tea or cocoa, 
 7. Aa meal for other travelers who were supposed to have arrived already, but haven't, 
 8. Their last meal (out of food, dying, etc.), (10) something that smells absolutely awful, but which they insist you try.

#### Trail Encounter 8: Doo-doo

Some days are crappier than others. Roll (1d6) for what you find.
1. You have stepped in a pit toilet dug by previous campers
2. You have stepped in cow manure.
3. The seagulls, ravens and magpies here are into target practice.
4. You find unidentified droppings, but clearly from some kind of monstrosity, judging from the size and crunched bones
5. Some dookies flung by an adolescent monkey with a bad attitude and something to prove.
6. You really gotta go but there’s not a good place to drop the donation except for a toll toilet: convenient, clean, but pricey.

#### Trail Encounter 9: Roadside Merchant

Traveling merchants hawk their wares from the roadside. Roll 1d12 to see what's for sale. 
1. A street vendor is selling steaming hotcakes, donuts, scones, or fry bread drizzled with honey.
2. Local "crafters" are selling dream catchers that are supposed to look like authentic native crafts but were clearly made in a sweat shop in the city
3. A tailor trailer on the roadside offers patching, darning, hemming, embroidery, fitting and alterations
4. More halfing hippies selling really bad bead necklaces.
5. An artist offering cliché landscape paintings targeted at tourists, or caricatures that exaggerate your worst feature
6. Fortune telling and (unlicensed) psychiatric therapy from a totally not creepy (white van) tent

\columnbreak

7. An opportunist vendor pawns hunting and fishing supplies from their handcart: arrows, bullets, hunting knives, compasses, game maps (from last season, outdated), plus free unsolicited and bad-taste advice on anything, fishing twine, hand-tied flies (child labor product), worms, and a bucket of fish chum you try to stay upwind from.
8. A bard is running a riotous puppet show that appears to be lampooning a local noble.
9. A lemonade stand run by enterprising children. You have no idea where they are getting the lemons. You suspect *prestidigitation* is involved.
10. A crafter or couple that sells woven baskets and leather goods: hand baskets, waterskins, belts, pack strap repair, whips, and other novelties.
11. An herbalist–finally something useful. They are offering fragrant healing teas, cold remedies, laxatives, analgesics, sleep aids, scented candles and more.
12. A traveling friar/nun/cleric/monk/spiritual guru has a tent set up and are holding impromptu street meetings, inspirational speeches (for hire) with inspiring leader feature (temp HP) , absolution, prayers, prayer beads, crisis counseling, holy interventions, banishment/exorcism of ghosts and spirits, healings (limited supply), holy water of questionable efficacy

\pagebreakNum
 
 
<img src="https://www.gmbinder.com/images/7jyMOcp.png" style="position:absolute;left:0px;bottom:-20px;width:400px; transform:scaley(0.95);" />

<img src='https://www.gmbinder.com/images/6caZrpw.png' style='position:absolute;bottom:-180px;left:280px;width:100%;transform:rotate(-90deg);'/>
 
 
## NPC Quirks

Random tables for adding depth to your NPCs for when you need new ideas for something interesting.

#### NPC age

Roll (1d6): (1) child, (2) youth, (3) young adult, (4) adult, (5) middle-aged, (6) aged

#### NPC species

Roll (1d10): (1-4) human or dominant local species, (5) chelli, (6) zantir, (7) dwarfken, (8) halfling, (9) edar, (10) crel

#### NPC problem

Roll for a problem the NPC is facing (1d10): 
1. clothing unsuitable for climate
2. no water
3. no food
4. no fire/fuel
5. being followed/hunted
6. lost
7. doesn’t know whom to trust
8. on the run from the law, abuser, or faction
9. mental health issue: depression, anxiety
10. nowhere else to go
11. no money
12. they can't remember

\columnbreak
 
#### NPC weakness/vice (1d12):

Weaknesses make everything more interesting. Roll 1d12:

1. pickpocketing
2. carousing
3. drinking
4. lying
5. changing sides/betraying for pay, or taking bribes
6. mooching
7. unhealthy fascination with the occult
8. persnickety
9. hoity-toity privileged wimp
10. uncooth/no manners
11. anger management
12. laziness/sleeping in

#### NPC ability

Even NPCs can be useful at something. Roll 1d12: 
1. opportunist: can take the help action in combat
2. follows along (help for Persuasion or Deception)
3. kludging/tinkering solutions from junk (MacGyver)
4. local connections
5. lock picker
6. many careers—can pretend to be just about anything
7. only know one recipe, but it is really good
8. sewing/costumes/disguise/makeup,
9. performance: singing/dancing/oration
10. complaining like a pro (distraction?)
11. innocent face (advantage to deception checks)
12. tough (can step it to take a blow to save an ally)

#### NPC stupid people tricks

Odd talents are very important. Roll 1d12: 
1. balancing stuff on their head or nose or hand
2. card tricks
3. double jointed/contortionist
4. hold breath for a long time
5. facial expressions: twitch ears/nose, raise one eyebrow, etc.
6. voice impressions (funny)
7. charades (especially animals)
8. taster: can name any flavor they taste or smell
9. has a random fact about everything, usually not true
10. tying knots
11. popping out unexpectedly
12. sixth sense for danger (alert feat)

#### NPC clothing

Roll 1d12 to see what they are wearing:

1. tatters and rags
2. finest tailoring
3. quality homespun/handmade
4. nice clothing but missing something important: shoe, shirt, sleeve, collar, belt, hat, pants button, sock
5. stained –is that blood?
6. sturdy but worn and faded by exposure and labor
7. mishmash of stolen/inherited/hand-me-down: nice and not so nice
8. way too small
9. way too big
10. not appropriate for church
11. just came from church
12. borrowed it from a friend and have to return it
 
 
\pagebreakNum

## Community Troubles

Add a new community trouble to each new adventure, if the previous one was resolved, or to crank up the pressure on the heroes. Make sure to show the consequences of the problem and allow players and NPCs to mull what new consequences might arrive, and argue pros and cons of choices. These problems are opportunities for roleplaying and skill checks.

| (d100) <br> Problem | RP and SKill Activities |
|:--:|:-|
| (1-8) <br>Disease | Treat ill. Hold funeral. Investigate cause (e.g. alien disease, rats, radiation, bedding, insects, deliberate poisson). Seek knowledge of a cure within mindspace. Obtain alien ingredients/cure from dwarfken or edar via infiltration, negotiation, or trade |
| (9-13)<br>Common threat | A threat to more than one community or race forces the heroes to seek unlikely allies. Options include natural disasters, a disease, something horrible unleashed from the mindspace, an obstacle within the mindspace, a great storm, an ice-shelf collapse, a tsunami, a key bridge falls out, invasion by a political enemy, a governmental coup bringing martial law, etc.  |
| (14-18)<br>Embezzling | Somebody is stealing critical rations, water, medicine, supplies, maps, plans, and so on. The culprit must be found and the items recovered. |
| (18-25)<br>Drama | Lovers in the community break up, or close friends have a fall out. In such a tight knit community there is no space to even avoid each other. Could require an intervention, talking NPCs through their differences, seeking absolution, uncovering the cause of infidelity (someone could be lying and helping the edar), PTSD |

\columnbreak

|  |  |
|:--:|:-|
| (26-36)<br>Shortage | There is not enough food or water to go around. NPCs and players begin taking levels of exhaustion. Will the heroes hunt for food, attempt to steal from enemies, embark on a trading expedition, or seek a boon within the mindspace? |
| (37>44)<br>Invasion | The community faces an assault or seige from wolves, rival Seekers, edar, crel, local mobs under the sway of a corrupt leader in the pay of the edar. Heroes can talk or fight their way out. Either way preparations and investigations must be made. |
| (45-52)<br>Disaster | A winter storm, earthquake, suicide, unexpected loss of supplies, broken infrastructure such as a vital aqueduct, sink hole, magical storm, flooding, early frost, or other disaster has the heroes scambling to save lives, repair a breech, or find aid.    |
| Problem | RP and SKill Activities |
| (53-60) <br>Special Occasion | Engagement, wedding, birthday, birth of a child, pregnancy announcement, coming of age, apprenticeship or journeyman graduation, election, anniversary, holiday/feast, dance/ball, pageant, play, fashion show, tall-tale contest|

\pagebreakNum

|d100 | Community Troubles (cont'd) |
|:-|:-|
| (61-67)<br>New Arrival | New Seeker, trader with goods (chance to stock up on supplies), wandering dwarfken with magic items, traveling market, fur trapper/fisherman with tall tales, dashing bard, sultry temptress, government inspector potentially in the pocket of the enemy. The arrival may be a fortune teller, charlatan physician or scholar, or simply a thief. |
| (68-74)<br>Intrigue | murder suspect arrives, wanted man/woman captured or on the loose, political gambit: edar envoy or other race ambassador or infrastructure/equipment/supplies is sabotaged by a disgruntled and hopeless NPC |
| (75-83)<br>Missing person | an NPC is missing: lost, injured, abducted, murdered, eaten, attempting solo mission to dark tower to prove worth, attempting solo recon mission, simply out collecting herbs/hunting, a key member of the community is injured and can no longer perform their duties: a new (fill in the blank)-smith must be found, courted, paid to join the community, a seeker is sneaking out to share information with enemies |
| (84-90)<br>Broken | vital infrastructure breaks: pipes, sewer, water storage cistern, roof collapses, firewood is soaked by a storm or runs low, food spoils from mold, temporary housing must be set up resulting in an odd couple (opposites) together in a room that is causing drama and conflict. |
| (91-94)<br>Ecological threat | A shortage of edible forage indicates an overpopulation of herbivores. Wolves/bears/sharks or other predators must be captured and re-introduced to the area. One of a mating pair of vital homing pidgeons/ravens dies. Another must be captured from the wild. A rare and revered species is being hunted to extinction by the enemy. Poachers must be stopped and the population stabilized. Alien plant species are driving out local edible varieties. The invasive species must be eradicated.|
| (95-100) Mental Illness | A member of the party or important NPC begins suffering from a mental illness such as post traumatic stress, paranoia, schizophrenic hallucinations, bipolar symptoms, panic attacks, anxiety, dementia, or another mental condition. Doubt in their capability grows and denial of their problem engenders conflict, backbiting, and conspiracy. Can the illness be healed or can the community learn to work around it? |

\pagebreakNum

## Diseases

Diseases are especially common during winter months, in the tropics, and on sea voyages when Corioni spend lots of time in close quarters. ...So pretty much all the time, everywhere except for inland in the summer.

Characters can gain ailments as a daily drama or community trouble, or as a complication or a failed skill check, skimping on rations or repair activities, and so on. Even when there is magical healing available, perhaps the players or NPCs are too proud or are having a row with the healer.

The following are in addition to the diseases and injuries in the DMG.

>Tip: Diseases are primarily a way for players to roleplay overcoming adversity by supporting each other, not punishments for bad choices. If players aren't enjoying diseases, don't use them.

### Minor ailments
Minor ailments can be removed by a long rest after a successful medicine check unless otherwise specified.

| 1d10 | Minor ailment | Effect |
|:-|:-|:-|
| 1 | In-grown tomail | -5 to speed, -1d4 to Dex saves, Acrobatics, and Athletics checks |
| 2 | Pink eye | -1d4 on Charisma checks |
| 3 | Body odor | Disadvantage on Charisma checks until bathe |
| 4 | Bad breath | Disadvantage on Charisma checks until clean teeth or eat mint, etc.  |
| 5 | Hiccups | Roll 1d10 at start of turn. If 1, hiccup and add -1d4 to next d20 test. |
| 6 | Kinked neck | -1d4 to Perception checks and Acrobatics checks. |
| 7 | Bloody nose | When fail a skill check, saving throw, or attack roll, roll 1d4 and on a roll of a 1 get a bloody nose (-1 HP) |
| 8 | Gas | 25% chance of emitting flatulence when making a strength check, attack roll or saving throw. |
| 9 | Diarrhea | 1 level of exhaustion, 5% chance of losing 5 rounds of combat to intestinal distress |
| 10 | Strained muscle |Arm:  Must use non-dominant hand/arm to make attack rolls (half proficiency).Foot: half movement speed. Either: 10% chance of aggravating strain with each attack. If aggravated, must succeed on a DC 10+level Con save in order to make an attack roll, and then with disadvantage. This lasts until after a short rest. |

>Tip: losing hit dice can show exhaustion.

\columnbreak

### Under the Weather

Getting sick or injured is never fun, but when you are a seeker, it might make the difference between life and death. The following are common illnesses more severe than minor ailments. These require at least *lesser restoration* to cure.

| 1d6 | Illness | Effect |
|:-|:-|:-|
| 1 | Cold | 1 level of exhaustion |
| 2 | Flu | 2 levels of exhaustion, 10% chance of losing turn (stunned) due to nausea |
| 3 | Mountain/Tropical Fever | 3 levels of exhaustion |
| 4 | Food Poisoning | 2 levels of exhaustion, 10% chance of losing turn (stunned) due to nausea |
| 6 | Injured back | Push, pull, carry capacity is 1/4th of normal. Might affect how much player can carry, including the armor they can wear. 10% chance of aggravating strain with each attack. If aggravated, speed is halved and must succeed on a DC 15 + level Con save in order to make an attack roll, and then with disadavantage, until after a long rest. |

### Debilitating Concdition

A chronic condition can be the defined challenge a character faces. These require at least *greater restoration* to cure.

>Tip: Talk to players before adding this kind of condition. It can add a lot of drama to have a character suffering from a terminal illnesss. It can help people process such things in their own lives. But it can be potentially stressful and this is a game after all.

| 1d6 | Condition  | Effect  |
|:-|:-|:-|
| 1 | Mental Illness | See for example  [DM's Guide to Better Roleplay through Stress Effects](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MxbDaaIT0cQVn2ZJ8LX)  |
| 2 | Disfiguring skin condition | Roll 1d6 to determine the location where this condition starts: (1) face, (2) chest/back, (3) arm, (4) leg, (5) hand, (6) feet. Could be a leprosy-like condition, psoriasis, infection, insect bite with tissue necrosis and so on. |
| 3 | Tumors | The character is suffering from a possibly terminal cancer. |
| 4 | Heart Condition | After excertions like a battle or chase, character has a 1% chance of cardiac arrest (drops to 0 HP and is dying). |
| 5 | Loss of limb | See DMG chapter 9. |
| 6 | Loss of sight/hearing | See DMG chapter 9. |

\pagebreakNum

## Interesting Battle Mechanics

What makes combat interesting is when it isn't just attack roll, then attack roll until all enemies reach 0 HP. Think about movie combat scenes. What makes a great action sequence? It is the environment and the stakes: pursuit, abduction, environmental hazards, bystanders in peril, moral peril, disadvantages, improvisation, impossible odds, the need for stealth, time limits, and so on.

This section include a rollable table of ideas and mechanics you can add to combats and encounters without advance preparation.

Roll 1d40 (d4 x10 + d10).

1. Smoke and fire. Require Con saves versus exhaustion. Take fire damage every round, depending on distance from source. Obscure vision with smoke (fog).
2. Deep snow or shallow water. Difficult terrain. Can take cover.
3. Pitching deck of ship or airship, or leaning bridge. The position of characters affects the tilt!
4. Rope bridge. Actions like steady, jostle, cut rope, etc. affect DC for Athlectics/Acrobatics check to move along bridge.
5. Getting across a bridge with enemies in front and behind.
6. Aerial combat. Fly spell, glider wings, riding giant owls or eagles
7. Thick forest. Ranged combat is ineffective. Lots of cover.
8. Hazardous plants. Stinging nettle, carnivorous plants, restraining plants. Split combat between foes and plants.
9. Wolves are there to pick off the weak ones during a battle.
10. Shepherding innocents such as mothers and children to safety. Must surround and protect them from predators or pursuers.
11. Swarms of flying or swimming creatures that attempt to carry away their prey. If enough grapple the prey they can start flying/swimming away with it.
12. Thick fog. Battle based on sound. Make a perception check versus stealth in order to know the direction of something (could be ally or hostile) before you can make an attack roll (disadvantage).
13. Battle under the effects of exhaustion delirium, mind control. What is real? Dopplegangers. Who is my enemy?
14. Climbing ropes to safety. Up a cliff, fortress wall, or into tall trees. Con save versus slipping/falling if hit.
15. Very steep gravel slope or canyon water fall. Lots of slipping and falling. Treat the terrain like the *gust of wind* spell.
16. Defend your position against advancing enemies. (Arcade style first person shooter style.)
17. Hold out until help arrives. (New waves/enemies arriving regularly.)
18. All players mounted on horses/mules, etc.
19. Bar room brawl, and the bartender automatically deals bludgeoning damage with a skillet to anyone that misses an attack and damages the bar, or any other similar funny punishment. Just make it so something funny and not too serious happens when someone misses, or hits. Like someone's beloved beats  with a broom anyone that hits their special somebody.
20. Enemy sniper. Give an enemy (or many) a powerful ranged weapon and require the PCs to cross an area under fire.

\columnbreak

21. Berserk. A creature or a person has gone mad and must be subdued. Since they are out of their minds lethal force is unethical (and wins less XP), or else the NPC has vital information.
22. Home Alone. To protect their camp/home, players can write down what their trap is and where it is, make a skill check to set the save DC, but don't have to tell the location ahead of time!
23. Watering hole. A well of magic, where PCs can "charge" their weapons or spells to deal extra damage or cast at a higher level. But enemies can, too.
24. Motes of power. With each magical enemy that is destroyed a mote of power is released. Motes of each color grant players spell-like abilities like *haste*, *sanctuary*, *divine favor*, or *elemental weapon*, but only for one round.
25. Mud wrestling. The battle takes place in a muddy area, as if the *grease* spell were cast everywhere.
26. Lightning storm. Fighting on a ridge, plateua, or roof, lightning strikes a random character each turn as if from the *call lightning* spell. Rods can be set up to reduce lightning risk in certain areas.
27. Sleet storm. Effects like the spell, but natural origin.
28. Cold Snap/blizzard. Players take cold damage when they take movement or remove gloves to cast a spell or use a bow. Low visibility.
29. Snowy slope/gravel slope with avalanche risk. Players at the top can attempt to disturb the snow/gravel and make it slide down on creatures below, while running away on the ridge. Becomes a king of the hill type activity.
30. Mexican Standoff. Three parties all want a common object in the center, such as a person or treasure, map, etc.

\pagebreakNum

## Storm Hold Encounters

| d20 | Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 1 | The area is a biomass preserve (Noah's ark) bay gone awry. Cryostasis chambers have failed and plants and animals have mingled to create an overgrown jungle. Overhead rune lights feed plants that have grown to enormous proportions. Two separate domains have overrun and the competition has led to strange insects and animals in this isolated biosphere. Characters can make Nature checks to discover medically useful plants, poisons, or plants with useful/unique wood properties for waterproof paper, lighter weight boats, stronger masts, or fire-resistant planks. (DM's discretion.) If the nature check is low, once outside this biosphere the plants/animals may have other unexpected effects/complications such as crop yield loss, blight, disease transmission, death of key species in the food chain such as apex predators like wolves and eagles. If the nature check is high enough the character will either realize the risk of taking things out, make sure people check their pockets and sanitize (*presidigitation*) to remove all pollen, seeds, and hidden insects. A Nature or Investigation check with an experiment in a terrarium could reveal there is no chance of danger. Flesh-eating plants exist here (roper stat block, but shorter reach for the tentacles), and smaller varieties that eat only insects (which the players discover first). Ideally this encounter provides an opportunity for players to solve a problem at the seeker community with disease or lack of food or supplies. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 2 | Hall of mirrors, where each mirror shows a different version of the character's reflection. One victorian, one steampunk or like Mad Maxx, one futuristic, one like Conan the Barbarian or Dark Sun style, one much like the Feywild (fairy tale style) in which the character is dressed flamboyantly or Elizabethan, one in which the characters appear more infernal, etc. A successful Investigation reveals that this hall of mirrors is a mind fragment. Some reflections look malicious. Others look desperate to be let out and gesture frantically to be freed. Some reflections simply ignore the characters as though they were not in front of a mirror. Players can choose a mirror and step into it with a thought of willing themselves into that realm. This is a way to let the players pick the mindspace they enter. If the players attack the mirror their reflections begin attacking them with ranged weapons attacks. The mirrors instantly arrange to enclose the party. Teleportation is blocked. Each round the mirrors get closer. Once a player touches a mirror, all the characters are drawn into that mindspace as the hall of mirrors collapses around them. Spells cast at the mirrors are reflected (see Tarrasque's reflective carapace ability for instance).|
| 3 | This level of the storm hold feels like a military facility. Players can explore a barracks, armory with locked weapons stores (potentially with +1 weapons, armor, and sheilds), mess hall, briefing room, ready room with flickering/non-functioning illusory displays. A crel or other creature has a glowing cyberunic datda crystal. Once retrieved, this crystal can be inserted into the display. It reveals to be a mind fragment. The image in the display it expands to become an immersive hologram as the players are drawn into the projected mindspace... |

\pagebreakNum

| d20 | Storm Hold Encounter cont'd |
|:-|:-|
| 3 | (cont'd) ...This mindspace holds the military memories of Ka'rel from a previous technologically advanced future Earth-like cyberpunk world that Ka'rel visited. Here magical abilities manifest as advanced technological gadgets. Edar enter the mindspace shortly after the players and a fight ensures over control of the military technology information.   |
| 4 | This level is a cryostasis bay. Each pod has dessicated corpses from various Corion species. However, there are no human corpses. Humans' adpatable minds apparently survived the long cyrostasis. Records are available in cyberunic data cubes. A lone crel is present on this level. She is curious about the seekers and gestures that she will take their food rather than call other crel. She is also fascinated by the touch of warm flesh. If the PCs indulge her curiosity, she will show them a cyberunic crystal on this level with memories of Ka'rel during the Edar invasion. When brought into this mindspace, players will be fighting in the battle with Edar airships. See Eberron: Rising from the Last War and [Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn) for resources. The ship must punch its way through an Edar blockade and deliver cyberunic crystals to secret facility–the first storm hold, where Ka'rel explains to the characters that he is preparing a backup plan. Reveal some crel or edar lore the players lack. Then they players are ejected from the mindspace. The crel NPC journeys with the PCs in this mindspace, where she is a normal human and can talk normally. Upon returning, the team faces a squad of crel lurkers and an arcanist who are ready to feast. |

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 5 | A sadistic crel arcanist has engineered a maze of traps to lead the PCs directly to where the crel are resting in their torpor state. Doors close behind them when they enter corridors. Monstrosities lurk in possible corridors of escape, chained there by the crel mastermind. Rooms begin to flood with water if PCs attempt to enter and work on solutions to escape. This is the prototypical crel arcanist hunt. Read the crel arcanist stat block for tips on the types of traps used. Once the PCs are close, the crel awaken. It is possible to run through the assembled crel and find another circuitous passage back to the exit. |
| 6 | The PCs encounter a maintainence deck with constructs that activate and attempt to destroy the interfering PCs. See [Expanded Golems](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-Mxa3t1r5PHn7MrlYS1s). Recovered eyes of golems can be used by an artificer to make magical items. |
| 7 | A fracture in the hull of the storm hold has allowed natural light in. A beautiful grotto has formed, affording PCs a chance for some unexpected R&R. The water is fresh and drinkable. By climbing up to the opening, characters can see the surrounding area and identify a new place to explore. PCs can note the location of this rest spot, which has a locking door. However if they come often, there will be crel party waiting for them. |
| 8 | An area of the ship has strong energy surges. Use Tasha's Cauldron of Everything random Environmental Hazards tables (pg. 150-169). Encounter elementals here such as invisible stalkers and an aggressive mind fragment that behaves like an invisible stalker. If it can be trapped, it can be entered. |

\pagebreakNum

| d20 | Storm Hold Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 9 | Crel have left markings in cyberunic on the wall, or have sent an emissary speaking halting common to offer to allow the seekers to access this area in exchange for help dealing with pests. Roll 1d10 to determine the type of pest. (1) Swarms of rats, (2) swarms of insects, (3) gricks, (4) swarm of bats, (5) otyugh, (6) xorn, (7) mimics, (8) cockatrice(s), (9) rust monster, (10) umber hulk, (11) oblex, (12) fungi: violet funus, gas spores, and shriekers, (13) doppleganger, (14) cranium rats, (15) will o'wisps, (16) kruthiks, (17) carrion crawler, (19) cloaker, (20) mephits |
| 10 | An edar lives in this place though they are only seen in glimpses. The arcane power in the area has begun to twist their mind and body. (Use the nothic stat block.) It may have knowledge of a mindspace, or may have been twisted by one. They may also have information about the edar. |
| 11 | This area is a morgue. It is haunted by a wraith and several will o'wisps. |
| 12 | This area has signs of recent humanoid activity (not crel) in the form of remains of cooked food, scraps of paper, etc. By exploring here the group can discover that another group of seekers has been here, or is currently here. Use the [RWBY group generator](https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/rwby/) to create a group of rival seekers. While initially friendly, the group will attempt to sabotage or even kill the PCs. This group of rival seekers are in the pay of the edar. It will take several Insights and Investigations to prove out the suspicions. Clues include edar-made weapons and armor, and edar member, reluctance to reveal the location of the mind fragment, urges to leave the seeking to them, and so on. A fight may break out if the PCs are ambushed. |
| 13 | **Storm Hold chess.** This level has a 4 x 4 array of sections. Each section is controlled by one of 4 groups of (number x challenge rating) equal to the seeker's party number x level): edar, seekers, beasts (e.g. wolves/dire wolves, apes/giant apes, or worgs), and crel. The goal of the seekers and edar is to create a domain that stretches from one corner to the opposite corner where the access to the next level is. If edar succeed, seekers are captured. If seekers succeed, other parties flee. The crel and beasts simply want territory. Initially, the territory is divided as in the map shown, or another arrangement you choose. Groups take one action each round: **scout** to determine which faction controls a section adjacent to their controlled area, **patrol** to alert each other in the case of an attack (each PC can patrol up to two sections), **attack** an adjacent (not diagonal) section, actively **defend* one section** , or **negotiate** to abdicate one section adjacent to an enemy in exchange for another section that the players know to be held by that same faction. The DM chooses the actions of the other three parties. After each group chooses their actions, the actions are resolved. In addition, some areas denoted by an asterisk (*) have certain benefits that can be discovered by a scouting or capturing. A1 has crates that are arranged to provide cover for defenders. B3 is a medical where constructs will treat one injured party member each turn, restoring 1d4+4 hit points,

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 13 |  C2 has fumes that cause 1d4+4 poison damage to any who either defend or patrol that area who fail a DC 12 Constitution save., D4 has a ballista that can be operated by the defenders. To resolve combats between NPCs, DM rolls a number of D6's equal to the number of creatures each side has that are not unconscious. The higher total wins. The losing side loses one party member and the area. Crel refuse negotiations but will offer negotiations to connect separated sections of territory. Edar accept and offer negotiations except to give up D4. Beasts don't negotiate. Each turn represents one hour. A team can short rest if defending an area. If seekers find it too difficult to maintain their area, they can send a team member to get help. 1d4 NPCs return with the team member after 1d4 rounds. This action can be taken twice. Or, a sending spell, sending stone, or animal messenger can be used without sending out a player. |

\pagebreakNum

| 1d20 | Storm Hold Encounter |
|:-|:-|
| 14 | This area has dripping water, leaving the ceiling with small stalactites and the floor with frequent puddles. It is a perfect place for an ooze to hide. This area has 1d4 oozes that are (1d4): (1) gray oozes, (2) ochre jellies, (3) black puddings, (4) gelatinous cubes. |
| 15 | Planar forces are unstable in this area. It is populated by any combination of phase spiders, blink dogs, or displacer beasts appropriate to the party's level. Blink dogs can be tamed. Displacer beasts fight to the death. Phase spiders attempt to abduct prey and return it to a lair (Hobbit movie style). |
| 16 | **Holodeck.** This area has an integrated mind fragment and functions to provide a desired fully-realistic simulation. It appears to have been created to allow creatures on the storm hold to experience and potentially adapt to other environments or cultures. (This hints at Ka'rel's backup plan to flee Corion with the storm holds and find another world. If players do not yet have this lore, this may be an appropriate time to reveal it.) This is another "choose your own mindspace" adventure, that will let players effectively travel to any plane they desire or else the DM can choose what the last loaded simulation was and run their desired mindspace. However, if the PCs travel too far, they hit the edge of the simulation room (1000 x 1000 feet). A victory in this simulation is required to move beyond this room to higher levels in the tower. NPCs met in the holodeck can be visited again, with a 10% chance that the character has suffered deresolution (see graphic at the end of the Corion Gallery section). Trips to the "holodeck" provide chances for players to find NPCs that can share lore or provide advice. The host of this holodeck is a being like a butler whom the PCs can request to provide a simulation. There are limits to this being's simulation power. Bringing other mind fragments here can increase the power of the holodeck, possibly reducing the chance of NPC deresolution, and possibly corrupting the existing simulations entirely...

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 16 | ...The "butler" itself does not reveal lore. It be discovered within the simulations. This is a chance for the PCs to create interesting NPCs that they will want to interact with, motivating them to continue adding mind fragments to prevent deresolution. When this storm hold chapter is complete, the mind fragment of Ka'rel may be sufficient to move this NPC character into the material plane. (PCs can learn this lore also.) |
| 17 | A level where there are two factions of crel, one who wants to ally with the seekers and one who wants to eat them. The solution can involve combat or negotiation. |
| 18 | This are has an infestation. Use encounter 9's roll to determine what creatures are here. If this level is rid of the infestation, players find a store of powerful magical artifacts: common or uncommon magical items.| 
| 19 | This section of the storm tower is a wide open area with a ceiling over a hundred feet high. The entrance to the next level can be seen high up on one of the walls. The wall appears to be a conglomeration of sliding blocks. A successful Investigation check reveals the storm hold has some reconfigurability that is likely controlled from a control room higher up. (See spoiler picture in Corion Gallery of what a storm hold can become). A path can be seen from the floor to the next level by climbing ascending a "staircase" of ledges. Each block forms either a (1d4): (1) 5 x 20 foot wide ledge, a (2) 10 x 10 foot wide ledge, a (3) 10 x 20 foot wide ledge, or (4) a 10 x 30 foot ledge. The height to the next section is (1d4): (1) 5 feet, (2) 10 feet, (3) fifteen feet, (4) twenty feet. The sides are vertical and smooth. Climbing over the height one can jump is possible only via a grappling hook. Speaking of hooks...the "cliff" of stacked blocks is inhabited by fiercely territorial hook horrors. A successful DC 13 Nature or Animal Handling check reveals there is a pecking order with the largest hook horrors higher up. PC's must defeat each hook horror in turn (each will submit when it reaches half HP.) Each level has a 20% chance of a hook horror. If the hook horror pushes a player off, they fall 1d4 x distance to the previous level. Five hook horror submissions gets to the top.

\pagebreakNum

| | |
|:-|:-|
| 20 | **Children of Ka'rel** The players have reached what appears to be a fully-functioning level of the storm hold. Runelights are white and bright. Illusory assistants appear at intersections and answer questions and can direct players. There are clean, well-kept sleeping quarters, functioning showers and bathrooms, pleasant ambient music. Yes, it is eerie and surreal for Corioni to experience such technological wonders, but it is real. After traversing more mundane areas, the PCs find a medical bay where a few cryostatis pods lay open. More lore can be discovered here as the pods have functioning illusory screens and voice controls. For instance the pods can be asked when they were last used, and for how long. THe most notable thing about this area are the advanced tool armatures on a small assembly line and the mechanical body parts stacked neatly on shelves which appear to have been made by the robot armatures. The area is strong with conjuration and transmutation magic. There is also a "biohazard" incinerator. <br><br>The next area PCs can explore is a viewing and controls deck that looks out from the storm hold. Waiting in this area are one or more cyborgs in varying stages of mechanical transformation. These "children of Ka'rel" are the commanders of the storm hold and were only intermittently kept in cryostatis. This deck has priority power. Discussions with the gentle and wise children of Ka'rel reveals that they are of semi-divine heritage, so their lives are long. However, their divinity is anchored to the storm hold itself. If they leave, they will rapidly age and die. Also, as their bodies age, gradually their flesh is being replaced by mechanical magitech components. Essentially, they are in the process of becoming warforged beings. PCs can talk with them about their fears of losing their humanity.<br><br> The children of Ka'rel can explain the purpose of the storm holds, which is that they were prepared by Ka'rel to evacuate a portion of the Corion population. Originally many races were kept in cryostatis. Ka'rel's could not have seen his own destruction because it was on the other side of the singularity in the weave which he was creating. After the destruction of Ka'rel, the ship remained unused and dormant. Even the ship's officers were in stasis. By the time they awoke the war was long over. They could not leave, so they tried to preserve the lives of those on aboard as long as possible However, more primal and magical races began to die in stasis, leaving only the humans alive. By the time stasis ended, the crel were formed and the children of Ka'rel could not do anything to help them.<br><br>The children of Ka'rel can replace any limbs that characters may have lost. Also, they can communicate with children of Ka'rel on other storm holds. At this point the campaign will shift to one of four things. (1) If this result is reached early in chapter 1, the children of Ka'rel will ask the seekers to fix things in the storm hold so that its defenses can be activated. (2) At the end of chapter 1 the children of Ka'rel will thank the seekers for repairing the storm hold enough to activate the storm hold's defenses. The children of Ka'rel will then send the seekers to help a storm hold in a more urgent situation, starting chapter 2...

\columnbreak

| | |
|:-|:-|
| ...(3) At the end of chapter 2, the children of Ka'rel will ask the seekers to participate in using the defenses to protect against an attack on the storm hold. That attack will succeed and the storm hold will fall. Edar invaders will storm the bridge. The children of ka'rel entrust the gathered mind fragments in a cyberunic crystal and teleport the seekers to a distant stormhold--or at least close to it, beginning chapter 3. (4) In chapter 3 the seekers will aid in the defense of Corion against the main invasion. They can either try to bring their high level selves out of the mindspace, or attempt to power up and launch and transform the storm hold to fight the full scale edar invasion, or to try to flee and break through the edar blockage and escape into astral space.  |

\pagebreakNum

## NPC Stat Blocks

___
> ### Crel Lurker
>*Medium Undead, Neutral Evil*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 13 (natural armor)
> - **Hit Points** 24
> - **Speed** 20 ft. (30 ft dash)
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|14 (+2)| 12 (+1)| 14 (+2) | 12 (+1)| 12 (+1)| 8 (-1) |
>___
> - **Skills/Senses** Perception +4, passive Perception 14, Stealth +4
> - **Languages** Cyberunic, Common Sign
> - **Challenge** 1 (200 XP)
>___
> **Somnambulist.**  Crel cannot sleep. 
>
> **Undead Constitution.** The crel lurker is resistant to cold and necrotic damage.
>
> **Greedy Hands.** The crel lurker has advantage on bite attacks against a creature it has grappled. If two or more crel have grappled one creature, it is restrained and has disadvantage to escape the restraint. Escape ends both grapples.
>
> **Feeding Frenzy.** When the crel dashes toward prey it can see or smell, it gains an additional 10 feet of movement (30 feet per dash). The crel can also dash as a bonus action while it can see or smell prey.
> ___
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The crel lurker makes two attacks. 
>
> ***Seize.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit* Target is grappled.
>
> ***Bite.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit with advantage, reach 5 ft., one grappled target. *Hit* 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
>
> ***Rake.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., throw 20/60, one target. *Hit* 5 (1d6+2) slashing damage.
>___
> ### Description
> The crel lurker is an intelligent and patient predator. It will attempt to separate easier prey from the rest of the party by activating storm hold doors or traps and then gang up on the victim/meal.

\pagebreakNum

___
> ### Crel Arcanist
>*Medium Undead, Neutral Evil*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 14 (leather armor)
> - **Hit Points** 45
> - **Speed** 20 ft. (30 ft dash)
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|12 (+1)| 12 (+2)| 14 (+2) | 14 (+2)| 12 (+1)| 8 (-1) |
>___
> - **Skills/Senses** Investigation +5, Stealth +5
> - **Saves** Wisdom +4 
> - **Languages** Cyberunic, Common Sign
> - **Challenge** 2 (450 XP)
>___
> **Somnambulist.**  Crel cannot sleep. 
>
> **Undead Constitution.** The crel lurker is resistant to cold and necrotic damage and regains 5 HP at the start its next turn if it takes any cold or necrotic damage unless it is at 0 HP.
>
> **Feeding Frenzy.** When the crel dashes toward prey it can see or smell, it gains an additional 10 feet of movement (30 feet per dash). The crel can also dash as a bonus action while it can see or smell prey.
> 
> **Spellcasting.** The crel arcanist is a 5th level spellcaster with a spell attack bonus of +5 and a spell DC of 13. It can cast the following spells.  
> At will: *alter surface*, *defiance*, *meld*, *alarm* (ritual), *minor illusion*  
> 4/day: *silent image*, *magnify gravity*, *chromatic orb*  
> 3/day: *web*, *hold person*, *darkness*, *arcane lock*  
> 2/day: *clairvoyance*, *lightning bolt* , *major image*
> ___
> ### Actions
>
> ***Arcane Blast.*** *Ranged Spell Attack:* +5 to hit, 120 ft., one target. *Hit* 12 (3d6+2) force damage.
>___
> ### Description
> The crel arcanist will use *alarm* spells to detect visitors, then watch them using *clairvoyance*. The crel arcanist sets illusions as decoys and to hide traps. It will do all it can to prevent prey from fleeing. It's favorite traps include::
> * a room with lurkers hidden by an illusory wall
> * illusory floor hiding a pit trap (3d8 piercing)
> * a glowing illusion designed to lure curious prey into a corridor which can be closed off by lurkers or doors operated by cyberunic keypads
> * use *meld* to avoid being seen and surprise prey
> * an illusion hiding a hazard such as an exposed power conduit, or a broken or missing railing or step, or cast *alter surface* to impede fleeing prey
> * hiding in only the viable escape path and using spells to make sounds as if crel are coming so prey choose a dead end

\pagebreakNum

___
> ### Edar Scout
>*Medium Humanoid, Neutral*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 15 (studded leather armor)
> - **Hit Points** 45
> - **Speed** 35 ft. 
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|12 (+1)| 16 (+3)| 14 (+2) | 12 (+1)| 12 (+1)| 10 (0) |
>___
> - **Skills/Senses** Athletics +4, Perception +4, Stealth +6
> - **Saves** Wisdom +4, Dexterity +7 
> - **Languages** Elvish, Common, Dwarvish
> - **Challenge** 2 (450 XP)
>___
> **Astral Affinity** Edar have advantage on saving throws against unwilling planar transport and teleportation.
>
> **Sneak Attack** When the edar has advantage on an attack or attacks a creature within 5 feet of an ally, it deals 3d6 additional damage on one hit each turn against that creature.
>
> **Arcane Training.** The edar scout can cast the spell *find familiar* 1/day and invisible *mage hand* and *message* at will, and has a familiar appropriate to its mission, such as an owl or spider. 
> ___
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The edar scout makes two arcane crossbow or two gauntlet blade attacks.
>
> ***Arcane Crossbow.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, 120/240 ft., one target. *Hit* 12 (1d10+3) force damage. This weapon functions only when attuned to an edar.
>
> ***Gauntlet blades.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, 5 ft., one target. *Hit* 1d6+3 piercing damage plus 1d4 force damage.
>
> ***Fog Grenade.*** (1/day) The edar activates a one-time use magic item which casts the spell *fog cloud*. This effect can be dispelled.
> ___
> ### Bonus Actions
> ***Wink.*** (1/day) The edar scout casts the *etherealness* spell without material components, which ends after its turn.
> 
> **Cunning Action**  The edar scout can dash, disengage, or hide (when unseen).
>
> **Steady Aim** The edar scout gains advantage on its next ranged weapon attack.
> ___
> ### Equipment
> Ball bearings, sending stone (inquisitor has other stone)

\columnbreak

___
> ### Edar Shock Trooper
> *Medium Humanoid, Neutral Evil*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 17 (splint)
> - **Hit Points** 60
> - **Speed** 30 ft. 
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|16 (+3)| 12 (+1)| 16 (+3) | 8 (+1)| 12 (+1)| 12 (0) |
>___
> - **Skills/Senses** Athletics +6, Intimidation +3
> - **Saves** Wisdom +4, Strength +6, Constitution +6 
> - **Languages** Elvish, Common, Dwarvish
> - **Challenge** 3 (700 XP)
>___
> **Astral Affinity** Edar have advantage on saving throws against unwilling planar transport and teleportation.
> ___
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The shock trooper makes two lightning whip or two longsword attacks.
>
> ***Lightning Whip.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, 15/30 ft., one target. *Hit* 12 (1d10+3) lightning damage.
>
> ***Longsword.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, 5 ft., one target. *Hit* 1d10+3 slashing damage plus 1d4 force damage.
>
> ***Stun Grenade.*** (1/day) The edar activates and then throws a distance up to 90 feet a one-time use magic item which casts the spell *hypnotic pattern* with spell save DC of 13. This effect can be dispelled. 
> ___
> ### Bonus Actions
> ***Wink.*** (1/day) The shock trooper casts the *etherealness* spell without material components, which ends after its turn.
>
> ***Wrath of the Banished.*** (1/day) The edar shock trooper unleashes a furious psychic storm. Until the beginning of its next turn, the shock trooper and any friendly creatures within 10 feet at the time the storm is unleashed will deal additional psychic damage when they hit with an attack roll. The damage is equal to 3.
> 
> ***Shield smash.*** After the edar's attack, if it hit with a melee weapon attack it can make a bonus action shield smash attack against the creature it hit 1d4+3 bludgeoning damage on hit and causing a large or smaller creature to fall prone.
> ___
> ### Equipment
> Shackles (x2). The shock trooper's enhanced arcane weapons do not deliver magical damage unless attuned by an edar.

\pagebreakNum

___
> ### Edar Inquisitor
>*Medium Humanoid, Neutral Evil*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 15 (mage armor)
> - **Hit Points** 45
> - **Speed** 20 ft. (30 ft dash)
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|12 (+1)| 12 (+2)| 14 (+2) | 16 (+3)| 14 (+2)| 14 (+2) |
>___
> - **Skills/Senses** Investigation +5, Persusion +6, Intimidation +6
> - **Saves** Wisdom +5, Intelligence +6, Charisma +5 
> - **Languages** Elvish, Common, Dwarvish
> - **Challenge** 3 (750 XP)
>___
> **Astral Affinity** Edar have advantage on saving throws against unwilling planar transport and teleportation.
>
> ***Spellcasting.*** The edar inquisitor is a 5th level spellcaster with a spell attack bonus of +6 and a spell DC of 14. It can cast the following spells.  
> At will: *channeling*, *dazzle*, *flash step*, *alarm* (ritual), *thunder punch*  
> 4/day: *third eye*, *mage armor*, *comprehend languages*, *command*, *shield*
> 3/day: *eye stalk*, *hold person*, *zone of truth*
> 2/day: *tentacular horror*, *lightning bolt*
> ___
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The shock trooper makes two lightning blast attacks.
>
> ***Lightning Blast.*** *Ranged Spell Attack:* +6 to hit, 120 ft., one target. *Hit* 12 (1d10+3) lightning damage.
>
> ***Enervating Grenade.*** (1/day) The edar activates and then throws a distance up to 90 feet a one-time use magic item which casts the spell *sickening radiance* with spell save DC of 14, and which lasts for one minute. This effect can be dispelled.
> ___
> ### Bonus Actions
> ***Wink.*** (1/day) The shock trooper casts the *etherealness* spell without material components, which ends after its turn.
>
> ***Wrath of the Banished.*** (1/day) The edar shock trooper unleashes a furious psychic storm. Until the beginning of its next turn, the shock trooper and any friendly creatures within 10 feet at the time the storm is unleashed will deal additional psychic damage when they hit with an attack roll. The damage is equal to 3.
> ___
> ### Equipment:
> Sending stone (to scout), sending stone (to commander)

___
> ### Edar Flying Cavalier
>*Medium Humanoid, Neutral*
>___
> - **Armor Class** 16 (chestplate)
> - **Hit Points** 45
> - **Speed** 20 ft. (30 ft dash)
>___
>|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA|
>|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
>|14 (+2)| 14 (+2)| 14 (+2) | 12 (+1)| 16 (+3)| 10 (0) |
>___
> - **Skills/Senses** Animal Handling +6, Perception +6
> - **Saves** Wisdom +6 Dexterity +5  
> - **Languages** Elvish, Common, Druidic
> - **Challenge** 2 (400 XP)
>___
> **Astral Affinity** Edar have advantage on saving throws against unwilling planar transport and teleportation. 
>
> **Mounted Combatant.** The cavalier has advantage on melee attack rolls against any unmounted creature that is smaller than its mount. It can force an attack targeting its mount to target itself. If its mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to make Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
> 
> ___
> ### Actions
> ***Multiattack.*** The cavalier makes two arcane crossbow attacks, two gravity grenades, or one lightning lance attacks, or it can use its action to direct its mount to make as many attacks as it has available.
>
> ***Arcane Crossbow.*** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +6 to hit, 120/240 ft., one target. *Hit* 12 (1d10+3) force damage. This weapon functions only when attuned to an edar.
>
> ***Lightning Lance.*** (recharge 4-6) *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, 10 ft. (disadvantage at 5 feet), one target. *Hit* 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage plus 2d8 lightning damage. This weapon does not charge and deliver lightning damage unless wielded by an edar.
>
> ***Gravity Grenades.*** (2/day) The cavalier can activate and throw this single-use magic item up to a distance of 90 feet, whereupon it casts the spell *magnify gravity* with a spell DC of 13. 
>___
> ### Description
> The edar cavalier rides a trained mount such as a giant eagle, giant owl, cloaker, peryton, or wyvern, but can also ride land-based mounts such as horses. The cavalier's challenge rate does not include the mount.

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<div class='cover-header' style="top:150px;font-size:350%;">Corion Gallery</div>

<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%">A storm hold commandeered by edar takes to the skies of Corion.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%">Entering the surreal landscape of a subconscious mindspace.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%">A royal elkhorn zantir in parade regalia.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="top:450px;font-size:150%;">Welcome to Rojborn's Second Bastion, mate.</div>

<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Young Beeka and Ofir playing in the woods on their parent's estate.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="top:450px;font-size:150%;">So, you wanna be a seeker? You've come to the right place.</div>

<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Selax and Daylor, dressed for battle, await the arrival of their astral cruiser at Corion.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">A graduation is just one of many excuses halflings make to have a party...and invite <u>everyone</u>.</div>

<div class='cover-footer' style="top:430px;font-size:150%;">The sight of a rare orbyx in a village draws a crowd of curious children.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Sivat's stomach scales turn yellow when she wears copper,<br> an envied trait among perlu reef hunters.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">The dress and habits of elkhorn rangers are frequently lost on humans.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Crel do not seem opposed to wearing the clothing donated by their victims, er, visitors.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">So, apparently, some crel do have magic... Run.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">As a life cleric of Ka'rel, I thought I was prepared for what I would face as a seeker. <br>But I cannot forget the first time I had to end an edar life to save my friends. <br>Reluctantly, I cast <em>toll the dead</em>. </div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">The hot springs waterfalls in Falhorn Pass are a luxury worth taking your time to enjoy.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Congratulations, you've found a previously undiscovered lod! <br> Good luck dealing with the locals. They seem to be made entirely of metal.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Perlu aren't the only species to make homes on the rugged coasts of Corion. <br> The mysterious monks of Halatu guard these shores.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">And they have plenty to watch out for. Pirates and savages abound in the thousands of coves and harbors of Corion's countless isles.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">The ancient human kingdom of Normendur is steeped in tradition. <br>Much of the lore about the first edar invasion comes from their archives. <br>You only need to gain the favor of zealously protective Queen Shalaktani.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Every seeker team eventually faces that moment when it's like, <br>"Okay, maybe rage <u>is</u> the answer." Guidano loves those moments.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="top:420px;font-size:150%;">I was supposed to be saving the world, not catching rogues. <br>Wait until her parents find out what she was up to. <br> I should watch for wolves. ...Why does it feel like I already have one?</div>

<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">If you are done <em>studying</em> magic...</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Every artificer has their price. Some are just more expensive than others. <br>But, trust me. Tiva is the best. Magic is a song she sings to her creations.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="top:175px;font-size:150%;">Tzukana, who seals her battle scars with pure gold, and Valenk her captain-at-arms, are not happy about being left out of the edar advance post campaign notes. They have placed an inter-planar bounty on the head of this so-called "Hyperdrift."</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="top:150px;font-size:150%;">Not all dwarfken and chelli find each other infuriating...at least until they get married.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;"> The young wizard prodigy Delran casually conjures a green-flame blade to draw <br>attention away from the shadow demon he summoned behind his enemies.<br> Also, he thinks it looks cool and will impress Maya.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;"> Maya, the team's halfling cleric, is not impressed. Furthermore, she does not approve of summoning fiends and dating boys ten years younger, even if they are the same height.</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="top:100px;font-size:150%;">The dwarfken druid Gabrek is known for his public safety<br> campaign slogan to reduce wild shape accidents, <br>"friends don't let friends druid drunk." <br> <em>...I'd better walk her home.</em><br>#DesignatedDwarf</div>

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<div class='cover-footer' style="font-size:150%;">Friendships forged in mindspaces can be a fragile and tragic thing.</div>

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# Additional Reading
___
The following homebrews work well with this setting.
* [Prankster Bardic College](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MuGePG5vhy91C8jW2xs)
* [Battle Potioner Class](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MvgVSsjwMwoabZZ3qEU)
* [Sigilist Wizard School](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MwPi9KIb3S88Rg0XJV0)
* [Sorcerous Origin: Bubble Magic](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-N1vY55FK84Rkxlrj3CW)
* [Warlock Patron: Digital Entity](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-N8BqZa5_8q-zdTjfv3A)
* [DM's Guide to Better Roleplay through Stress Effects](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MxbDaaIT0cQVn2ZJ8LX)
* [DM Tips for Better Roleplay](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-NFMklK65O-GdyO8ODpE)
* [Common Sense Ships and Airships](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-My0l0zufM1KiSZ9fnKn)
* [Upcast Mage Armor](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-N8ZV0xX9asGmUGNFCgU)

### Version History
| Date | Version | Change |
|:-|:--:|:-|
| 2023.03.11 | 1.9 | Starky's Cove NPCs, arriving at starky's cove, and Lush Island adventures, and cove with beaches |
| 2023.03.02 | 1.8 | more starky's cove areas through shipwrecked, and finished art for archipelago geography |
| 2023.02.26 | 1.7 | added Royal Guardian warlock subclass and some Starky's Cove features. |
| 2023.02.23 | 1.6 | more sea encounters through #8, NPC stat blocks, and storm hold encounters, new metamagics |
| 2023.02.15 | 1.5 | updated Dunskill note and mindspace art, more sea encounters |
| 2023.02.14 | 1.4 | Added diseases and fun battle mechanics |
| 2023.02.11 | 1.3 | Refactored chapter order. Added some of the ocean geography encounters. Upgraded some art. Added  maps for Rojborn's Bastion. | 
| 2023.01.30 | 1.2 | Added trail encounters and NPC quirks. Improved halfling and orbyx art. Added a few more NPCs. |
| 2023.01.28 | 1.1 | Added maps (credit Watabou), Coonts and daughters. Clerical fixes. Removed sensing extra-planar entities (aka edar) from Dwarken ability (OP) |
| 2023.01.26 | 1.0 | Initial release [here](https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-NKKRx-0cK1SJZoQerej) on gmbinder with mountain geography, chapter 1 campaign notes, random encounters, and Rojborn's Second Bastion setting. |

\columnbreak

>### Feedback Please!
>Have questions, comments, playtest feedback, or **requests for additional content** or changes?  
>Need more encounters, NPCs, or maps?  
>Missing attribution?  
>Broken ability that needs nerfing?  
>Did you enjoy this supplement?  
>I need your feedback!  
>Contact me at **adventure@authordanallen.com**.

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## Forthcoming Geographies

### Plains/Forest

### Underground

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## Useful Battlemaps

A storm hold example dungeon battlemap generated on [Donjon](https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/).