TEXT: EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  The Holdenshire Chronicles
  Act One
  The Ills of 
  Hengistbury
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Introduction
  The Holdenshire Chronicles takes EN Publishing’s 
  classic adventure To Slay a Dragon and revamps 
  it for a new generation of gamers. Using fifth 
  edition rules, we hearken back to the 1980s and 
  embark on an adventure which is sure to remind 
  you of RPG modules and boxed sets long past!
   This trilogy of adventures leads an adventuring 
  party from the town of Hengistbury on a journey 
  across the land to challenge a red dragon who 
  dwells in a volcano lair known as Skull Mountain.
   The first act begins with the characters in the 
  town of Hengistbury, detailed previously in the 
  Prologue. There, they begin their progression as 
  heroes, and learn all about the dragon Cirothe’s 
  predations on the local area. As they advance in 
  expertise and experience, the idea of tracking the 
  dragon to her lair and ending her threat forever 
  may become a more realistic prospect.
  Act Structure
  Act I is comprised of twelve short scenarios that 
  take place in and around the town of Hengistbury.
  I: Jack of the Weirwood (level 3)
  Children are being lured into the Weirwood by 
  fauns under the control of Spring-Heeled Jack, 
  who intends to perform a ritual to bring a blight 
  across the county.
  II: The Hound of Fogmoor (level 2)
  A werewolf dwells on the Fogmoor, primarily 
  preying on lizardfolk, but is moving closer and 
  closer to human populated areas.
  III: Troll under the Bridge (level 2)
  A troll lives under a bridge near Thornbury 
  and is attacking travelers. Most escape because, 
  strangely, the troll does not pursue those who run.
  IV: Memories of Brockendale (level 1)
  A poltergeist haunts the ruins of Brockendale 
  Castle. Deep within can be found the scabbard of 
  Lord Pemberton’s sword—a scabbard that will be 
  essential if the heroes are to defeat the dragon.
  V: Lizard’s Lament (level 3)
  The Cavernsnappers, a particularly aggressive 
  tribe of lizardfolk, have been attacking fisherman, 
  and recently claimed half a dozen more victims.
  VI: Escort Service (level 2)
  Village blacksmith Rorus Klain has a shipment 
  of masterwork daggers which need to be sent 
  upriver to the neighboring county of Lanickshire, 
  but there have been reports of bandits. He needs 
  Open Game Content
  The game rule information in this article is designated Open Game Content. All of the other material in this article, 
  including maps and illustrations (including illustrations in the public domain), narrative and descriptive 
  text, character and place names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” “EN World,” “EN5ider,” EN Publishing 
  product and article titles, and EN World and EN Publishing logos, are designated Product Identity.
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  Adapted from Russ Morrissey’s To Slay a Dragon
   writing/design Russ Morrissey, Jacob Driscoll,
   Christopher J. Herbert; Brian Casey
  editing James J. Haeck (EN5ider version);
   Russell Morrissey, Ryan Nock
   
  cartography Sean Macdonald
  original art Claudio Pozas; Bruno Balixa,
   Nicole Cardiff, Storn Cook,
   Keith Curtis, Forest Imel,
   Malcolm McLinton, Eric Quigley,
   Ryan Sumo, Jeff Ward
  original layout Hal Mangold
  en5ider layout Eric Life-Putnam
  special thanks Joe Wetzell at Inkwell Ideas;
   Aaron Atwood, Darin Kerr,
   Matthew McKee, Chris Gath,
   Willaim Steffen, James P. Walker,
   Brian Suskind, and Our 247 To Slay 
  a Dragon Kickstarter Backers
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  Getting Started
  How the party has come to Hengistbury is a 
  matter best left to the individual gaming group, 
  but once that is established, read or paraphrase 
  this aloud to your players:
  Winter is over, and Hengistbury is experiencing a 
  warm, dry spring. The summer county fair is already 
  being organized, the Fair Committee headed as 
  always by Lady Sybill Pemberton, and the village is its 
  usual bustling, cheerful self.
   
  All is not well, however. There have been problems 
  of late! Children have been disappearing into the 
  Weirwood; howls of an unearthly nature have been 
  echoing across the Fogmoor; and Three-Fingered 
  Jake, the county’s itinerant bard, has been spreading 
  rumors of treasure in the ruins of Brockendale Castle.
   
  All this aside, however, tonight is a warm, balmy 
  evening. Many of the villagers are gathered in and 
  outside the Bleeding Heart Tavern (originally called 
  the Beaming Hearth, until some children vandalized 
  the pub’s sign), and any troubles seem far away.
  This is an opportunity to introduce the PCs to 
  various important members of the community. 
  Most are friendly—unless the PCs do or say 
  something to offend them—and are willing to talk. 
  Amongst the random gossip, talk of the weather 
  and the harvest, discussion of the summer fair 
  arrangements, and other domestic trivia, the PCs 
  may pick up on various snippets of information 
  (see the “Rumors in the Tavern” sidebar). This 
  is all background information; the hooks will 
  come later. For now, just let the PCs get to know 
  everyone.
   The PCs can attempt any of the initial quests in 
  any order. Some are hinted at in tavern rumors, 
  and others contain their own plot hooks to draw 
  the PCs in. These hooks are presented at the start 
  of each quest, and each quest is relatively short.
   The final quest, Kobolds of Thornbury, is the 
  one which ultimately sends the PCs on their 
  journey to slay the dragon; the PCs should be 4th 
  level by the time they undertake it.
  Get the Introduction! The “Holdenshire Primer” 
  document is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/
  holdenshire-part-4123536
  someone to protect the shipment as it makes its 
  three-day journey to the border of Holdenshire.
  VII: Pandora’s Box (level 1)
  The Mortimer brothers have obtained a curious 
  box and have made the mistake of opening it. 
  Unfortunately, the box designed to summon a 
  rather bad-tempered bearded devil called Kazyk.
  VIII: Manhunter (level 2)
  Brand Torek needs help to apprehend a 
  pickpocket named Tila, who just escaped from her 
  Hengistbury jail cell. She’s had a one-hour head 
  start, and the clock is ticking!
  IX: On Safari (level 3)
  Tales of a strange creature roaming the hills 
  northeast of Brockendale Castle have attracted the 
  attention of local veterinarian Albert Wright who 
  sees this as an opportunity to make his dreams 
  come true by capturing it.
  X: Troublemakers (level 3)
  Another adventuring party has shown up in 
  Thornbury, and have been nothing but trouble. No 
  one is quite sure why they are here or what they 
  want, but they would definitely prefer them to 
  conduct their business and leave…
  XI: Peculiar, Most Peculiar (level 1)
  Something odd is happening at a place called 
  Murray’s Folly. No one is exactly sure what, but 
  some of the local residents in Thornbury are 
  worried.
  XII: Kobolds of Thornbury (level 4)
  Kobolds attack, and steal away virgins from the 
  village! Is this a random attack, or is the valley 
  feeling the taloned influence of the dragon of 
  Skull Mountain?
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Rumors in the Tavern
  Not all quests are rumored here, some emerge as the 
  adventure goes along. Similarly, not all rumors here 
  are true. Or at least not true yet.
   
  ▶
  Brand is aware of the howls from the Fogmoor. 
  He warns that the moor is inhabited by lizardman
  tribes, however, and believes the howls to merely 
  be a large wolf. He promises he will deal with it 
  should it show itself in the village. (Quest II: the 
  Hound of Fogmoor)
   
  ▶
  Gavin Morigan speaks about a strange floating
  ship he saw in the night sky a few weeks back. He
  claims it was a schooner under full sail and sailed 
  of to the south. (A false rumor unless the GM 
  decides otherwise. Gavin had a bit too much to
  drink one night and an odd cloud formation lit by a
  full moon captured his imagination.)
   
  ▶
  Lady Sybill is familiar with the history of Brock-
  endale Castle, as it used to be the Pemberton
  seat of power. The castle is said to be haunted by
  the spirit of a young woman who was executed 
  there on suspicion of being a witch. Her name was
  Elanour, and within a year of the execution, the
  Pembertons relocated to Hengistbury Keep. This
  was all a couple of generations ago, and happened
  before Lady Sybill was born. She thinks that her
  husband would probably know a little more.
  (Quest IV: Memories of Brockendale)
   
  ▶
  Aus will talk about how neat the dragon of Skull 
  Mountain is and how much he thinks it would 
  be cool to see it and talk to it. He clearly has no
  idea how dangerous dragons are, nor can he be
  convinced they are anything less than wonderful.
  Anyone speaking ill of the dragon or suggesting 
  it should be killed will be mocked as only an 8
  year-old can.
   
  ▶
  Mylani Azalathellon refers to her notebook and 
  says she thinks that someone is trying break the 
  law rather badly in Hengistbury. She will not be
  drawn out beyond this statement and simply looks
  darkly at the PCs. (This is true, but the Samuel and
  Sons Robbery can be developed by the GM as a
  further Quest using the elements provided in the 
  NPC write ups.)
   
  ▶ Three-Fingered Jake elaborates a little on the 
  rumors of treasure at Brockendale Castle. Appar-
  ently, the Pemberton’s family scabbard is there;
  Lord Pemberton has the sword itself, but when the 
  castle was abandoned in the dead of the night, the
  former Lord Pemberton had sword in hand. The
  scabbard was left in his bedchamber. It is valuable,
  it has great sentimental value for the Lord and
  Lady Pemberton, and it is said to have magical
  properties. (Quest IV: Memories of Brockendale)
   
  ▶
  Saraz bint Farad bint Aquilah asks the PCs if they
  know about the black cheese. She believes they
  are possessed by the souls of the dead and that 
  something evil is going on at Clothbinder’s Cheese 
  Shop. People will confirm that the Black Cheeses 
  are to be left alone. (The truth is, there are about
  a dozen black-wrapped cheeses in the shop, all
  of which are prepared well in advance for the
  Autumn Festival Cheese Roll. They are specially 
  hardened and nearly inedible, but otherwise nor-
  mal. No one is allowed to touch them to prevent 
  tampering.)
   
  ▶
  Ariadne, Brand’s niece, has joined Lady Sybill’s
  Autumn Fair committee. She has grand plans for
  the flower arrangement competition. While in 
  Thornbury last week, she thought she saw a small 
  scaly humanoid creature dressed in robes, watch-
  ing her. (True, but at this point merely a hint of
  what is to come.)
   
  ▶
  Ugg is sitting on the ground outside the tavern 
  because he’s too big to fit inside. He talks of seeing 
  a “green lady” out on the Fogmoors being fol-
  lowed around by what he calls “scalies.” (Quest V:
  Lizards Lament)
   
  ▶ The Mortimer Brothers (well, Gord and Beej)
  are sitting with Ugg, outside the tavern, and are
  concerned that Poke hasn’t been seen since they
  dared him to venture into the Weirwood at night.
  (Quest I: Jack of the Weirwood)
   
  ▶
  Some of the locals may mention trouble at a
  bridge near Thornbury. Travelers mention having
  been attacked by a Troll at the bridge. (Quest III:
  Troll Under the Bridge) 
  continued next page
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  Quest I:  Jack of the 
  Weirwood
  Children are being lured into the Weirwood by 
  fauns under the control of Spring-Heeled Jack. 
  They are being held in the Weirhenge where he 
  intends to perform a ritual to bring a blight across 
  the county. Why? Because he’s a malicious, nasty, 
  petty bastard who just enjoys seeing people suffer. 
  He has three of the four children he needs, the 
  latest being Poke Mortimer.
   Following Poke’s trail is easy up to a point. A 
  DC 8 Wisdom (Survival) check leads the PCs to 
  the Weirwood, and about ¼ mile into the wood.
  The Weirwood always seems eerie and haunted. 
  There’s something not quite right about the way the 
  sun filters through the leaves, or how the birdsong 
  sounds somehow muted and distant. The Weirwood 
  makes you feel uneasy, but you can’t quite put your 
  finger on why. Poke’s trail is easy to follow at first. It 
  leads you deeper into the wood, perhaps a quarter 
  mile, before arriving at a small clearing. Here, the trail 
  seems to end.
   In the distance you can hear the faint sound of mu-
  sic; it sounds like pipes, and is curiously inviting. The 
  music is, of course, the panpipes of fauns.
  If the PCs follow the sound (DC 10 Perception 
  check), they soon come across a potential ally:
  Standing on a small rise nearby is a curious creature. 
  It stands on stark white goat legs and has short horns 
  protruding from its head. It also has a short tail that 
  swishes playfully from excitement, and its hair falls 
  gracefully around its horns and ears. Its humanoid 
  torso is lithe but chiseled.
  PCs may well mistake this creature for a satyr. A 
  DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) check allows them 
  to discern that this is, in fact, a faun (see “New 
  Monsters and NPCs”).
   This faun is named Peripoptofulavar and, while 
  afraid of Spring-Heeled Jack, he strongly dislikes 
  what the malicious fey is doing. He is willing to 
  help the PCs, but he will not engage in combat 
  against his fellow fauns (out of familial loyalty) or 
  against Jack (out of fear).
   Peripoptofulavar is only too eager to get the 
  party involved in stopping Spring-Heeled Jack; 
  to that end, he will freely give the following 
  information:
  Rumors in the Tavern, continued
  continued from previous page
   
  ▶ The woodsman, Stefan Oakfell, should he hap-
  pen to be in town and willing to talk, can tell a
  strange tale of gypsies in the Queenswood and 
  late night dancing around a bonfire to the strains
  of unearthly music. (Partially true; or, as true 
  as the GM needs it to be. See the Queenswood 
  location in the Primer for ideas to develop.)
   
  ▶
  One of the older townsfolk, either a fishermen 
  or a barge-man, speaks of strange goings on 
  near a place called Murray’s Folly. He seems to
  be a bit drunk and talks about floating rocks and
  ghostly hammering noises. (Quest XI: Peculiar, 
  Most Peculiar)
   
  ▶
  Someone mentions that Albert Wright, in 
  Thornbury, seems to have news of an interest-
  ing creature out in the hills. He is seeking help 
  in tracking it down and capturing it. (Quest IX:
  On Safari)
   
  ▶
  A group of adventurers has been making trouble
  in the area lately. They keep asking about some-
  thing called Bluestone, but no one knows what 
  this might be. (Quest X: Troublemakers)
  GM’s Note. You can make up additional rumors 
  if you so choose and sprinkle them around either 
  village. Which ones are true and which are false is 
  entirely up to you.
  Continuing the Quest
  Many of the quests contain a note entitled “Con-
  tinuing the Quest.” These notes are provided as 
  suggestions on ways to either extend the current 
  quest or create new ones for a GM and players who 
  would like to spend additional time in the county of 
  Holdenshire.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  If the PCs ask about the details of Jack’s plan:
  “He mutters about a ritual, says he needs four of your 
  younglings. He has three now!”
  If the party wants to know how many are 
  involved:
  “Four of my fellows, yes, indeed. I was the fifth. 
  Four of my fellows plus … Jack.”
  Peripoptofulavar, if asked, can lead the PCs to 
  the area of the Weirhenge. He will not enter the 
  area of the Weirhenge himself, however, instead 
  saying:
  “This is as far as I can go, good sirs. Oh my, oh my yes. 
  Too much fear I have, too much. Please, go carefully. 
  Don’t let Jack get you. Oh no, oh no. Save the poor 
  children, bring them back safe.”
   
  He then runs off into the woods back the way you 
  came.
  If they follow the faun for a few minutes, the 
  PCs reach the Weirhenge, a circular group of 
  standing granite stones sitting atop a perfectly 
  round hill. Clearly here since ancient times, the 
  stones are covered in moss and faint, weather-
  worn pictographs that are barely discernible and 
  impossible to read. The area of the Weirhenge 
  is shrouded in a light mist as if it were early 
  morning no matter what time of day the party 
  arrives. There is a faint metallic tang to the air.
   Allow the PCs to make whatever Intelligence 
  checks they feel would apply. A successful DC 13 
  Intelligence (History or Arcana) check may reveal 
  that areas similar to this were sometimes used to 
  perform powerful ancient rituals, but no one has 
  heard of such a ritual being performed for several 
  hundred years.
   The mists are thick, but PCs that successfully 
  perform a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception or Survival) 
  check may be able to discern several sets of small 
  hoof prints scattered about the area.
  Allow each PC a short opportunity to make one 
  If the PCs ask about the missing children:
  “Ohgoshohgoshohgosh! Yes, Jack has taken the 
  younglings from your village. He holds them at the 
  Weirhenge. Oh my!”
  If the PCs ask if Peripoptofulavar is involved in 
  the plot:
  “Golly, no, I don’t approve, no sir, not at all!”
  Asking about Spring-Heeled Jack reveals the 
  following:
  “Jack, spring-heeled he calls himself. He may be 
  small, but he’s a vicious one, that he is. Oh my! He 
  leaps and sneaks, he does, leaps and sneaks. Oh, a 
  nasty fellow, Jack is. Nasty, nasty, nasty. And he hates 
  human-folk. Oh golly.”
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  of the above checks. PCs that choose to make a DC 
  12 Wisdom (Perception) check will notice that the 
  unsettling feeling that permeated their approach 
  to the area is particularly strong here and the 
  sound of the pipes has stopped.
   Once everyone has had an opportunity to make 
  their check, read or paraphrase the following:
  A goat-like chuckle breaks the silence and you realize 
  you are not alone. It is as though the creatures that 
  now surround you simply materialized out of thin air, 
  although none of you saw any of them actually do so. 
  Standing atop a large stone, you can see a small and 
  roguish man with horns, garbed in a tattered vest, 
  cape, and trousers. His movements seem hideously 
  quick, unnatural, and the very sight of Spring-Heeled 
  Jack’s cruel grin chills your hearts, as does the sight of 
  his viciously curved dagger.
   Jack is not alone, however. Arrayed around the 
  Weirhenge, you can see a handful of fauns.
  Spring-Heeled Jack (see “New Monsters and 
  NPCs”) is not one to waste words. He is a 
  malicious and cruel fey interested only in letting 
  as much blood as possible. If this means torturing 
  and killing children, then so be it. If it means 
  fighting the party, then that is all the more to his 
  liking, even if it means some of his faun followers 
  have to die as well. Blood is blood as far as Jack 
  is concerned. He has promised this group of 
  fauns that he can perform a ritual that will blight 
  the landscape and give them dominion over the 
  nearby settlements. This is a lie, intended only to 
  further his thirst for violence.
   Jack is positioned on a stone immediately 
  above the PCs and toward the center of the hill. 
  He opens with his breath weapon, attempting 
  to catch as many PCs as possible in its cone and 
  then immediately leap away to another stone. On 
  subsequent rounds he will attempt to determine 
  the weakest members of the party and then use 
  his Frightening Gaze on them while attempting to 
  gain position for either another breath attack. His 
  passwall ability has already been used.
  The 4 fauns (see “New Monsters and NPCs”) 
  are fairly naïve and will scatter and flee into the 
  surrounding forest if Spring-Heeled Jack is killed. 
  Otherwise, the fauns coordinate their attacks 
  so that in the first round half the fauns use their 
  panpipes to frighten their foes while the other 
  half attempt to incapacitate them with laughter. In 
  the second round, if any PCs are unaffected, they 
  swap and attempt to incapacitate the remainder 
  while Jack attempts to instill fear in anyone still 
  standing. After that, they attack PCs when and 
  where they can, focusing on any that have been 
  unaffected or manage to recover.
   The mist in the area is not sufficient to provide 
  any degree of concealment. The standing stones 
  can be used by both sides to provide cover.
   Once the battle is over, the PCs can hear 
  children crying nearby. (The sounds of fighting 
  have frightened them.) Spring-Heeled Jack has 
  used his passwall to open a tunnel into the interior 
  of the hill, which turns out to be a burial mound. 
  The mound has long since been looted and most 
  useful items are too rusted or broken to be of any 
  value. Three children—Poke, Mallory Jackdaw, 
  and another local child named Boris—are bound 
  to each other inside. Asking the children, or 
  succeeding at a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, 
  reveals a small stash of gems (400 gp value) and 
  coins (200 gp value) hidden in a corner under the 
  collapsed remains of an urn. The musty remains 
  of the burial mound’s first inhabitant reveal a 
  +1 buckler and one potion of climbing.
  Upon returning to the village, with the children
  safely in tow, the PCs are warmly welcomed and
  offered free healing of any wounds. There is a
  small celebration held for the safe return of the
  children, but the families involved mostly want
  to get the children home to their beds to rest and
  recuperate from their ordeal.
  Continuing the Quest
  With his companions dead or fleeing, Peripop-
  tofulavar is at a loss as to how to proceed. He may
  approach the PCs and ask for an escort safely out
  of the area, or seek their assistance in locating
  those members of his family who were driven off.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Quest II:  The Hound of 
  Fogmoor
  There is, indeed, a werewolf abroad on the 
  Fogmoor. At the moment, it is primarily preying 
  on lizardfolk, but is progressively moving closer 
  and closer to human-populated areas.
   The moon casts eerie shadows across the moor 
  and, aside from the werewolf himself, presents 
  the chief danger in the Fogmoors. The Fogmoors 
  are already a particularly dangerous example of 
  the type and every few months someone enters 
  the Fogmoors and fails to return. The dim light, 
  combined with the thick, rolling fogs, means 
  that it is much more difficult to traverse the 
  Fogmoors without stepping off dry land and into 
  the swampy, mucky areas for which the moors are 
  named. A creature can navigate the treacherous 
  ground, or lead others safely, for a hundred yards 
  or so by making a successful DC 15 Wisdom 
  (Survival) check. A character who uses a pole to 
  test the ground ahead of them gains advantage on 
  this check.
   PCs failing the check accidentally stepped off 
  the trail and fall into one of the swampy areas that 
  dot the landscape unless they make a successful 
  DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. They immediately 
  become stuck fast in the muck and require a DC 
  15 Strength check to be pulled free or slowly begin 
  sinking into the moors. After the third round of 
  being stuck, and every 3 rounds thereafter, the 
  Strength DC increases by 1 until freed or the PC 
  has been stuck for 12 rounds. At that point the PC 
  must abandon all gear and make a desperate last 
  attempt to get free (DC 19) or be swallowed by the 
  moors forever.
   The werewolf wanders the moors only at night, 
  and anyone on the moors after sundown will 
  hear the occasional howl in the distance. The 
  werewolf isn’t trying to hide, so a DC 12 Wisdom 
  (Perception or Survival) check is good enough to 
  get close to the creature. Make the “hunt” last a 
  short while to give the PCs a sense of suspense.
   After sufficiently building the tension, read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  Following the sound of the howls, you soon being to 
  see evidence of the creature’s passing. Animals lie 
  dead, blood and guts sprayed everywhere in grisly 
  scenes of carnage. The stench of entrails and offal 
  permeate the air. Here and there you find the dismem-
  bered corpse of a lizardman, victim of a particularly 
  stomach-turning evisceration.
   And then you see it, silhouetted in the moonlight, 
  a muscular, hairy, half-humanoid figure with yellow 
  claws and the snarling head of a vicious wolf. Its eyes 
  gleam yellow as they fix upon you.
  Searching one of the lizardman corpses reveals a 
  small vial: a potion of heroism.
   When they find it, the werewolf is on a dryish 
  patch of land, baying at the moon. Upon seeing 
  the PCs, it begins stalking towards them until it 
  is within charge range, at which point it launches 
  itself at the closest character.
   The werewolf is savage and nearly feral. He’s 
  been stuck permanently in wolf shape for so long 
  that very little trace of humanity remains. He 
  isn’t a fool though, and knows that stepping off 
  solid ground could be fatal. Hopefully the PCs’ 
  earlier experiences with traversing the Fogmoors 
  have given them an idea to help deal with the 
  werewolf; for example, you should allowed them 
  to attempt to knock the werewolf into a nearby 
  muck pool and then dispatch him accordingly.
   A DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check made on 
  the way to and from the encounter area can reveal 
  a scattering of coins and valuables dropped by 
  unfortunate travelers, victims of both the moors 
  and the werewolf, totaling 100 gp between coins 
  and other trinkets.
  Continuing the Quest
  What happened to the werewolf that locked him 
  in his hybrid form? Is there something more 
  sinister waiting in the Fogmoors or was this an 
  isolated incident? Only time will tell if the PCs 
  have truly eliminated the threat.
  Quest III:  Troll Under the 
  Bridge
  A troll is living out the ultimate cliché; it lives 
  under a bridge near Thornbury and is attacking 
  travelers. Most are able to escape, because the troll 
  does not seem to pursue those who run, but there 
  have been a few fatalities.
   This particular troll is, unknown to anyone, 
  protecting an extremely young, badly ill troll baby. 
  She took refuge under the bridge in an effort to 
  get the baby as out of the elements as she can. She 
  can be reasoned with but only if the PCs can find 
  a way to communicate and succeed at a DC 16 
  Charisma (Persuasion) check. The PCs best bet 
  for opening the lines of communication may be to 
  convince Ugg, the village hill giant, to translate.
   If the PCs can manage it, they discover that the 
  troll is seeking healing magic of some sort to treat 
  her child. Without some sort of aid, the child will 
  surely die soon. From her hiding place under the 
  bridge, the troll has attacked people in an attempt 
  to acquire some manner of healing magic, but she 
  has so far been unsuccessful. She won’t pursue 
  potential targets beyond the confines of the bridge 
  because she’s afraid that her baby will fall victim 
  to local wildlife or passers-by in her absence.
   PCs that take time to approach cautiously and 
  succeed at a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check 
  will note the sickly coughing noises of the baby 
  troll. This may be sufficient to clue them in on the 
  nature of the encounter.
   If the PCs can somehow make it clear that 
  they wish to help, the troll immediately halts her 
  attack and begs for aid and mercy. If present, Ugg, 
  being a kind-hearted soul, takes particular pity 
  on the troll and insistently attempts to make her 
  intentions clear to the PCs. If they can produce 
  any sort of healing magic and use it on the baby 
  the mother troll will be very grateful and give the 
  PCs the entirety of her small treasure hoard in 
  repayment. Once her baby is out of danger, she 
  takes it and departs the area swiftly, heading off 
  into the woods to find seclusion.
   GM’s Note. It is entirely possible that, should 
  the PCs be in danger of dying in a later encounter 
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  in this module, this troll may make an appearance 
  on the PCs side to swing the tide of battle. This 
  is a one-time repayment of the favor as a further 
  show of gratitude.
   If the PCs fail all attempts at a peaceful 
  resolution, or simply don’t allow one to happen, 
  the mother troll fights to the death and the baby 
  dies a few minutes later from its illness, perhaps 
  even in the PCs presence. Ugg, if present, is 
  distraught, and he admonishes the PCs for only 
  seeing “monsters” when they look at someone 
  different than them, including himself. Further 
  interactions with Ugg will be colored by the 
  violent resolution of this encounter.
   The troll has collected a small pile of “shinies” 
  from its victims: 52 gp, 65 sp, three small 50-gp 
  rubies, and a lady’s necklace worth 100 gp.
  Quest IV:  Memories of 
  Brockendale
  Elanour the poltergeist (see “New Monsters and 
  NPCs”) haunts the ruined old Castle Brockendale, 
  where deep within can be found the scabbard of 
  Lord Pemberton’s sword—along with other lesser 
  treasures. This scabbard, though the PCs won’t 
  know it yet, will be necessary if they are to defeat 
  the dragon.
  First, though, they’ve got to get into the ruins.
   Castle Brockendale has clearly seen better days. 
  Much of the castle is in ruins and few outside 
  walls remain unbreached. Over the years, various 
  vines and other climbing plants have taken hold 
  in the rough and broken stonework that litters 
  the ground. Some of the stonework appears to 
  be covered by old dilapidated cobwebs of usual 
  size. However, a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception or 
  Survival) check can determine that one particular 
  mass of webs appears to be fresher than those 
  surrounding it and of sturdier construction. A 
  successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check will 
  alert the PC to the fact that these are the webs of 
  giant wolf spiders. The outskirts are home to a 
  number of the creatures.
  Read or paraphrase the following as they 
  approach:
  The castle now looms over you, its skeletal ruins stark 
  against the grey sky. Whether or not it actually is 
  haunted, it certainly looks the part.
   
  For an instant, you think you see a light in one of 
  the empty, ruined windows—but it is gone; probably a 
  figment of your imagination. Before you can consider 
  what you may have seen, something moves amongst 
  the rubble—several somethings, scuttling rapidly 
  towards you, fangs dripping with venom…
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  Four giant wolf spiders have recently set up house 
  here in the ruins. They’ve managed to trap and 
  ensnare various woodland creatures, an 
  unfortunate lizardfolk and other travelers who 
  have come within their reach.
   They have no other purpose than securing the 
  PCs in their webs and taking them back to their 
  lair under the crumbled stonework and stuffing 
  them into their larder for later consumption. If 
  more than half of them are killed or seriously 
  injured, they retreat into their lair in the hopes 
  that the PCs will move on and more easily-caught 
  prey will come along.
   Should the PCs pursue the spiders into their 
  lair, they are in for a hard fight, as much of the 
  webbing in the narrow entryway is kept in fresh 
  for defensive purposes and will therefore stick 
  readily to any non-spider creatures who make 
  contact with it. Creatures caught in the web 
  are restrained. A successful DC 12 Strength or 
  Dexterity check ends this effect. The close quarters 
  inside the lair make it easier for any surviving 
  spiders to ensnare PCs in fresh webbing of their 
  own (reduce the DC for the web attack to 10 
  instead of 12 within the confines of the lair), with 
  similar checks needed to free themselves.
   Setting fire to the lair from outside destroys the 
  lair. The spiders inside are not fools, and flee the 
  lair rather than burn inside it. Escaping spiders 
  are not interested in continuing the fight, but 
  instead scatter among the ruins until the PCs give 
  up pursuit.
   Characters who examine the lair find a number 
  of corpses cocooned within. While most are just 
  various animals that have wandered too close, 
  two of them are different. One is the corpse of a 
  lizardman that has been here some time. Amid 
  its desiccated remains can be found a small 
  pouch with three gems (worth 67 gp total) and a 
  spell scroll of fear (spell save DC 15). The second 
  body was, at one time, human and a search of 
  its remains turns up a further 40 gp in coins and 
  miscellaneous trinkets.
   Once inside, the PCs can search the ruins. 
  However, Elanour will not be happy about this 
  intrusion and will harass and attack them at every 
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  opportunity. Lady Sybil’s grandfather, once Lord 
  Pemberton himself, had an affair with the poor, 
  unfortunate Elanour, a scullery maid at the castle.
   While not entirely uncommon among the rich 
  and powerful of the time, for old Lord Pemberton 
  this proved to have devastating results. The 
  assignation resulted in Elanour’s pregnancy, and 
  infuriated Lady Sybil Pemberton’s grandmother, 
  the Lady Pemberton of the time. Elanour was 
  locked in the castle dungeons and given no light 
  and the barest of prison rations. When the baby 
  was stillborn 7 months later, what emerged was 
  deformed and hideous due to malnutrition. 
  This was all the excuse Lady Pemberton needed 
  to have Elanour executed as a witch who had 
  cast a spell over Lord Pemberton to steal his 
  affections from her, thus restoring her honor 
  while eliminating her rival. A short time later, 
  Elanour’s spirit, now a poltergeist, began making 
  itself known and persecuting Lady Pemberton. 
  The castle was swiftly abandoned and Lord 
  Pemberton lived the rest of his days in shame 
  over what had happened while Lady Pemberton 
  carried the secret to her grave.
   Defeating Elanour’s poltergeist through combat 
  is possible—though difficult—but the ideal 
  solution is to send Elanour peacefully to her rest. 
  In order to do this, she must be pardoned by the 
  current Lord Pemberton. Securing some evidence 
  of the heinous nature of the crimes will go a long 
  way toward convincing Pemberton and especially 
  his wife. There are a number of ways of doing 
  this. The PCs could, perhaps, convince Elanour—a 
  DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) check—to tell them 
  her story and then relay it to the Pembertons, 
  requiring another DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) 
  check to convince them of its veracity.
   In the castle kitchen, hidden in a secret slot in 
  the stonework of one of the still-standing walls, is 
  a diary written by Elanour herself. It details the 
  events of her affair with Lord Pemberton and the 
  days leading up to her imprisonment. A DC 15 
  Wisdom (Perception) check is required to locate 
  the proper stone to move.
   If the PCs descend to the dungeons, they find 
  the cell that Elanour was held in. A successful 
  DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that, 
  secreted in the frame of the prison bed is a 
  note written on cloth torn from Elanour’s dress 
  addressed to her dead son. The note tells the rest 
  of the tale, and along with the diary, will suffice 
  to convince the current Lord and Lady Pemberton 
  of the events in question. They will issue a Writ 
  of Pardon to dismiss the charges against Elanour. 
  Any other reasonable course of action the PCs 
  can come up with that has the same basic result 
  should be allowed. Elanour herself, if spoken 
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  to, demands an official pardon, as the old Lord 
  Pemberton is no longer alive to apologize.
   If the PCs can obtain the writ and read it 
  aloud in the ruins, Elanour’s spirit will be will 
  silenced forever. If they succeed in dismissing the 
  poltergeist, read the following:
  You read the writ aloud, your voice echoing in the 
  empty halls. The wind whistles through the ruins, 
  and then—for a moment—it seems to stop. There is 
  a silence, and you feel a presence, but there is also 
  a sense of relief. And then there is nothing except a 
  scrap of parchment, blowing on the wind, landing in 
  the rubble at your feet.
  The parchment, should the PCs read it, contains 
  only the words “Thank you.”
   There’s not much left of the castle. The only 
  rooms which resemble structures are the master 
  bedroom, a kitchen, and what appears to be a 
  disused chapel. The rest is all pretty much rubble, 
  although a series of stone steps cut into the corner 
  of the main hall lead down to the upper dungeons.
   The four cells of the upper dungeon are all 
  open and empty and many of them are now 
  exposed to the outside. One cell in particular 
  seems to be largely intact but has obviously, at 
  some point, been sealed off in such a way that 
  very little light could enter the cell. This is, of 
  course, Elanour’s old cell. The cell has an iron 
  bedstead in one corner and Elanour’s poltergeist, 
  if not encountered elsewhere in the castle, can 
  sometimes be found inhabiting the cell keening to 
  herself over the loss of her child.
   Under the rubble of a collapsed wall in the 
  upper dungeon lies a trap door that leads to the 
  lower dungeons. A DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) 
  check is required to spot the trap door beneath 
  the rubble and a DC 18 Strength check is needed 
  to move the rubble and expose the trap door. The 
  lower dungeons housed the most dangerous and 
  twisted of the castle’s prisoners. Deemed too 
  evil to be allowed to roam free, they were left to 
  die within the confines of the castle when it was 
  abandoned. These dungeons will be detailed in a 
  separate adventure, for they eventually lead into 
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  the Underdark. For now, should the PCs insist on 
  investigating, there are 10 skeletons and a wraith 
  (ex-prisoners) that block the way further.
   A crumbling and worn stairway at the back 
  of the main floor leads up to a single remaining 
  bedroom. A portion of the stairway has 
  deteriorated and fallen away, requiring a DC 15 
  Strength (Athletics) check to negotiate its upper 
  section without assistance. Once the characters 
  reach the bedroom, they can find the long-lost 
  scabbard and a small locked chest under the 
  bed. The chest contains 142 gp and a ruby worth 
  75 gp. The scabbard was overlooked in the rush to 
  pack and leave the castle after yet another of the 
  poltergeist’s attacks.
   The kitchen stinks, and is home to a grick. It 
  attacks the PCs on sight. It has recently fed on the 
  corpse of a giant wolf spider it managed to kill and 
  so is only fighting to defend its new home. A 
  sufficiently robust attack by the PCs could be 
  enough to drive it off. The grick has a lair in the 
  corner of the kitchen, under a fallen wall, and in 
  that lair is a small amount of treasure: a mithral 
  chain shirt, a silver short sword, and the bones of 
  several unfortunate victims.
   When the PCs return the scabbard to Lord 
  Pemberton and Lady Sybil, they are thanked 
  profusely and each given an emblem depicting the 
  Pemberton crest, which, if worn, will encourage 
  merchants within the county to give them a 10% 
  discount on goods in addition to any other deals 
  they may receive.
  Continuing the Quest
  Aside from the lower dungeon and the door to 
  the Underdark, PCs can investigate the chapel. 
  If the GM wishes, they may find a small ornate 
  but broken relic here. Taking this relic to the 
  Hengistbury Temple and Lady Pemberton may 
  see the PCs tasked with recovering the remainder 
  of the relic which is no doubt hidden in one of the 
  many other nests of giant spiders located in and 
  around the Castle ruins. Perhaps the reassembled 
  relic contains a blessing or boon that would be 
  valuable to the PCs.
  Quest V: Lizard’s Lament
  Lizardfolk have been a thorn in the side of 
  fishermen for years. Territorial and aggressive, the 
  lizardfolk tribes of the Fogmoor think nothing of 
  attacking humans. The tribes, a couple of dozen 
  members each, don’t get on well with each other, 
  either; it is not known how many tribes there are, 
  but some of them have been documented:
  Bigshadow, Bonetongue, Cavernsnapper, 
  Damnbane, Deathgouger, Dreadbasher, 
  Droolhunter, Madstalker, Nightshade, Pitrot, 
  Rantburner, Rantfury, Screamghost, Spinepuke, 
  Stinkchain, Thiefbane, Tombgouger, Tombhand, 
  Vomitshred, Wormchain
  One particular tribe, the Cavernsnappers, 
  has been particularly aggressive lately and 
  are responsible for the deaths of a half-dozen 
  fishermen. They attack suddenly and without 
  mercy, pausing only to loot the bodies before 
  disappearing into the Fogmoor.
   Read the following when the PCs encounter a 
  fisherman:
  “Why can’t that Lord of ours clear out the lizardcreeps, 
  that’s what I wanna know! Last week it was Percy, and 
  the week before that Barry’s daughter Elsie was killed. 
  They took her engagement ring, y’know!”
  Barry’s fishing hut is located on the opposite side 
  of the river from Hengistbury along the northern 
  edge of the Fogmoor. If the PCs seek out Barry, 
  they find a distraught man alone in his hut. After 
  losing his wife a year ago—and now his only 
  daughter—Barry has nothing left to live for. When 
  the PCs discover him, he is kitting himself out for 
  a foolhardy solo mission into the Fogmoor. Barry 
  has strapped a rusty sword to his back, a pair of 
  fisherman’s knives to his waist, and carries an old 
  crossbow with a half-dozen bolts. Completing this 
  ensemble is a worn studded leather tunic bearing 
  the emblem of Lord Pemberton.
   Barry is desperate for revenge and is hard to 
  convince of the foolhardiness of his mission. He 
  believes he is the only one who cares about what 
  has happened to his daughter and the other 
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  fishermen in the area. If the PCs can show some 
  genuine concern and interest in Barry’s problem, 
  it may slow him down enough to talk him out 
  of it temporarily. It takes a DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check and a promise to recover 
  Elsie’s engagement ring to talk him out of what 
  would certainly be a suicide mission. If the PCs do 
  this, award them each 500 XP; if they do not, he 
  heads out into the moor alone and is never heard 
  from again.
   The Fogmoors remain a dangerous place; rules 
  for navigating the misty moors are presented in 
  Quest II: Hound of the Fogmoors.
   If the PCs are unable to convince Barry to 
  abandon his course of action and attempt to 
  accompany him into the Fogmoors, they quickly 
  discover that he is a liability. Barry is more 
  at home on the river in his boat or along its 
  shores and has very little skill when it comes to 
  navigating the treacherous ground. Any Wisdom 
  (Survival) check Barry makes to travel safely 
  through the Fogmoors is made at disadvantage 
  due to his unfamiliarity with the terrain. Left to 
  his own devices, he clearly won’t survive more 
  than a few minutes.
   Barry can take the PCs to where Elsie was killed. 
  It is a place where the Fogmoors close in closest 
  to the river, about 300 yards down the bank from 
  his hut. There are still bloodstains there on the 
  riverbank, and he breaks down into heartfelt sobs. 
  After comforting Barry or reassuring him, the PCs 
  can easily spot the tracks of lizardfolk leading into 
  the Fogmoors. Three DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) 
  checks are needed to track the lizardfolk to their 
  camp. The PCs may make as many checks as 
  they wish, but each time they fail a check they 
  encounter creatures:
  Encounters
  1d4
  Encounter
  1
  1d6 crocodiles
  2
  1 giant constrictor snake
  3
  2d4 giant frogs
  4
  2d6 stirges
   Once the PCs have spent some time in the 
  Fogmoors and successfully made their checks, 
  read or paraphrase the following:
  You come into a small clearing. The stink you have 
  been smelling for the last few hundred yards seems to 
  come from this place. A low fire burns in the center of 
  the clearing surrounded by mud huts.
   
  Standing around the fire are three reptilian 
  humanoids with green scales, short, toothy snouts, 
  and thick alligator-like tails. With them is a bright-
  eyed lizard, larger than a horse. As it hisses in anger, a 
  brightly colored frill extends around its neck.
  Once the 3 lizardfolk realize they have been 
  invaded, they waste little time and prepare to 
  defend themselves and their home. The real 
  danger here is the giant frilled lizard. This 
  creature uses giant lizard statistics, but has 50 hp, 
  AC 14, and has the Spider Climb feature. 
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
   Once combat has ended, give the PCs a moment 
  to search the bodies. No ring can be found. After a 
  moment or two, or if the PCs attempt to enter any 
  of the huts, read the following:
  A green and twisted female humanoid shape emerges 
  from one of the huts. Knots of dark, moldering hair 
  spill over the features of this sickly, thin, green-
  skinned crone. The terrifying old hag cackles with 
  delight, holding up a copper ring on a leather cord.
   
  “Why did you come to Fionnguine’s camp? Were 
  you looking for this? Is this what you’re looking for?” 
  she laughs, before cackling again with deranged 
  laughter. You hear a noise behind you, and turn to 
  see another pair of lizardfolk rising from the swamp.
  As the combat is joined, the cackling of the 
  green hag Fionnguine’s mad laughter, mixed 
  with the hissing war cries of 2 more lizardfolk, 
  can be heard throughout.
   Even for a hag, Fonnguine seems completely 
  unhinged. The hag takes every opportunity to 
  cackle at and taunt the PCs over the ring. She uses 
  her invisibility to attempt to get a position behind 
  a PC and attack with her claws. If the battle turns 
  against her she will attempt to sneak off and use 
  tree shape to disguise herself, returning once the 
  PCs have dropped their guard in order to try to 
  finish them off.
  Once the fight is over, the ring can be collected 
  from the hag. Anyone searching the huts with 
  a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check finds 
  the following: 13 gp, 150 sp, a carved stone Idol 
  (30 gp), one silvered longsword, one spell scroll of 
  continual flame, and one oil of slipperiness.
   Returning the ring to Barry causes him to break 
  down weeping. After the long, racking sobs have 
  stopped he thanks the PCs for their efforts and 
  for showing him that there are folks who still 
  care enough to go out of their way to help people. 
  Read or paraphrase the following:
  “Pardon my grief, good sirs. It is a hard thing to lose 
  someone you love and had so much hope for. I’d all 
  but given up hope, but you’ve shown me that there 
  are still folks in these parts that can be counted on to 
  help a man in his time of need. For that, I thank you. If 
  ever I can do a good turn for you, I swear I shall.”
  GM’s Note. PCs who have completed this quest 
  who find themselves in trouble on or near the 
  river may find Barry coming to their aid as best as 
  he is able.
  Continuing the Quest
  The Fogmoors are infested with various tribes of 
  lizardfolk. No doubt at least three more are being 
  led by hags of various types. Allowing them to 
  form a coven would be disastrous and should be 
  prevented at all costs.
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  Quest VI: Escort Service
  Seven-Foot Dan, the stuttering apprentice to 
  Rorus Klain, the village blacksmith, approaches 
  the PCs with a request after they return to town 
  having successfully completed any other quest:
  “R-r-r-r-r-rrrrr-Rorus asked if y-y-you would come and 
  ss-s-see him…”
  Rorus Klain has a shipment of hunting knives 
  which need to be sent upriver to the neighboring 
  county of Lanickshire to the East. However, there 
  have been reports of bandits of late, and the 
  cargo has a high value, so Rorus needs someone 
  to protect the shipment as it makes its three-day 
  journey to the border of Holdenshire. At that 
  point, the responsibility will be handed over to 
  another group.
   Rorus is gruff but kind. He is worried about his 
  business and is trusting the PCs to deal fairly with 
  him only because every other option he can think 
  of has failed. Read or paraphrase the following:
  “I’ve had me fill of losing cargo to bandits. No one 
  ’round ’ere seems to know how to handle t’em. I figure 
  you lot stands a better chance ’n most. If ye’ll take me 
  goods upriver to Borcester and hand ’em off to t’eir lo-
  cal carter wit’out losing any, I’ll pay ye handsome and 
  well. T’in out some bandits and I’ll pay ye even better 
  t’an t’at.”
  Rorus offers 100 gp apiece, plus a 10 gp bounty 
  for each bandit slain while protecting his cargo. 
  He has no time for foolish questions and expects 
  the PCs to take care of the details themselves. 
  He can be bargained up to 125 gp each, and a 
  15 gp bounty with a successful DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check. He sees further attempts 
  to haggle as a waste of his time and refuses to 
  discuss the matter further. If the PCs balk, then he 
  simply writes them off as either incompetent or 
  afraid and will make other arrangements at a later 
  date with someone else.
   Rorus will answer any two of the following 
  questions before brusquely dismissing the PCs 
  and impatiently sending them on their way.
  What is the cargo?
  “Some of me finest weapons, not for your use, mind. 
  T’e garrison out of Lanickshire needs ’em.”
  Whom do we deliver it to?
  “Ye’ll be met by a carter. Dunno which one, but he’ll 
  drop a proper signal t’ree days hence. Met’inks ye’ll 
  probably want to be well on time. He’s not likely to 
  wait on ye.”
  Why does the garrison need these weapons?
  “Don’t know. Not me business to know. I gets me or-
  ders and I fills ’em. Not yer business to know, eit’er.”
  Do you know anything else about the bandits?
  “I do not. T’ey comes out of the woodwork once ye 
  gets away from town. Not been meself, so I can’t say 
  for sure where ye’ll find ’em. I suspects t’ey’ll find ye 
  on t’eir own.”
   Can you give us some weapons (or tools or 
  supplies)?
  “Does I looks like a charity to ye? Not enough am I 
  paying ye? If ye’re doing t’e job, go do it! Stop wasting 
  me time!”
  How do we get back?
  “How do ye get back?! Ye take t’e barge, of course! It’s 
  not like t’e damned t’ing only goes one way!”
  The journey takes three days by river barge, and 
  attacks can happen at any time of day or night. 
  The PCs should provision themselves accordingly 
  and establish a watch schedule. The barge makes 
  regular journeys both upstream and down, but is 
  primarily for hauling freight and not passengers. 
  Anyone staying on the barge will have to provide 
  for their own shelter among the cargo.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
   The barge is poled upstream by two men 
  (commoners, proficient with a quarterstaff—the 
  barge pole). If asked, they can confirm the reports 
  of bandit attacks and the regularity of their run 
  schedule. Both of them are relatively new to 
  the barge, the last pair having been killed in a 
  previous bandit raid. Not only do they have little 
  new information to add, they are nervous about 
  the journey.
   Every 8 hours (that’s three times per day), roll 
  for the possibility of an attack. There is a 1-in-6 
  chance of attack on the first day, and 2-in-6 on 
  subsequent days (on average this will result in 
  two attacks over the entire journey). If an attack 
  is indicated, roll on or choose from the following 
  table (1d8):
  Attackers
  1d8 Attackers
  1
  1d4 goblins and 1 goblin boss 
  2
  1d4 bandits and 1 bandit captain (river pirates)
  3
  1d6 lizardfolk
  4
  1 sea hag
  5
  1d6 merfolk
  6
  1d4 giant frogs
  7
  1d4 stirges
  8
  2d4 giant octopi (squid) 
  Establish which hour of the 8-hour shift the at-
  tack occurs in by rolling 1d8. During attacks, the 
  barge-men do their best to hide among the cargo. 
  They only act to defend themselves if personally 
  attacked. If a barge-man is killed, one of the PCs 
  will have to take over pole duty (a DC 15 Strength 
  check every 8 hours). It isn’t difficult work, but it 
  does require continuous effort.
   When the PCs are three days upriver, assuming 
  they are on schedule (no reckless side treks to 
  pursue enemies through the wilderness, etc.), they 
  see a freight dock adjacent to a small village much 
  like the one they left. A man stands next to a horse 
  and cart here and waves to them. Once they are in 
  earshot, he calls out to them and helps tie up the 
  barge.
   If the PCs are late, there is no one at the dock to 
  greet them. Asking around may eventually reveal 
  that the carter is at the local inn sitting down to 
  a meal. He will be quite cross with the PCs for 
  the delay as it has thrown off his schedule. Some 
  small recompense on the PCs part may help 
  smooth things over, but otherwise he remains 
  irate and suggests to the barge-men that Rorus 
  should find a better escort in the future.
   Once the freight is unloaded and on the cart, the 
  PCs are free to return to Hengistbury by whatever 
  means they can find. If they wait for the barge, it 
  leaves the next morning once again loaded with 
  freight. The return journey is uneventful, the PCs 
  having sent any possible bandit groups back to 
  lick their wounds for a time.
   GM’s Note. If the PCs decide to go overland 
  back to Hengistbury, they can do so. Either fill 
  in the time with random encounters or continue 
  to roll on the table above. Keep track of the time. 
  On the third day the barge will have returned by 
  river without the PCs aboard. This may or may 
  not be a cause for concern depending on how 
  they have been doing. If the PCs stumble into a 
  regular encounter location go ahead and put them 
  through it. Depending on the rumors they have 
  heard and paid attention to they may or may not 
  know what the objective is.
   Once they return, Rorus will pay them what he 
  owes. Bandit kills can, and will, be confirmed by 
  the barge-men if no other proof is offered.
   If the PCs arrived on time read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  Rorus is evidently quite happy to see you. With a big 
  grin on his bearded face he says, “At last! Ye’ve re-
  turned. And here was me t’inking ye’d not come back 
  at all. All arrived safe and sound I trust? Good! Good! 
  Ye’ve done me a great service for which I am truly 
  grateful. I dare to t’ink we’ve seen t’e last of bandits 
  ’round here and I may have work for you in t’e future. 
  Now, let’s settle up.”
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  If the PCs arrived late to the drop-off, the barge-
  men will report this to Rorus. Read or paraphrase 
  the following:
  Rorus’ face betrays his anger at the news. He turns his 
  scowl to you and says, “Bah! Your dilly-dallying and 
  fait’less disregard for my shipment has cost me time. 
  Who knows but t’ garrison needed t’ose weapons to 
  defend some poor town from goblins! Now ye might 
  have cost t’em! T’e lives of t’e innocent are in danger. 
  Ye’re fools! Take ye pay and get gone from my sight!”
   Rorus counts out the coins and tosses the sack on 
  the ground at your feet before storming off.
  GM’s Note. Rorus is the town blacksmith in 
  Hengistbury. PCs wanting repairs or new gear 
  from him will have to deal with the outcome of 
  this mission and Rorus’ attitude towards them 
  because of it. The only other option is to travel to 
  Thornbury and hope the smith there hasn’t heard 
  how badly things went.
   Regardless of the amount of XP earned from 
  these attacks, the PCs earn a minimum of 4,000 XP 
  total for this mission.
  Continuing the Quest
  If the PCs do well, Rorus can be counted on to 
  provide additional shipments for them to escort 
  to various locations around the county. This will 
  provide a reasonably easy supply of coin and 
  experience for a while. Whether they all go as well 
  as this one is up to the GM.
  Quest VII: Pandora’s Box
  The Mortimer brothers have managed to get in 
  over their heads. They’ve obtained a curious 
  box from Tamas Agrens, the local sage, and have 
  made the mistake of opening it. It is, in fact, a 
  box designed to summon a nefarious entity from 
  the depths of hell—a bearded devil called Kazyk. 
  The devil is in a bad mood: he’s recently come 
  from an eternally flaming forest after failing to 
  obtain some important documents for his infernal 
  masters only to be sent out after more paperwork 
  which he subsequently also failed to acquire.
   This encounter can occur in any location at 
  any given time. If the PCs are out strolling along 
  to another quest and pass a stand of trees or a 
  secluded section of the moors for instance, feel 
  free to drop this on them. Ideally they should be 
  within a stone’s throw of the village, but hidden 
  from prying eyes. When appropriate, read or 
  paraphrase the following:
  You’ve only been walking along for a few minutes 
  when, out of the corner of your eye you catch a bright 
  flash in the distance. Heading towards the flash you 
  can hear a voice that is at once pleading and annoyed.
   
  “Now look, boss. I already told you I was sorry. How 
  was I to know the papers were … hey! Who are you 
  kids?! What am I doing here?! Who gave you permis-
  sion to summon me?!”
  Upon entering the clearing the characters see the 
  Mortimer brothers—Gord and Beej at least, Poke 
  if he has already been rescued from the fauns and 
  Spring-Heeled Jack.
  The Mortimers are huddled together in fear some 
  small distance away from an open, ornate, box. A 
  dark, smoky light pours from the open box and, stand-
  ing in the center of the light as it fades, is a somewhat 
  bewildered and increasingly annoyed-looking beard-
  ed devil. His beard writhes and twitches and his awful, 
  fang-filled mouth opens and closes in confusion as he 
  looks around this small clearing. Finally, his eyes light 
  upon you and he turns to face you, pointing one hor-
  rendous claw in your direction.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
   
  “You there! Yes, you! You better have a good expla-
  nation for dragging me out of my slumber like that! 
  What’s going on here and who are these children? 
  Well? Speak up!”
  Most likely, the PCs are as confused as the 
  Mortimers. Assuming they don’t immediately 
  attack, they can learn some interesting things and 
  possibly find an ally.
   The Mortimer brothers are too frightened to 
  be much help—every time the devil looks at 
  them, their sniveling and crying intensifies. If the 
  PCs can calm them down enough to talk, using 
  a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check and some 
  soothing words, the oldest Mortimer, Gord, will 
  collect himself enough to relate the following 
  story, which is presented here as text you can 
  paraphrase or quote to taste.
  The Mortimer brothers love their little pranks and 
  tricks and a few weeks ago they played a trick on 
  Tamas Agrens while he was passing through the vil-
  lage. It was harmless enough as these things go and 
  most people, once they get over the initial surprise, 
  tend to laugh along with the boys and pass it off as 
  youthful enthusiasm. However, Tamas seemed to 
  have been more upset than most and chased the 
  boys around the village for several hours, much to the 
  amusement of everyone watching. When the boys 
  finally lost the Sage in the woods, they returned home 
  and thought nothing more of it.
   
  Two days ago Tamas returned and appeared to 
  have forgotten all about the incident himself. Upon 
  being approached by the boys he complimented them 
  on their wit and apologized for reacting so poorly 
  to their fun on his previous visit. He then presented 
  them with a special package full of the best pranks 
  and gags he had found on his wanderings. If the boys 
  could promise not to share what was inside the box 
  with anyone else until they had learned to master 
  the tricks inside, he would guarantee they would be 
  the proud owners of the most clever, most subtle and 
  most fun tricks for miles around. The boys agreed 
  and, for a small enough price, he sold the boys the 
  box now in front of them. After a day of deciding on 
  the best way to go about it, the boys came out here 
  and opened the box to see the tricks inside.
   Upon hearing this the bearded devil is, if 
  anything, more shocked than the PCs are at the 
  turn of events. Fortunately, he has some problems 
  of his own and sees an opportunity. He wheels on 
  the terrified Mortimers and sneers:
  “What?! Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Seriously? 
  You fell for that old trick? Well, now you’ve done it.
   
  “I’ll say this for the old boy, he certainly got you 
  good. By rights I should be tearing your souls from 
  your bodies right now. You must have upset him 
  something fierce for him to turn me on you. Fortu-
  nately for you, I think I know who we’re dealing with 
  here and I’ve got a score to settle with him.
   
  The devil turns to you and continues, “My name 
  is Kazykimelentagonfetranel, 5th Captain of Hell’s 
  Legions and … well you can call me Kazyk. Now, un-
  derstand, we’re only having this conversation because 
  I have bigger fish to fry than some wayward children 
  who are not quite as clever as they think they are and 
  a few raw-boned adventurers.
   
  “A few days ago, I was sent out to get some im-
  portant deeds. No, don’t concern yourself with the 
  particulars, you wouldn’t like it anyway. All I ever 
  seem to do is track down someone else’s paperwork. 
  It’s damned aggravating. The old man who had them 
  was exactly as clever as he thought he was and pulled 
  a fast one on me.
   
  “I do not like being tricked. Especially if it means 
  that I get in trouble when I get back to Hell. You can-
  not imagine the tongue-lashing I got when I showed 
  up and had to explain to my boss that not only did I 
  not have the papers, again, but this time an old man 
  had managed to bind me to a box.”
   
  Kazyk reaches over and taps the box the brothers 
  opened. “Yeah, your wandering sage friend, may I 
  use his skin for a rug, is a little more than meets the 
  eye. But I have a plan you can help me with, which, I 
  think you’ll agree, is far better than the alternative.” 
  Kazyk grins in a way that exposes all his teeth and 
  the rippling tendrils around his mouth, then winks. 
  “Interested?”
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  At this point the PCs are free to make any decision 
  they want. Kazyk is being honest (DC 15 Wisdom 
  (Insight)), because it suits his purposes to be so at 
  this time. Of course, this means he is also being 
  honest about the consequences of refusing his 
  offer. Hopefully, for the children’s sake, the PCs 
  agree to go along.
   Once the party agrees to hear him out, Kazyk 
  explains what he needs.
  “Good. I’m glad you can at least see reason. Your sage 
  friend is still somewhere in town. I can guarantee that 
  because he won’t want to wander far from this here 
  box. He’ll be thinking about getting it back.
   “Tamas holds the deeds I need somewhere in his 
  bag of goods. With those deeds I can get my boss off 
  my back; I just need to find them. Unfortunately, one 
  of my kind wandering into your village is likely to at-
  tract unwanted attention. What I want you to do is go 
  through his things and find the deeds. They’ll be on 
  what looks like yellow parchment, tied with a green 
  ribbon. Find them, bring them back to me. There are 
  three of them and I need them all.
   “Once you’ve brought them back to me I’ll tell you 
  how to free me from the box and then we can all go 
  our separate ways.
   “Fail, and…well. I’ll be forced to take what spoils I 
  can,” he says as he eyes the children.
  Things are just as Kazyk says. He will insist on the 
  children remaining with him until the PCs return. 
  He will not object to a PC remaining behind to 
  ensure the children’s safety in the meantime. 
  Being a lawful, if evil, creature, he will honour 
  his word not to harm the children unless the 
  PCs fail in their task (DC 15 Sense Motive). For 
  the children’s part, they are unhappy with the 
  arrangement, but can be convinced to not make 
  trouble until the PCs return (DC 17 Diplomacy, 
  DC 15 if a PC stays with them). If a PC remains 
  with Kazyk, he has little else to say and will wait 
  silently until the Party comes back.
   Getting back to town should present no 
  difficulties. Finding Tamas Argens is easy if the 
  PCs think to go directly to the inn. Finding the 
  deeds needed is a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) 
  check if the PCs just grab his bags and go through 
  the contents. Argens will protest and shout for 
  the authorities unless he is silenced in some way 
  or not in the immediate area. He doesn’t usually 
  stray far from his bags of goods, though. If the 
  party decides to attempt a more stealthy approach, 
  say by distracting Tamas in conversation and then 
  sneaking up to the bags while he is engaged, it 
  requires 3 successful DC 14 Dexterity (Stealth) 
  checks to go through the contents of the bags 
  without Tamas noticing.
   If Argens or the PCs alert the local authorities, 
  or the PCs tell Tamas himself what is going on, 
  there will certainly be trouble. If a rescue party 
  is mounted, Kazyk will hear them approaching 
  long before they arrive at the site and will prepare 
  accordingly. His first move will be to summon 
  support and dispatch any PCs left behind to 
  guard the children. Then he will eliminate the 
  children themselves. This will not sit well with 
  the village and the PCs may find themselves the 
  target of some uncomfortable accusations for not 
  dealing with the problem properly when they 
  first encountered it. Tamas himself may be taken 
  into custody and later executed for his role in the 
  death of the Mortimer brothers.
   Assuming the PCs retrieve the deeds and bring 
  them back to Kazyk, he will accept them and 
  release the boys into the custody of the party. If 
  the PCs look, the deeds are written in Infernal 
  on parchment made from human skin and are 
  the deeds to the souls of Tamas, his wife, and 
  their adult son, though they won’t know these 
  particulars unless someone reads Infernal. The 
  family long ago foolishly made a pact with the 
  devil in order to save their son’s life during 
  childbirth.
  “Ahh. Excellent, just what I was looking for. Here, take 
  the children and let’s hope they’ve learned a lesson 
  about being clever clods. I’d certainly hate to have to 
  come back for them later,” he says as he winks so that 
  only you can see.
  “Now, about this box. You’ll have to smash it while 
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  saying my name. My full name. Not this short thing 
  we’ve been using. I hope you remember it because I 
  cannot, now that we are talking about releasing me, 
  repeat it to you. Them’s the rules.
   
  “One last thing before I go. It is just possible that if 
  you get this right I could see my way clear to acknowl-
  edging your help in some concrete way in the future. 
  Should you visit my realms, be sure to ask for me.
   
  “Of course, if you screw this up, you’ll be there 
  ahead of me.”
   With a nasty chuckle he seems to disappear 
  back into the box in another rush of dirty light 
  and the lid snaps closed.
   The PCs get one chance to get it right. Allow 
  them each a single DC 15 Intelligence check to see 
  if they recall the name should they need help.
   Failing to destroy the box, or failing 
  to remember the name and say it 
  while doing so, has no immediate 
  effect. The next night however, when the PCs is 
  sleeping or otherwise occupied and distracted, 
  Kazyk will return of his own accord and have his 
  revenge on the party for failing to release him.
   Successfully destroying the box (a simple 
  successful attack roll against an AC 10 will suffice) 
  with the proper procedure releases Kazyk. At 
  some future date, if the PCs find themselves in 
  or near the realms of Hell for whatever reason 
  or dealing with hell-spawned creatures, reciting 
  Kazyk’s full name will once again summon him 
  to their side to offer whatever help he may. This 
  help may come with a further price though, so 
  PCs should use this judiciously and only in times 
  of direst need. This is a one-time request and no 
  further use of his name or encounters with him 
  will result in aid to the characters.
   The Mortimer brothers, for their part, run 
  home as soon as they are able. They’ve had 
  quite enough of pranks and tricks for a while 
  and have indeed learned 
  a valuable lesson. This 
  does not, however, prevent 
  them from continuing to 
  trick people once they have 
  recovered—they’re just a little 
  more careful about who they 
  choose to pick on and how. 
  Boys will be boys.
  Continuing the 
  Quest
  Someone should probably 
  think to have a word with 
  Tamas Argens. After all, this 
  was a pretty nasty way to try 
  to get revenge for a harmless 
  little prank. Additionally, he 
  has sold his soul, and those 
  of his family members, to a 
  devil. One might wonder if all 
  the parties involved are aware 
  of this and how to rectify the 
  situation.
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  Quest VIII: Manhunter
  A few weeks ago, Brand Torek apprehended a 
  pickpocket named “Tila” in Thornbury. Since 
  then she has been locked in the only cell in 
  Hengistbury. At least, she was until this morning, 
  when she escaped. The lock was picked, and she 
  had somehow managed to slip her manacles.
   When the PCs are next in town and free of other 
  obligations, Brand enlists the PCs aid to hunt the 
  escaped prisoner. She’s had a one hour head start.
  “Be careful—she’s a slippery one. She’s snuck into the 
  storeroom and recovered her gear. As I recall she has a 
  crossbow, a nice-looking dagger and short sword set, 
  and some kinda fancy cloak. A lot of mechanical gear 
  and fishing line, too. She might be trying to live off the 
  land. I’ve asked around, and nobody saw her leave; 
  she’s not very noticeable though, except for that red 
  hair o’ hers.”
  Karatilana “Tila” Torin is a scout with 34 hit 
  points and an AC of 15, and she deals 2d6 extra 
  damage on a successful sneak attack. This 
  increases her Challenge to 2 (450 XP). She expects 
  to be pursued and she is wonderfully adept 
  at making traps. Throughout the following 
  “stations”of the pursuit, she will progress, hour by 
  hour, through each station. The PCs must make 
  a Wisdom (Survival) check contested against her 
  Dexterity (Stealth) (+6) to track her. If they fail 
  the check, or fall victim to one of her traps, they 
  neither gain nor lose ground on her pursuit. If 
  they both fail to track her and fall victim to a trap, 
  they lose one hour (for example, if Tila has a one 
  hour lead, her lead increases to two hours). If they 
  track her successfully and avoid the traps they 
  gain an hour (for example, if she has a two-hour 
  lead, her lead decreases to one hour). When the 
  time difference between them is zero, the party 
  finds her and can attempt to recapture her.
   GM’s Note. It is probably faster, and makes 
  more sense, for the PCs to avoid the traps they 
  spot rather than spend the time disabling them.
   Assuming the PCs do not waste time pursuing, 
  Tila is on station 2 of the route when the PCs 
  begin. To help narrate the chase, each hour’s 
  worth of travel is as follows:
  1.  Leaves Hengistbury to the west, heading
  along the bank of the river.
  The first trap Tila lays is an arrow trap made from 
  an arrow she managed to grab on her way out 
  of town. A trip wire is rigged between two trees 
  along the river bank. Triggering it looses an arrow 
  from a concealed trap in the bushes along her 
  path at the PCs.
  Arrow Trap
  Mechanical trap 
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  This trap is triggered by a trip wire 3 inches off the 
  ground stretched between two trees. The DC to spot 
  the trip wire is 10. A successful DC 15 Dexterity (thieves’ 
  tools) check disables the trip wire harmlessly. A charac-
  ter without thieves’ tools can attempt this check with 
  disadvantage using any edged weapon or edged tool. 
  On a failed check, the trap triggers.
   
  When the trap is triggered, a single arrow is shot 
  at the creature who triggered it. The arrow makes a 
  ranged attack with a +10 bonus against the creature 
  (vision is irrelevant to this attack roll). On a hit, the 
  target takes 2d8 piercing damage.
  2.  Passes wizard’s tower and heads north,
  skirting the edge of the farmlands.
  On the shore opposite the tower she has laid a 
  series of bear traps and covered them over with 
  straw from a nearby field. The out-of-place straw 
  makes it easier to detect that something is here 
  than it normally would be.
  Bear Trap
  Mechanical trap 
  Challenge ½ (100 XP)
   
  Six of these traps are hidden across the field. This 
  trap is triggered by a creature stepping on it. The DC to 
  spot this trap is 8, due to the out-of-place straw. A 
  successful DC 13 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check dis-
  ables the trap harmlessly. A character without thieves’ 
  tools can attempt this check with disadvantage using 
  any edged weapon or edged tool. On a failed check, 
  the trap triggers.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
   
  When the trap is triggered, its metal teeth clamp 
  onto the creature that triggered it, making a melee 
  attack with a +5 bonus. On a hit, the creature takes 
  1d4 piercing damage and is restrained until the trap is 
  removed. Removing the trap requires another creature 
  to make a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check. 
  Failing this check does not remove the trap and deals 
  the creature another 1d4 piercing damage.
  3.  Continues north along the west edge of
  the Weirwood heading towards the hills
  in the distance.
  While skirting the woods, Tila has found a badger 
  sett and rigged it into a punji stake trap.
   Essentially a badger hole with downward 
  pointing wooden spikes concealed just inside, the 
  hole is just big enough and in just the right place 
  for someone to step into it. When they do, the trap 
  catches their leg and prevents them from moving. 
  The target takes damage if it tries to move from 
  that square or if a check made to free them fails by 
  5 or more.
  Punji Trap
  Mechanical trap 
  Challenge ½ (100 XP) 
  This trap is made of a shallow, foot-sized pit with 
  several wooden spikes protruding downward to trap 
  the foot of anyone who unwittingly steps into it. It is 
  concealed by a thin cover of leaves, making the DC to 
  spot this trap is 15.
   
  A creature who steps into this trap must make a DC 
  10 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the target is 
  restrained. The target takes 1d4 piercing damage only if 
  it tries to move from its current space or if it fails a DC 
  10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) check 
  to escape.
  4.  Enters the hills and continues in a
  northerly direction.
  Tila has sharpened a branch she gathered while 
  near the woods and has made a makeshift spear 
  out of it. She made this into a javelin trap which 
  has been rigged to a trip wire in the scrub brush 
  here in a pass between two low hills.
  Javelin Trap
  Mechanical trap 
  Challenge 1 (200 XP) 
  This trap uses a trip wire to shoot a javelin at a single 
  creature.
   
  The trip wire is 3 inches above the ground and 
  stretches between two small bushes. The DC to spot 
  the trip wire is 13. A successful DC 16 (thieves’ tools) 
  check disables the trap harmlessly. A character 
  without thieves’ tools can attempt this check with 
  disadvantage using any edged weapon or edged tool. 
  On a failed check, the trap triggers.
   
  When the trap is triggered, the wire snaps and a 
  hidden javelin flies towards the creature who triggered 
  it. The javelin makes a ranged attack with a +10 bonus 
  against the creature who triggered the trap (vision is 
  irrelevant to this attack roll). A target that is hit takes 
  1d6 + 3 piercing damage.
  5.  Passes through a valley, stops to drink
  from a shallow river.
  The steep sides of the valley at this point make 
  a perfect location for her to rig a rock deadfall 
  trap. When the characters reach the rocky ground 
  near where she stopped to drink, whoever is 
  leading the pursuit must make a DC 13 Dexterity 
  (Acrobatics) check or release the wire.
  Rock Deadfall Trap
  Mechanical trap 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  This trap uses a trip wire to release rocks that fall upon 
  all nearby creatures.
   
  The trip wire is 3 inches above the ground and is 
  hidden between two load-bearing stones. The DC to 
  spot the trip wire is 13. A successful DC 16 (thieves’ 
  tools) check disables the trap harmlessly. A character 
  without thieves’ tools can attempt this check with 
  disadvantage using any edged weapon or edged tool. 
  On a failed check, the trap triggers.
   
  When the trap is triggered, the wire snaps and 
  causes a small avalanche of rock. All creatures within 
  10 feet of the triggering creature must make a DC 15 
  Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature 
  takes 3d6 bludgeoning damage and falls prone. On a 
  success, the creature takes half as much damage and 
  remains standing.
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  6.  Turns abruptly west again, along the cliff
  edge of a long gorge.
  Tila crosses to the other side of the gorge via a 
  rope bridge. She is happy to rig the bridge to fail 
  and dump the PCs in the water below.
  Rigged Rope Bridge Trap
  Mechanical trap 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  The central board of this bridge has been rigged with 
  razors that sever two load-bearing ropes.
   
  The DC to spot the rigged board is 13. A successful 
  DC 10 (thieves’ tools) check disables the trap harm-
  lessly. A character without thieves’ tools can attempt 
  this check with disadvantage using any edged weapon 
  or edged tool. On a failed check, the trap triggers.
   
  When this trap is triggered, the ropes that suspend 
  the bridge are severed, splitting the bridge into two 
  halves. All creatures on the bridge must make a DC 
  11 Dexterity saving throw or fall 80 feet into the river 
  below. Characters who fall take 4d6 bludgeoning dam-
  age (the water somewhat cushions their fall).
  7.  Continues along the gorge-edge. At one
  point slips and almost falls in. Stops to
  rest.
  Tial doesn’t set a trap here because she needs 
  time to rest. It would be a waste of time to also 
  set a trap here, and she figures she is very close to 
  escaping anyway.
  8.  Leaves the hills and heads straight across
  the plains for the border of Borcester.
  If she reaches this point before the PCs, she is 
  home free.
   Catching up with Tila is one thing, capturing 
  her is another altogether. It will mean some 
  combat and she’s no slouch there either. Brand 
  would prefer her returned alive to complete her 
  sentence, but will not complain too much if she 
  ends up dead.
   If they manage to kill or apprehend Tila, Brand 
  lets them keep the criminal’s gear. If the thief is 
  returned alive, read the following:
  “She won’t be getting away this time, and Lord Pem-
  berton doesn’t look kindly on escape attempts. She 
  won’t be needing these for a long time.”
  The gear consists of 136 gp, one mantle of spell 
  resistance, three potions of cure wounds, one suit of 
  +1 leather armor, one +1 dagger, one +1 short 
  sword, and one light crossbow.
   If she escapes, the PCs may encounter her in 
  a later adventure if they travel westward. Brand 
  will be displeased, but there is little he can do 
  about it, though he will not rely on the PCs to 
  assist him in the future unless they prove more 
  competent in other areas.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Quest IX: On Safari
  Recently, tales of a strange creature roaming the 
  hills northeast of Brockendale Castle—a chimera—
  have attracted the attention of local veterinarian 
  Albert Wright. It is no secret that Albert has often 
  dreamed of catching, examining, and possibly 
  training rare and exotic creatures and he sees this 
  as an opportunity to make his dreams come true.
   Albert has no idea what the creature might 
  be, but he comes to the PCs when they are in 
  Thornbury to ask for assistance in finding and 
  capturing it. Albert is well educated and smart 
  enough to know he will need help in dealing with 
  any extraordinary creatures he might encounter.
  “Please, sirs. If I may trouble you for a moment? As 
  you may know, I have an interest in strange and rare 
  animals and I believe I have a line on one that may 
  be exactly what I have been looking for! I wonder if I 
  might impose upon you to assist me in capturing it? 
  I’d be happy to pay for your services.”
  Allow the PCs to ask a few questions of Albert. He 
  is happy to explain that he is a veterinarian and 
  that the heights—nay, the very pinnacle!—of the 
  veterinary career has always been dealing with 
  “the exotics,” as he puts it.
  If pressed, Albert is forced to admit he has no 
  idea what the creature in the hills is. All he can 
  tell the PCs is that it sounds as if something has 
  recently moved into the area and is preying on 
  the local wildlife and stray farm animals. There 
  have been some reports of missing livestock, 
  but all that has been found are the occasional 
  scorch marks on the ground near the remains of 
  charred sheep. He doesn’t believe it could be a 
  dragon, because the area is not known to have any 
  suitable places for a dragon to have its den.
   Albert offers the PCs 2,000 gp for their 
  assistance in capturing the creature alive. A DC 17 
  Charisma (Persuasion) check and the right words 
  can increase this to 2,500 gp, but in return for 
  the reward increase, Albert stipulates that the 
  creature must be brought back alive and relatively 
  uninjured.
   Once the PCs have agreed to assist Albert, read 
  the following:
  “Excellent! I knew I could rely on your help, I just knew 
  it! Now, there is just one more thing to take care of 
  and we can begin in earnest.
   
  “In order to bring whatever creature this is in alive, 
  I intend to tranquilize it! That should make things 
  much easier for all concerned. The problem is, I’ve run 
  out of tranquilizer and need to get more. Would you 
  be so kind as to pay a visit to the wizard Sirkesalo and 
  acquire an oil of deep slumber from him that I can use 
  on my darts. Just tell him I sent you and ask him to 
  put it on my bill!”
  Without the oil of deep slumber, it will be 
  significantly more difficult for the PCs to succeed 
  without severely injuring or killing the chimera. 
  Albert has already offered the PCs all his available 
  money, so asking to be paid more for this—in 
  Albert’s view—much simpler task isn’t going 
  to sit well. If the PCs insist, Albert will be very 
  disappointed in them and, instead of going 
  after the creature today, will wait an additional 
  three days: one to contact Sirkesalo’s assistant, 
  Hunchbacked Roland, and a further two days for 
  Roland to return with the necessary oils.
  Oil of Deep Slumber
  Potion, very rare
  This midnight-blue oil seems to be flecked with silver, 
  like stars in the night sky. The oil can coat 5 pieces of 
  piercing ammunition. Applying the oil takes 1 minute. 
  For 1 hour, the coated items is magical and instantly 
  renders a creature with 100 or fewer hit points uncon-
  scious whenever it deals damage. The creature remains 
  unconscious for 3d6 minutes, or until it takes damage.
  Unfortunately for the PCs, waiting an additional 
  three days gives the chimera ample opportunity 
  to deplete the local supply of stray sheep and 
  depart the area in search of more favorable 
  hunting grounds. For the first day of waiting 
  there is a 50% chance the chimera will depart; on 
  day two, this rises to 60%; and on day three, 70%. 
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  If the chimera leaves the area, there is no reward 
  for the PCs and no experience awarded.
   If the PCs agree to fetch the oils needed, it is a 
  5-mile trip up the river to the west to Sirkesalo’s 
  tower in the middle of the river. Upon the PCs’ 
  arrival there, read the following:
  In the middle of the current, a small, rocky island 
  serves as the foundation for what is clearly a wizard’s 
  tower. The top of the 90-foot tower ends abruptly, as 
  if the top has been broken away, and scorch marks 
  color the remains. A makeshift roof of boards ran-
  domly nailed together covers the exposed top. The 
  rest of the tower is constructed of large stones which 
  themselves are covered in layers of moss and lichen. 
  Small, open windows dot the outer surface and smoke 
  or steam rises into the air from at least two of them. A 
  large door frame marks the only opening. The door to 
  the tower is made of stout oak and covered in small 
  runes. A clean, long-limbed young man leans against 
  the tower watching you arrive.
  The young man is, of course, Hunchbacked 
  Roland. He is neither hunch-backed nor named 
  Roland and he dislikes having to explain this 
  to people. No one aside from “Roland” himself 
  seems to know why this should be his name, nor 
  the circumstances surrounding it.
   Roland does not leave his station at the tower 
  and will wait for the party to approach him before 
  he says anything. As soon as the PCs start talking 
  to him he interrupts them:
  “Save your breath. The boss ain’t available and ain’t 
  taking visitors. Kicked me out himself so he could 
  focus on his research for the day. Don’t expect him to 
  be done any time soon. Might as well go back where 
  you came from. Good day to you.”
  Roland is looking forward to having the day off, 
  even if he has no specific plans for it. The PCs 
  can’t convince him to let them in to see Sirkesalo. 
  Roland knows what the penalty is for disobeying 
  his orders and no amount of diplomacy, bribery or 
  other attempts to influence him will be successful. 
  However, if the PCs ask Roland about acquiring 
  the oil of deep slumber, he knows enough about his 
  master’s business to be able to advise the PCs.
  “More oil for the Vet, eh? Well, I just happen to know 
  that the master was planning to make a new batch 
  for Albert just the other day. Problem is he was out of 
  some of the ingredients and was going to send me out 
  today to collect them before he got sidetracked. Can’t 
  see why I should ruin a perfectly good day off look-
  ing for ingredients. You might as well go find them 
  yourselves. Shouldn’t take you more than half a day. 
  Which is just as well: the master should be done with 
  his research by then.”
  The PCs can, of course, refuse to collect the 
  ingredients. This doesn’t particularly bother 
  Roland, since he has no intention of collecting 
  them today, either. He is not concerned about any 
  time constraints the PCs might be under and sees 
  this as entirely their own problem.
   If the PCs agree to collect the ingredients, 
  Roland will tell them that he needs 5 lbs. of 
  fine sand collected from the middle of the river 
  bed half a mile upstream. Roland can supply a 
  bucket, but insists that the sand must be as fine 
  as possible and free of any non-sand elements, 
  requiring 3 consecutive successes on a DC 16 
  Wisdom (Perception) check or Dexterity (Sleight 
  of Hand) to sort out the bad bits.
   The other ingredient Roland needs is a sackful 
  of rose petals. This is slightly trickier, as it 
  involves an overland trek into the Weirwood to 
  find a single grove of rose vines growing there. 
  The grove is difficult to find; without assistance, it 
  requires 2 successful DC 16 Intelligence (Nature) 
  or Wisdom (Survival) checks to locate the grove. 
  If asked, Roland recommends the PCs enlist the 
  aid of Freya Aeval, the pixie who is usually found 
  hanging out at the Bleeding Heart Tavern. She 
  makes regular trips to and from the grove to get 
  roses to plait into her hair and often takes Roland 
  out to the grove to help him harvest the rose 
  petals when needed. Roland will give the PCs a 
  small, clean, white linen sack to hold the petals.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
   Going back to town and the Inn to find Freya is 
  easy enough and she is more than willing to help 
  the PCs if they explain why they are there and 
  who sent them. She is a bit sweet on Roland and 
  goes out of her way to make things easy for the 
  PCs if she thinks it could score points with him.
  “Oh yes. I would be most happily pleased to take you 
  to the grove. Roland is ever such a nice man and any 
  friend of his is most definitely a friend of mine. We 
  have such nice times in the grove, I’m only sorry that 
  he couldn’t come with us now.”
  She takes a direct route that avoids any trouble 
  and wastes as little time as possible. If the PCs 
  attempt to find the grove without her help, 
  each failed check results in a potential random 
  encounter. Roll 1d4 on the following chart:
  Safari Encounters
  1d4
  Encounter
  1
  No encounter
  2
  2 lizardfolk ambush
  3
  2 wolves out hunting for a meal
  4
  2 giant spiders returning to their nest
  Once the PCs reach the grove, read the following:
  The Weirwood has been murky and dark up until now, 
  but as you come around a tangle of briar you find one 
  of the wood’s hidden treasures. Light streams through 
  a break in the treetops and glistens on the dewed 
  petals of thousands of bright red roses. As the light 
  twinkles from leaf to leaf you see spread out before 
  you a veritable garden of rose vines and the sweat 
  scent of the roses wafts across the grove, filling your 
  lungs. Small finches flit among the branches and their 
  calls to one another lend a pleasant, restful sound to 
  the atmosphere.
   
  Freya flits over to the roses and picks one, then 
  entwines it in her hair. “You see? It is so beautiful here 
  and I’m always so happy to share it with Roland. You 
  will tell him how helpful I’ve been, won’t you?”
  Collecting the necessary rose petals takes 3 
  successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks to find the freshest and purest 
  rose petals. With the sack full, the PCs can then 
  proceed back to town without further incident.
   Once the ingredients have all been gathered the 
  PCs can return to the tower and approach Roland. 
  Telling him how helpful Freya was will earn them 
  a wistful smile from Roland. He collects the sand 
  and rose petals from the party and briefly inspects 
  them.
  “Looks like you’ve done a good job to me. Just you 
  wait here and I’ll run them up to the Master. Shouldn’t 
  be too long. Back in a bit. Don’t go nosing around.”
  Roland leaves the PCs outside and heads into the 
  tower, securing the door behind him. PCs making 
  a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check can hear it 
  being locked from the inside.
   At this point, the PCs have nothing else to do 
  but wait. Should they decide to poke around, the 
  tower door is not only barred from the inside, 
  but also magically sealed, courtesy of the runes 
  carved into the stout oak. If this is not enough of 
  a deterrent for the PCs and they insist on trying 
  the door, have Roland lean out of the tower from 
  a window above and shout down at them to 
  leave things alone. If they persist, at least one of 
  the runes is a glyph of warding that triggers a sleep 
  spell, cast at 3rd level. Examination of the door 
  will reveal several more runes like it, each with 
  more serious effects should the party be unable to 
  take the hint.
   After an hour’s wait, the door to the tower 
  opens again and Hunchbacked Roland emerges.
  “The master said you did a fine job collecting ingre-
  dients. Almost as good as me. Here are your oils. Tell 
  Albert his account is due next week. Good day to you.”
  Roland turns over two small vials of oil of deep 
  slumber wrapped in cotton wool and goes back 
  into the tower.
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
   When the PCs return to Albert Wright, he is 
  anxious to get under way as soon as possible. He 
  has already made arrangements for a horse and 
  cart should the PCs be successful in capturing 
  the beast. He has also acquired a number of good 
  stout ropes and three large nets to bind whatever 
  they find before bringing it back to his Veterinary 
  offices.
   Albert shows the PCs a blow gun and several 
  darts and explains their use:
  “Now, see what I have here? A simple blow gun used 
  to propel these hollow darts. Each dart will carry a 
  small amount of the oil you brought back and, if we 
  can manage to inject the creature with the darts, it 
  will sleep soundly until we can get it back to the cage 
  I’ve prepared at my offices! We only have enough for 
  five shots, though, so we have to make sure we get it 
  right. Otherwise we’ll only anger it and, well, in that 
  event we’d be forced to kill it, I’m sure. Can’t have 
  that! It’s no good to me dead. I’m sure it won’t be a 
  problem though—I’m quite good with the blow gun! 
  I’ve put any number of livestock to sleep with it!”
  Albert is determined to accompany the PCs, and 
  no amount of talking him out of it will work. He 
  feels he needs to be on hand should the creature, 
  whatever it might be, be injured. He really does 
  want the creature brought in as safely as possible, 
  but knows that if things go wrong he’ll be forced 
  to put it down and won’t baulk at doing so. Albert 
  carries 5 additional darts laced with more lethal 
  poison (deals an additional 10d6 poison damage) 
  for this purpose that are not meant to tranquillize.
   Once all preparations have been made the PCs 
  and Albert set out to track down the creature.
   The chimera can be found at the cave northeast 
  of Brockendale Castle. Albert can lead them 
  to the last reported attack site at a point half 
  way between the castle and the cave. Once 
  past the castle itself, the party will begin to see 
  intermittent areas of scorched ground where the 
  chimera has made kills recently. The skeletal 
  remain of lost sheep will be in evidence in some of 
  these areas.
   Characters who succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom 
  (Perception or Survival) check notice sets of 
  lion-like footprints at some of the kill sites and 
  determine the creature’s general direction of 
  travel. Examining the carcasses requires a DC 12 
  Wisdom (Medicine) check and reveals what 
  appear to be three distinct sets of bite marks. Once 
  pointed out to him, Albert can identify them as 
  those of a lion, a dragon, and, strangely, a goat.
   Continuing northeast and making two more 
  successful DC 14 Wisdom (Survival) checks 
  eventually brings the party to the area of the cave.
  You cross the top of a low will near the foot of a moun-
  tain range that you have been nearing for the past sev-
  eral hours. The area in front of you has been burned 
  clear of all vegetation for a hundred yards in front of 
  a cave mouth set in the lower reaches of the slope of 
  the nearest mountain. The rocky approach to the cave 
  will take some time to ascend, but you feel certain you 
  have reached the end of your search for the creature.
   
  You can’t be sure, but it feels as if you are being 
  watched. A feeling of unease steals over your body.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  If the party approaches during daylight, there 
  is a 50% chance the chimera is within its cave 
  and watching them. It has fed recently and is 
  somewhat lethargic, but will attack the PCs once 
  they are halfway up the slope. This will ensure 
  that the party is on difficult terrain; the chimera 
  will use this to its advantage while taking to the 
  air. The nature of the approach is such that the 
  PCs may take advantage of cover provided by the 
  rocky slope and broken ground to defend against 
  aerial attack.
   Otherwise, it arrives on scene shortly after 
  the PCs reach the cave entrance. The cave 
  extends back approximately 30 feet and ends 
  in a relatively flat wall. The floor of the cave is 
  strewn with the bones and half eaten carcasses of 
  previous kills. The smell of the rotting carcasses 
  and the midden pile of the chimera are strong, 
  but not overpowering. Characters who spend 
  more than 2 rounds near the midden pile located 
  near the back wall of the cave suffer the poisoned 
  condition until they move closer to the entrance.
   As soon as the chimera arrives read the 
  following:
  Albert’s eyes light up and he lets out a whoop of joy. 
  “A chimera! Look at that beauty! Hold him off until I 
  can get him drugged!”
  Albert attempts his first shot with the darts 
  containing the oil of deep slumber. Albert is actually 
  a good shot and has a +7 bonus to hit with ranged 
  attacks. The PCs will likely want to engage in a 
  defensive fight until Albert either drives a dart 
  home or runs out of shots.
  “That’s got him! Stand back! He’ll be out like a torch 
  in a moment!” Albert turns to watch the chimera. 
  “Thatta boy. Sleep. Sleeeep.”
  If Albert runs out of the darts without 
  incapacitating the chimera, he is smart enough 
  and sensible enough to realize that the situation is 
  hopeless.
  “Dammit! It’s no good! Take him down! No sense dy-
  ing out here!”
  He will then switch to his lethally-poisoned darts 
  (he has a further 5 of these darts) and try to help 
  the PCs put the chimera down as quickly as 
  possible.
   If Albert is killed, the PCs can attempt to use 
  his darts themselves. Upon returning to the 
  village, amid the sorrow over the loss of a good 
  veterinarian, Lord Pemberton reimburses the 
  PCs for their trouble, thanks them for returning 
  the body, and offers Lady Sybil’s assistance in 
  recovering from any injuries.
   If the chimera succumbs to the oil of deep 
  slumber, Albert runs off to fetch the cart and horse 
  and bring them as far up the mountain side as 
  possible. He is very excited and will be in a great 
  hurry. The party only has 3d6 minutes to secure 
  the chimera before it begins to wake up. The 
  minimum binding needed to secure the chimera 
  includes its heads, wings, and feet. Anything less 
  and the party risks having to fight it all over again.
   Once loaded on the cart and secured by net 
  and rope, the party can return to the village 
  without further incident and secure the chimera 
  in the cage Albert has prepared for it. He will 
  take appropriate precautions to ensure it remains 
  safely constrained and no further danger for the 
  immediate future. Once this is done, read the 
  following:
  “Thank you! Thank you so much! I couldn’t have done 
  it without you! A marvelous performance, really!
   
  “Just think, my very own chimera! Think of the 
  books I can write about its behavior. The dissertations 
  I can give. The lectures! At last, I can make a name for 
  myself! A live chimera!
   
  “I almost forgot! Here’s your payment. Well de-
  served! Thank you once again, my friends, thank you!”
  The PCs receive the agreed upon pay and Albert 
  quickly becomes absorbed in studying the 
  chimera.
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
   If the PCs thought to search the chimera’s cave, 
  requiring a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, 
  they may also have recovered the following in 
  among some of the more humanoid remains: an 
  assortment of gems worth 150 gp, one scroll of 
  mirror image, and a +1 dagger.
  Continuing the Quest
  What lies at the back of the chimera’s cave? 
  Perhaps a hidden entrance to the interior of the 
  mountain? Maybe secret runes that can only be 
  read when the moon shines just right into the 
  opening? Certainly the chimera is a dangerous 
  beast; perhaps it will escape the cage Albert has so 
  carefully prepared for it. If it does, what damage 
  will it do to Thornbury?
   And what about that wizard’s tower? What 
  is going on in there? Something secret, certainly, 
  but does it represent a threat to the residents of 
  Hengistbury or is it just the tinkering of a washed-
  up wizard past his prime? Would it make it any 
  safer if he was?
   How about Hunchbacked Roland and Freya? 
  Wouldn’t they make the cutest couple? Surely 
  the PCs can bring some influence to bear on their 
  behalf. What could possibly stand in the way of 
  happiness for these two?
  Quest X: Troublemakers
  A party of adventurers showed up in Thornbury 
  two weeks ago, and they’ve been nothing but 
  trouble ever since. No one is quite sure why 
  they are here or what they want, but they would 
  definitely prefer them to conduct their business 
  and leave.
   The Troublesome Adventurers, as the residents 
  have begun calling them, consist of the warrior 
  Mossad, Old Jovan the dwarf, and the rogue 
  Andrew Nemeth, the de facto leader of the group. 
  They’ve come to Thornbury at the insistence of 
  Nemeth to locate a fourth adventurer who goes 
  only by the name of Bluestone. Sometime in the 
  recent past Bluestone was part of their party, 
  but, when the group finally made a big score, 
  Bluestone ran off with the loot.
   They don’t particularly have any reason to 
  suspect that Bluestone is in the area aside from 
  the fact that he was last seen headed in this 
  direction from the west. Bluestone is, in fact, in 
  Thornbury, but the Troublesome Adventurers 
  haven’t been able to locate him yet. Instead, 
  they’ve been going around town poking and 
  prying into various places trying to locate him 
  and asking the residents of Thornbury various 
  seemingly nonsensical questions to try to get 
  a line on him. They have a tendency to turn up 
  where they aren’t wanted and have gotten into a 
  number of arguments with the townsfolk.
   Whenever the PCs visit Denhew’s Pub ’n’ Grub 
  in Thornbury, there is a 70% chance that Bluestone 
  is there as well. He isn’t being particularly 
  careful, although he has managed to avoid the 
  Troublesome Adventurers so far. Bluestone will 
  be seated at a table in a corner by himself trying 
  to stay in the shadows, if possible. He is dressed 
  in somewhat shabby brown robes and a battered 
  straw hat which he tries to keep low over his eyes. 
  There are about a dozen patrons in the bar already. 
  The party has likely been in town long enough to 
  be able to identify the regulars and know that the 
  Troublesome Adventurers aren’t from around here. 
  Once the PCs have made themselves comfortable 
  at a nearby table, read the following:
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  After a few minutes of enjoying your drinks, three 
  men enter the Inn. You can hear several patrons groan 
  quietly to themselves and at least one says, “Not them 
  again.”
   
  Without warning the skinny one thrusts out his arm 
  and points to a man who has been sitting quietly in 
  the corner up until now.
   
  “You! Decided to drink up all our profits did you? 
  We’ll teach you to steal from us!” He grabs a mug of 
  beer from a nearby table and throws it at the man in 
  the corner, but, in his anger, misses badly. The mug 
  smashes again the wall and sprays beer all over you 
  and your table.
  The PCs can react as they see fit. However, this 
  proves to be the last straw for several local 
  residents who came in for a quite night of 
  conversation and drinks. With shouts of “That’s 
  it!” and “I’ve had enough!” several patrons leave 
  their tables and a bar fight begins.
   The patrons, particularly Penner the Pig Farmer, 
  Reg Bakerson, Donald Morrison the Thornbury 
  forge master, and Logan Brokenbarrel, are 
  somewhat emboldened by drink and begin laying 
  into the Troublesome Adventurers with anything 
  handy. They aren’t looking to kill them, just 
  “teach them a lesson.”
   GM’s Note. Use whatever NPC statistics you 
  feel would make things most interesting for your 
  PCs. The locals aren’t likely to be too careful 
  when dishing out the hits and may “accidentally” 
  involve the PCs in the brawl.
   Old Jovan is a dwarf thug, and Mossad is a 
  thug. Andrew Nemeth is a spy with 36 hit points 
  and an AC of 14 who deals 3d6 additional damage 
  on a successful sneak attack. This increases his 
  Challenge to 2 (450 XP). Bluestone is a mage with 
  25 hit points who cannot cast spells above 3rd 
  level. This reduces his Challenge to 3 (700 XP).
   As soon as the fight starts the owner of the 
  tavern, Horatio Denhew, attempts to calm people 
  down and warn them not to fight in the tavern. 
  After the brawl has gone on for 3 rounds, he runs 
  for the door and attempt to find Brand Torek or 
  one of the other sheriff’s assistants to come break 
  things up. 10 rounds later, Brand will show up 
  with his part-time deputies, Yara Bloodclaw and 
  Jayel, to bring the fight to an end. If this happens, 
  everyone can expect to spend the night in jail 
  cooling off and sobering up.
   For their part, the Troublesome Adventurers 
  have spotted Bluestone and make every effort 
  to get to him before he can slip away in the 
  confusion. They don’t draw weapons unless 
  someone else escalates the situation, but they do 
  defend themselves against whomever tries to 
  engage them. Bluestone, in turn, panics as soon as 
  he is identified, though he has trouble parting the 
  mêlée and may resort to throwing spells to try to 
  clear his path out the door.
   The locals have a hard fight in front of them 
  without PC assistance and several of them will 
  no doubt suffer injuries. None of them should be 
  killed, as that is not the Troublesome Adventurers’ 
  objective.
   However the PCs choose to interact, if the 
  Troublesome Adventurers can be incapacitated 
  they can be shown the door and told not to come 
  back to town. In fact, they won’t return, as they 
  recognize they’ve overstayed whatever little 
  welcome they had. If Bluestone can be similarly 
  taken out, the Troublesome Adventurers will 
  leave town with Bluestone in tow.
   If the Troublesome Adventurers win, but 
  Bluestone escapes, they remain in the area 
  and become even more belligerent than before, 
  believing the locals are in with Bluestone and 
  hiding him. If they capture Bluestone, they depart 
  the area as above.
   Experience should be awarded based on whom 
  the PCs manage to disable. If they do nothing, 
  there is no award for being spectators.
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  Quest XI:  Peculiar, Most 
  Peculiar
  Something odd is happening at a place called 
  Murray’s Folly. No one is exactly sure what, but 
  some of the local residents in Thornbury are 
  worried.
   Murray’s Folly is a plot of ground located 
  northeast of Thornbury. Fifty years ago a man 
  named Lee Murray came to Thornbury, bought up 
  building supplies, and marked out the plot. No 
  one is quite sure where Lee came from except that 
  it was from “somewhere north.” When the locals 
  asked him what he was building, all he would 
  tell them was that the location had been revealed 
  to him in a dream along with the details of a 
  structure to be built on the ground. Taking it as 
  divine guidance he began building.
   Almost immediately he ran into trouble. The 
  patch of ground he chose was filled with rocks 
  and boulders of varying sizes and Murray spent 
  the first two years trying to clear the ground of 
  these obstacles. Once he had done that, other 
  problems presented themselves.
   Murray was neither an architect nor a builder. 
  Every time he began erecting the structure, it 
  would collapse after just a few days and he would 
  have to begin again. The ground was infertile and 
  nothing besides grass would grow on it; frequent 
  trips into town were needed to keep himself 
  supplied with food. Neither could he keep farm 
  animals; within days they would either fall ill or 
  run away. The townsfolk initially offered their 
  assistance to Murray, but were either met with 
  flat refusal or a reluctant acceptance that lasted 
  for one short task or another; upon completion, 
  Murray would curtly see them dismissed. 
  Eventually they stopped offering, and Murray 
  was left to his own devices.
   Still he persisted. When wood turned out to be 
  more problematic to deal with than anticipated, 
  he switched to using the stones he had previously 
  dug out of the field. Still, the structure would 
  stand for a few days and then collapse again. 
  For ten years Lee Murray tried his best to build 
  what would become known simply as Murray’s 
  Folly among the locals and made no appreciable 
  progress.
   Then, one day, people started to notice they 
  hadn’t seen Murray in town lately. A few of them 
  made the trip out to his building site.
   What they found there astounded them. No 
  trace of Murray or his attempts at building could 
  be found. The rocks he had dug out of the ground 
  and attempted to build with were, it seemed to 
  them, back in the ground exactly as if they had 
  never been dug up. Murray’s attempts at farming 
  and turning the soil were erased and nothing but 
  clean green grass was to be found growing in 
  the area. For all intents and purposes it seemed 
  as if Lee Murray had never existed and no tool 
  had ever touched the ground. The townsfolk 
  returned to Thornbury and reported what they 
  had discovered. Since that time, no one has ever 
  willingly set foot on the ground of Murray’s Folly.
   The river runs close by Murray’s Folly and 
  lately strange things have been reported by those 
  who travel its waters in the area. Some folks 
  are reporting that stones can be seen arranging 
  themselves on the site. Other say that the sounds 
  of farm animals can be heard late in the night as 
  if there were dozens of pigs, chickens, and sheep 
  living on the grounds. Several passers-by even 
  report the sounds of hammering and pick axes 
  coming from the place. No one is quite sure what 
  to make of it all, but they all agree that it is no 
  place to be after dark.
   If the party goes to Murray’s Folly to 
  investigate they can discover the following pieces 
  of information:
   1. The rocks and stones scattered around the 
  area are mostly unremarkable. However, a DC 14 
  Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that 28 larger 
  stones and the four boulders located at the 
  corners of the plot of land all bear faint markings, 
  and very close inspection (DC 16) shows burn 
  marks on several of them.
   2. In their present condition, it is difficult to 
  make any sense of the markings on the stones. 
  However, the boulders appear to contain words 
  in an ancient script not seen in the world for 
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  at least 1,000 years. If a character succeeds at a 
  DC17 Intelligence (Arcana) check, the writing can 
  be deciphered partially (due to weathering and 
  exposure) as the following four words: “hweogol,” 
  “deasil,” “eventide,” and “nord” (“wheel,” 
  “clockwise,” “night,” and “north”) along with a 
  rough arrowhead shape.
   3. Further inspection of the remaining marked 
  stones, requiring a successful DC 17 Wisdom 
  (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check, 
  may lead the PCs to conclude that the stones, 
  weathered as they are, can be placed to form four 
  rough stone circles, each with a single notch in 
  them.
   If the PCs place the stones, 7 each, at their 
  nearest boulders and align the notches in the 
  stones with the arrow heads on the boulders, 
  they will have assembled what amounts to four 
  individual combination locks. At this point it is 
  fairly easy to examine the stone wheels, requiring 
  a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, and note 
  similar marking for “nord” on each wheel, but in 
  different places on each.
   If the PCs can’t figure out the locks, but decide 
  to stay overnight in Murray’s Folly, there is an 
  80% chance that the “shift” described below 
  happens spontaneously while they are there.
   If the PCs attempt the following during the day, 
  nothing will happen. During the night, if the party 
  aligns the wheels by rotating them clockwise so 
  that the word “nord” aligns with the arrow heads 
  on the boulders, read the following:
  As the final wheel is rotated into place you feel a 
  strange queasiness in the pit of your stomach and 
  it seems, just for a moment, as though something 
  immense has moved and then settled back into 
  place. The air smells somehow cleaner, but the usual 
  night noises of crickets and night birds has suddenly 
  stopped.
   
  As you look around for signs of danger you are 
  astonished to see that the world seems to end at the 
  boundaries of Murray’s Folly. Beyond the edges of the 
  grass there is nothingness. A vast, yawning blackness 
  greets your gaze and it feels almost as if you are being 
  pulled into it, like standing on the edge of a high cliff 
  and looking down between your feet. Except, there is 
  no bottom to fall to; looking up is no better, the empti-
  ness stretches up and up. You have nothing to use as 
  reference beyond the plot of land itself and your mind 
  is not happy with this.
   
  When you force your gaze away from the emptiness 
  you notice that all the stones you had thought scat-
  tered around the area are now piled in the center of 
  the plot. Mixed among them are cut timbers and wood 
  planks, a few farm animals roam the area and a tilled 
  patch of garden sits to one side with some vegetables 
  and other small crops growing in it. Perched atop the 
  pile of stones sits a lone figure, seemingly staring off 
  into the great empty vastness of black.
  The PCs have unlocked and entered a pocket 
  dimension consisting only of the patch of ground 
  known as Murray’s Folly. When the PCs approach 
  the figure on the stones they discover Lee Murray 
  himself, sitting quietly. When they address him he 
  says:
  “So, it got you, too. I’m very sorry for that. I think we 
  are all trapped here; I’ve been trying for the last few 
  days to get out of this gods-forsaken place.”
  Lee believes himself to have been trapped for only 
  a week or so and has no idea just how much time 
  has passed in the real world. Further questioning 
  reveals the following:
  “I think I’ve worked out part of it. There were always 
  stories when I was growing up. The kind of stories a 
  father tells his son about his family. Dad used to say 
  that one of my relatives, many generations ago, was 
  a famous, or at least well known, wizard. Dad said the 
  old boy was a bit cracked, but nothing serious. Some-
  times he’d disappear for a month or two at a time, 
  once in a while for a year or more. When he came 
  back, he never seemed to have aged. That’s what Dad 
  said, at least.
   
  “They used to have fights back then, you know. Two 
  wizards would fight over new spells or old magic or 
  whatever it is that concerns wizards. I think this was 
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  the old boy’s hiding spot. He’d come here until what-
  ever danger had passed and then return home to find 
  everyone a bit older and his rivals either long dead or 
  having forgotten all about him.
   “Somehow, I must have remembered about this 
  spot. Maybe there is such a thing as ancestral memo-
  ry. Maybe he passed the knowledge down somehow 
  through the years and I was the only one foolish 
  enough to act on it. All I know for sure is I woke up one 
  morning and knew this place was here. Didn’t know 
  what it was or what it did, just that I had to come 
  here and build on it. I guess shuffling all these stones 
  around woke it up.
   “At night it would flip back and forth between here 
  and there, sometimes the whole thing, sometimes 
  only parts of it, though I didn’t know it. All that shift-
  ing around really messed up my plans for the build-
  ing. Couldn’t keep a thing growing. Animals would 
  spook. Can’t blame ’em. Once I worked out what was 
  happening, it spooked me, too.
   “Anyway, last week I moved some of the stones 
  and they seemed a bit stranger than usual. Sharper, 
  kind of decorated like, too. So I arranged them in a 
  nice little pattern, thinking that’d make it kind of nice 
  and pretty like to build around. That night, everything 
  shifted all at once and I’ve been stuck here ever since. 
  No idea how to get out. The stones are marked, but 
  I can’t read ’em. I’m truly sorry you are stuck here 
  with me.”
  Lee doesn’t have more information for the PCs, 
  but, if they examine the pile of stones, they will 
  find that these stones appear younger and less 
  weathered. It is an easy task (reduce all previous 
  DCs by 2 if they haven’t already worked out the 
  lock mechanism) to identify the ones that make 
  the lock. Reassembling them in the proper places 
  will allow them to work the lock in reverse and 
  escape the pocket dimension. Assuming the PCs 
  don’t waste time in the pocket dimension, it will 
  be about noon two days later than when they 
  went in.
   Lee Murray is saddened to discover just 
  how much time has passed, as he realizes that 
  it means nearly everyone he used to know has 
  probably passed on. He may spend a few days in 
  Thornbury trying to work out what to do next. If 
  the PCs think to arrange it, one of Lee Murray’s 
  few real skills is as a chandler—he can set up 
  shop selling candles to the rest of the locals, some 
  of whom may even recognize him from all those 
  years ago.
   Award the PCs 800 XP for working out the lock 
  before the shift, or 600 if they didn’t do it until 
  after the shift.
   Additionally, Lee Murray, if the PCs help him 
  to settle in, can give the PCs a 50% discount for 
  any light sources they may need such as torches, 
  candles, and lanterns.
  Continuing the Quest
  Now that the PCs know how to work the lock to 
  the pocket dimension, what other settings can 
  they find for it and where will it take them? Will 
  they all be pocket dimensions? Or have the PCs 
  just found a way to visit other planes?
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Quest XII:  Kobolds of 
  Thornbury
  This part of the adventure can occur at any time 
  after the PCs have reached 3rd level. Read the 
  following at some point when the PCs are in the 
  village:
  You hear a commotion, and turn to see a large crowd 
  gathered outside the temple, all trying to push their 
  way in. They’re chattering excitedly; something has 
  clearly happened. You can see Lady Pemberton’s car-
  riage tethered outside the temple.
  When the PCs enter the temple, read the 
  following:
  Pushing your way through the crowd, you see Brand, 
  carefully laid out on a stretcher. He is awake, and 
  talking to Lady Pemberton, who is tending to him 
  as those around them strain to watch. A short, black 
  arrow juts out of Brand’s leg, and his tunic is heavily 
  bloodstained.
   
  “I couldn’t stop them!” you hear him gasp. Lady 
  Pemberton nods, concentrating on cleaning the man’s 
  wounds. Seeing you in the crowd, Brand waves, beck-
  oning you forward.
   
  “They got her! They got Ariadne! I tried to rescue 
  her, but I was only one man…against a horde of…
  those devils…ple-please…you must…” Brand’s voice 
  falters and he slips into unconsciousness.
  Lady Pemberton can fill the PCs in on what she 
  knows. Brand staggered into town about half 
  an hour ago and collapsed in the street. He was 
  carried into the temple, and Lady Pemberton 
  summoned. Before the PCs arrived, Brand told 
  her that his niece, Ariadne, has been kidnapped 
  by kobold cultists. His attempt at a rescue failed.
   Lady Pemberton looks at you with concern and 
  fear in her eyes, “Quickly, go after them! Let no 
  harm befall the child. Return to the Keep when 
  you have news. Go now!”
   Ariadne was kidnapped on the edge of town, 
  near the river where she had been picking 
  flowers. There is a trail of Brand’s blood that can 
  be followed easily to the spot. A DC 12 Wisdom 
  (Survival) check reveals that the kobolds boarded 
  a boat and headed upriver towards Thornbury. A 
  couple of frightened fishermen slightly upriver 
  can confirm this.
   The PCs can easily find the spot on the bank 
  where the Kobolds disembarked. They will, of 
  course, have bypassed the town. Another DC 12 
  Wisdom (Survival) check will lead the PCs inland 
  to a dilapidated farm house.
   The kobolds are using an abandoned farmhouse 
  on the outskirts of the hamlet as a make-shift 
  temple and base of operations. Their mission is 
  to capture virgins (of any gender) and deliver 
  them to Cirothe. Ariadne was, indeed, here, 
  along with a young, spotty, red-haired lad called 
  Boris. Unfortunately, both are halfway to Skull 
  Mountain now, carried by winged kobolds.
   Still, there are kobolds left for the PCs to clean 
  up! A group of 3 kobold cultists and 2 kobold 
  hunters (see “New Monsters and NPCs”).
   The kobolds give up all they know under light 
  interrogation: it’s not much of a secret. They 
  happily tell the PCs that (1) the two captives are 
  destined for sacrifice, (2) the dragon resides in 
  Skull Mountain (a fact that everybody knows), 
  and (3) the kobolds themselves hand off their 
  captives to higher-ranking kobold cultists at a 
  small shack about a mile from the mountain. 
  These kobolds have never entered the dragon’s 
  lair, and have no desire to do so.
   If the kobolds are all dead, Aus comes out of 
  hiding nearby and berate the PCs for spoiling the 
  kobold’s plan. He had high hopes of following 
  the kobolds to Skull Mountain and finally getting 
  to see the wonderful dragon for himself. He will, 
  however, be able to relate the details of the plan 
  to the PCs because he has been listening to them 
  for some time and they’ve not been discreet in 
  discussing it.
   One of the kobolds carries a map. This map 
  can lead the PCs in the right direction to reach 
  the Dragon’s Lair, but only if they can manage to 
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  get it translated from the Draconic language it is 
  written in. Tillian Bricklebottom can perform this 
  task if the PCs ask him. If not, they will have to 
  find other means to read it.
   The party should return to Hengistbury and 
  deliver the news. Lord Pemberton, Lady Sybil 
  and Brand are anxious to know of Ariadne’s fate. 
  If they do not seem to be heading back, remind 
  them that no one knows what has happened.
   When the PCs return to the Keep and tell what 
  they know, read the following:
  “My friends, you bring grave news indeed. And yet, I 
  am not without hope. You truly are becoming local 
  heroes.” Lord Pemberton’s sword is across his knee, 
  clad in its ornamental scabbard. His hand rests lightly 
  across it. Lady Sybill sits beside him, and Brand Torek 
  leans heavily on a cane, clearly pained by his injuries, 
  yet more pained by the news you have delivered.
   “I must ask you to be heroes once more. A task 
  which dwarfs the good things you have done for the 
  county so far. A task which is so dangerous that I dare 
  not ask anyone else. I’m sure you have guessed al-
  ready: I want you to slay that evil dragon, Cirothe, and 
  end its reign of terror.
   “My sword, and the scabbard which you did recov-
  ered for me, have a secret. They are named Dragon-
  bane, and I give them to you now. This sword will even 
  the odds somewhat; strike the beast in the heart, and 
  it will surely perish.
   “My friends, if you do this for me—for us, for the 
  county—I will name you knights. I cannot afford to 
  reward you well with gold, but I can shower you with 
  honor. What say you?”
  Once the PCs have had a moment to discuss 
  things and accept the honor bestowed upon them, 
  as well as the quest offered, read the following:
  Lord Pemberton nods with satisfaction.
   Lady Sybil smiles upon you, “Excellent. I have every 
  confidence in your abilities. May you go with speed 
  and may courage guide your path.” She excuses her-
  self and steps over to comfort Boris’ parents.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
   
  Brand hobbles over to you. His eyes betray his 
  worry for his niece. “Please, bring her back safe. She 
  is all I have. Bring her back to me and any reward that 
  is within my power to give you, I will.” His eyes tear up 
  and he raises an arm to cover his face.
  GM’s Note. It is at about this time that Gord 
  Mortimer makes his intention to accompany 
  the party known if they meet his criteria and he 
  hasn’t already. See “Other People of Note” in the 
  Prologue.
   The party can begin making preparations to 
  leave. If they still haven’t translated the map, 
  now would be a good time for one of the people 
  present to suggest they take it to Bricklebottom. 
  The map tells them little enough that isn’t already 
  known. It does however point a safer path to 
  the Skull Mountain wherein lies the dragon, one 
  that might be of use in avoiding trouble. It also 
  contains two words that might be pass phrases, 
  though no indication of when or where to use 
  them is given.
   The townspeople will supply them with as 
  much as they can spare for the journey. This is not 
  much, but should be sufficient to see them safely 
  on the way for at least a few days. The PCs can 
  clean up any remaining quests if they choose.
   They should not delay too long, however. The 
  menace of the dragon and its kobold minions 
  grows with each passing day and they would do 
  well to put a stop to it as soon as possible. Danger 
  awaits the new heroes of Hengistbury. The road 
  before them is long, but perhaps they can rise to 
  greater heights. Only time will tell in Act II: The 
  Journey to Skull Mountain. e
  New Magic Item
  Dragonbane
  Weapon (greatsword), legendary (requires attunement 
  by a character wearing the sword’s scabbard)
   
  Appearance. This double-sided blade is made of 
  red-hued iron, and is engraved with Draconic runes 
  that glow red when near a true dragon. The hilt is made 
  of blackened iron and wrapped with redsilver wire; the 
  pommel is shaped like the head of a red dragon.
   
  History. This family greatsword is the property of 
  Lord Pemberton. The scabbard was lost decades ago in 
  Brockendale Castle when the Pembertons’ ancestors 
  fled. Since then, most believe it to be a family legend—
  a colorful story, but nothing more.
   
  Function. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage 
  rolls made with this greatsword. When used against a 
  true dragon, you instead gain a +3 bonus to attack and 
  damage rolls, and deal an extra 3d6 slashing damage. 
  When the blade scores a critical hit on a dragon, the 
  dragon head on its pommel glows with fury, dealing an 
  additional 3d10 radiant damage.
   
  Additionally, you have advantage on saving throws 
  made to resist a true dragon’s spells or effects, such as 
  its breath weapon or Frightful Presence.
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  New Monsters and NPCs
  Quest I: Jack of the Weirwood
  Faun
  Medium fey, chaotic neutral
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 6 (1d8 + 2)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  10 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
  10 (+0) 
  8 (–1) 
  14 (+2)
  Skills Perception +1, Performance +6
  Senses passive Perception 11
  Languages Common, Sylvan
  Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)
  Magic Resistance. The faun has advantage on saving 
  throws against spells and other magical effects.
  Actions
  Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
  Panpipes. The faun plays its pipes and chooses one 
  of the following magical effects: a frightening strain 
  or a clever scherzo. One creature of the faun’s choice 
  within 30 feet must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving 
  throw or be affected as described below.
   An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at 
  the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself 
  on a success. If the creature’s saving throw is success-
  ful or the effect ends on it, the creature is immune to 
  the panpipes for the next 24 hours.
   Frightening Strain. The creature is frightened for 1 
  minute.
   Clever Scherzo. The creature falls into fits of 
  laughter for 1 minute, falling prone and becoming 
  incapacitated for the duration. A creature with an 
  Intelligence score of 4 or less isn’t affected.
  Spring-Heeled Jack
  Small fey, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
  Speed 40 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  13 (+1) 
  17 (+3) 
  12 (+1) 
  10 (+0) 
  8 (–1) 
  13 (+1)
  Skills Acrobatics +7, Deception +3, Stealth +7
  Senses passive Perception 9
  Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan
  Challenge 3 (700 XP)
  Innate Spellcasting. Spring-Heeled Jack’s innate 
  spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 11). He 
  can innately cast the following spells, requiring no 
  material components.
  At-will: feather fall, pass without trace
  1/day: passwall
  Vault. Spring-Heeled Jack is capable of leaping great 
  heights and distances, and doubles the distance of 
  his long and high jumps. Additionally, he may jump up 
  to 20 feet vertically without provoking opportunity 
  attacks. This feature functions identically to the levi-
  tate spell, except Jack can also move horizontally as 
  long as the total distance moved is no more than 20 
  feet. This ability may be used multiple times in a turn 
  as long as Jack lands on a stable surface between 
  jumps.
  Actions
  Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage.
  Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). Spring-Heeled Jack ex-
  hales fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area 
  must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 
  (3d6) fire damage on a failed save and half as much 
  on a successful one. 
  Frightening Gaze (3/day). Spring-Heeled Jack may 
  cast fear (spell save DC 13), affecting only creatures it 
  can see and that can see it.
  
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury | EN World EN5IDER
  Quest IV: Memories of Brockendale
  Elanour the Poltergeist
  Medium undead, lawful evil
  The air feels unnaturally chill, and curtains flutter in a 
  nonexistent breeze. A door slams shut, and a candlestick 
  throws itself from a mantelpiece. You are not alone.
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 22 (5d8)
  Speed 0 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover)
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   1 (–5) 
  14 (+2) 
  11 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  11 (+0)
  Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, 
  thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from 
  nonmagical weapons
  Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, 
  grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, 
  restrained, unconscious
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
  Languages Common
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  Fear. A creature hit by an object thrown by the Tele-
  kinesis action (see below) must succeed on a DC 10 
  Wisdom saving throw or becoming frightened for 1d6 
  rounds.
  Incorporeal Movement. Elanour can move through 
  other creatures and objects as if they were difficult 
  terrain. She takes 5 (1d10) force damage if she ends 
  its turn inside an object.
  Invisibility. Elanour cannot be seen, as if under the 
  constant effects of the invisibility spell. This invisibili-
  ty is not broken by attacking and cannot be dispelled. 
  Unnatural Aura. Both wild and domesticated animals 
  can sense Elanour’s unnatural presence at a distance 
  30 feet and will not willingly approach closer than 
  that. Animals forced to move closer are frightened as 
  long as they are within this radius.
  Actions
  Telekinesis. Elanour telekinetically hurls one unat-
  tended object weighing no more than 150 pounds 
  within 30 feet of her.  Ranged Spell Attack: +4 to hit, 
  range 30 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (4d4) bludgeoning 
  damage.
  
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  EN World EN5IDER | Holdenshire Act One: The Ills of Hengistbury
  Quest XII: Kobolds of Thornbury
  Kobold Cultist
  Small humanoid (kobold), lawful evil
  Armor Class 13 (leather)
  Hit Points 18 (4d6 + 4)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  9 (–1) 
  10 (+2) 
  12 (+1) 
  9 (–1) 
  8 (–1) 
  8 (–1)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
  Languages Common, Draconic
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the kobold has 
  disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
  Pack Tactics. The kobold has advantage on an attack 
  roll against a creature if at least one of the kobold’s 
  allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t 
  incapacitated.
  Actions
  Sacrificial Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing 
  damage.
  Sling. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 30/120 
  ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
  Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). Cirothe’s kobold minions 
  have been granted a fraction of the dragon’s power. 
  The kobold exhales fire in a 10-foot cone. Each crea-
  ture in that area must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving 
  throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or 
  half as much on a successful one.
  Kobold Hunter
  Small humanoid (kobold), lawful evil
  Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
  Hit Points 28 (6d6 + 6)
  Speed 30 ft.
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  8 (–1) 
  16 (+3) 
  13 (+1) 
  8 (–1) 
  10 (+0) 
  8 (–1)
  Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
  Languages Common, Draconic
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the kobold has 
  disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
  Pack Tactics. The kobold has advantage on an attack 
  roll against a creature if at least one of the kobold’s 
  allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t 
  incapacitated.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The kobold makes two shortsword at-
  tacks or two shortbow attacks.
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
  Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 
  80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
  Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). Cirothe’s kobold minions 
  have been granted a fraction of the dragon’s power. 
  The kobold exhales fire in a 10-foot cone. Each crea-
  ture in that area must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving 
  throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or 
  half as much on a successful one.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 062 - Ills of Hengistbury.pdf