The date is May 20th, the year 1181 in the Era of the Compact.
Jade Rosethorn, you have recently finished your apprenticeship as a wielder of the mighty power of the Torrent. In common parlance, a wizard. With little to your name except a precious spellbook and your arcane skills, you set off to make your fortune.
In the unstable and often lawless frontier of the Middle Plains, there are riches enough to be found for anyone with the wit, strength and luck to survive.
This is the very first adventure in the Middle Plains, a bit of my homebrew world of Novalia where I've tried to set up an area more conducive to player-driven action. Novalia has had a number of D&D 5e adventures set in it over the years, but this is the first of a new open-world and unscripted style.
Jade entered the town of Briarglen at the end of a day of travel. She noted a couple points of interest - a shop called Anna's herbs and a small chapel of a familiar style, likely dedicated to one of the Lords of the Compact - then made her way into the local tavern, The Pie Hole.
Inside, she quickly took the opportunity to play for her room and board with an impressive violin performance. She then met the cheerful gnomish merchant of curiosities, Searlus, and some local adventurers led by a man named Marches. From them she learned about the many ruins in the briars, which the adventurers were set on plundering. After a hilarious episode where she confused Searlus with an adventurer and almost started a fight over it, she went to bed.
Miriam 21, 1181 EC
Jade awoke and determined to set out and join up with the adventurers from the previous day, and luckily found them right outside the tavern. However, they were in the midst of an argument with a local Rythan farmer begging for their help. He wanted someone to look into an old abandoned wizard's hideout which someone had taken up residence in, but the adventurers were fixated on the riches they'd heard about in the Briars.After an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Marches, Jade decided to go with the farmer, reasoning that she might find treasures of use to a wizard.
Suko the farmer and Jade travelled a few hours outside town, met up with Suko's family and then set off toward the hideout with Suko's two brothers, armed as well as they could manage. At midday they reached a giant tree beside a gully. The tree had a hole which lead into a man-made staircase, and down in the deep gully was visible a new rope-bridge, connecting two tunnels about 40 feet down.
Jade decided to tie a rope around a tree and leave it hanging down the gully as an escape route, which would have fateful consequences later.
Going down into the hole with a lantern and light cantrip, they were lucky enough to hear goblins below, though the party's light alerted them. Jade at first planned to rush the goblins behind an illusory boulder rolling down the stairs, but the farmers were too afraid to rush in, so she improvised by making a loud dragon roar. Somewhat miraculously this sent the goblins running, and when one doubled back to check, Jade killed him with a pair of firebolts.
At this point the party reached the rope bridge, but decided to turn back. They went back to the surface and Jade spent some more time inspecting the lair before destroying the bridge with a magic missile.
Immediately after casting the spell, she checked her rope. The ground around the hanging rope was scuffed... the goblins had climbed up! Unfortunately, black arrows were already in the air as she realized this. Jade fought well in the ensuing ambush, destroying one goblin with magic missile and another with firebolt, but the farmers were beaten badly. Two of the three brothers were slain. In a strange twist, both sides failed morale checks triggered by the sudden casualties, and Jade was left alone as Suko and the last three goblins fled. Clearly the goblins had thought her a much stronger wizard than she actually was!
Going down into the hole with a lantern and light cantrip, they were lucky enough to hear goblins below, though the party's light alerted them. Jade at first planned to rush the goblins behind an illusory boulder rolling down the stairs, but the farmers were too afraid to rush in, so she improvised by making a loud dragon roar. Somewhat miraculously this sent the goblins running, and when one doubled back to check, Jade killed him with a pair of firebolts.
At this point the party reached the rope bridge, but decided to turn back. They went back to the surface and Jade spent some more time inspecting the lair before destroying the bridge with a magic missile.
Immediately after casting the spell, she checked her rope. The ground around the hanging rope was scuffed... the goblins had climbed up! Unfortunately, black arrows were already in the air as she realized this. Jade fought well in the ensuing ambush, destroying one goblin with magic missile and another with firebolt, but the farmers were beaten badly. Two of the three brothers were slain. In a strange twist, both sides failed morale checks triggered by the sudden casualties, and Jade was left alone as Suko and the last three goblins fled. Clearly the goblins had thought her a much stronger wizard than she actually was!
Jade set off after Suko, but promptly ended up lost in the woods. Alone and a random encounter away from death, she luckily didn't run into anything, and passed a peaceful night alone in the woods.
