TEXT:  
  THE DARKNESS OF THE 
  MOUNTAINS 
   
  In the shadow of the Galena Mountains, outside the Glumpen forest, the scars of the ancient war with the 
  kingdom of the Witch King still lay fresh and exposed to the night air. A trade route between the regions of 
  Vaasa and Damara have, through the years, created a crossroads at Aetherglen. The people who live there 
  have an abiding honor for their dead, and the graveyards are shrines to their forebears. As you pass 
  through, however, you are waylaid by a mysterious man who tells you that the dead are restless, and 
  something worse may be stirring ‘neath the huge Gulthias trees of the forest. 
   
  A 2-hour adventure for 1st through 4th level characters 
   
   
  THOMAS VALLEY 
  Adventure Designer 
   
  Adventure Code: CCC-GARY-04 
   
   
  Organized Play: Chris Lindsay 
  D&D Adventurers League Wizards Team: Adam Lee, Chris Lindsay, Mike Mearls, Matt Sernett 
  D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Bill Benham, Travis Woodall, Claire Hoffman, Greg Marks, Alan Patrick, Lysa Chen 
   
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  Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.  
   
  
  Introduction 
  Welcome to The Darkness of the Mountain, a D&D 
  Adventurers League™ adventure, part of the official 
  D&D Adventurers League™ organized play system 
  and the Gary Con storyline. 
   The town of Aetherglen was founded hundreds of 
  years ago as merchants found the crossroads, and the 
  surrounding forest, to be an excellent defensible 
  location to stop on their travels and make some easy 
  money. It’s never been claimed by a nation or has 
  allied itself with any organization, and the town leads 
  itself through a self-elected mayor. 
   This adventure is designed for three to seven 1st-
  4th level characters and is optimized for five 
  characters with an average party level (APL) of 3. 
  Characters outside this level range cannot participate 
  in this adventure. 
  Adjusting This Adventure 
  This adventure provides suggestions in making 
  adjustments for smaller or larger groups, characters 
  of higher or lower levels, and characters that are 
  otherwise a bit more powerful than the adventure is 
  optimized for. You’re not bound to these adjustments; 
  they’re here for your convenience. 
   To figure out whether you should consider 
  adjusting the adventure, add up the total levels of all 
  the characters and divide the total by the number of 
  characters (rounding .5 or greater up; .4 or less 
  down). This is the group’s APL. To approximate the 
  party strength for the adventure, consult the 
  following table. 
  Determining Party Strength 
  Party Composition Party   
  Strength 
  3-4 characters, APL less than  
  Very weak 
  3-4 characters, APL equivalent  
  Weak 
  3-4 characters, APL greater than  
  Average 
  5 characters, APL less than  
  Weak 
  5 characters, APL equivalent  
  Average 
  5 characters, APL greater than  
  Strong 
  6-7 characters, APL less than  
  Average 
  6-7 characters, APL equivalent  
  Strong 
  6-7 characters, APL greater than  
  Very strong 
  Some encounters may include a sidebar that offers 
  suggestions for certain party strengths. If a particular 
  recommendation is not offered or appropriate for 
  your group, you don’t have to make adjustments. 
  Before Play at the Table 
  Before you start play, consider the following: 
  • Read through the adventure, taking notes of 
  anything you’d like to highlight or remind yourself 
  while running the adventure, such as a way you’d 
  like to portray an NPC or a tactic you’d like to use in 
  a combat. Familiar yourself with the adventure’s 
  appendices and handouts. 
  • Gather any resources you’d like to use to aid you in 
  running this adventure--such as notecards, a DM 
  screen, miniatures, and battlemaps. 
  • Ask the players to provide you with relevant 
  character information, such as name, race, class, 
  and level; passive Wisdom (Perception), and 
  anything specified as notable by the adventure 
  (such as backgrounds, traits, flaws, etc.) 
  Playing the Dungeon Master 
  You have the most important role—facilitating the 
  enjoyment of the game for the players. You provide 
  the narrative and bring the words on these pages to 
  life.  
   To facilitate this, keep in mind the following: 
   You’re Empowered. Make decisions about how the 
  group interacts with the adventure; adjusting or 
  improvising is encouraged, so long as you maintain 
  the adventure’s spirit. This doesn’t allow you to 
  implement house rules or change those of the 
  Adventurers League, however; they should be 
  consistent in this regard. 
   Challenge Your Players. Gauge the experience 
  level of your players (not the characters), try to feel 
  out (or ask) what they like in a game, and attempt to 
  deliver the experience they’re after. Everyone should 
  have the opportunity to shine. 
   Keep the Adventure Moving. When the game starts 
  to get bogged down, feel free to provide hints and 
  clues to your players so they can attempt to solve 
  puzzles, engage in combat, and roleplay interactions 
  without getting too frustrated over a lack of 
  information. This gives players “little victories” for 
  figuring out good choices from clues. Watch for 
  stalling—play loses momentum when this happens. 
  At the same time, make sure that the players don’t 
  finish too early; provide them with a full play 
  experience. 
   
   
  
  Adventure Primer 
  This section provides the adventure’s background, a 
  list of prominent NPCs, an overview of the adventure 
  in play, and hooks that you can use to introduce your 
  player’s characters to the action. 
  Adventure Background 
   The town of Aetherglen was founded hundreds of 
  years ago as merchants found the crossroads, and the 
  surrounding forest, to be an excellent defensible 
  location to stop on their travels and make some easy 
  money. It’s never been claimed by a nation or has 
  allied itself with any organization, and the town leads 
  itself through a self-elected mayor. The mayor’s role 
  has been solely to present a face to the outside world, 
  very rarely taking an active part in governing the 
  people of the village. A common destination for 
  refugees from surrounding wars, Aetherglen has 
  grown somewhat over the years, but has never 
  amassed more than a few hundred families. 
   Buildings in town are primarily one or two stories, 
  with a combination of wood and stone building 
  materials. Only the central Inn has three stories. The 
  Innkeeper, Liam, is the current mayor. 
   Currently, the town holds tacit trade agreements 
  with Phlan and most of the Moonsea city-states on 
  this side of the water. Our story takes place sometime 
  after the Mists receded from the Quivering Forest and 
  the Glumpen Swamp, and Phlan regained its 
  independence and self-rule. 
  Location and NPC Summary 
  The following NPCs and locations feature prominently in this 
  adventure. Each NPC and location should have an entry with a 
  phonetic pronunciation and one-three sentences describing 
  them. 
   
  Liam. Liam owns and operates the only tavern in the village 
  and is the de-facto mayor. He’s forthright and honest and is 
  loved by all. 
   
  Bonewits. Bonewits is a mysterious figure who has been 
  hanging around the town. Asking after him will cause 
  townsfolk to eye the character asking with suspicion. 
  Adventure Overview 
   The adventure is broken down into 4 parts: 
   Part 1. The party arrives at the tavern in the 
  village, in the middle of a torrential rainstorm, and get 
  the lay of the land. 
   Part2. The party is confronted with a horrifying 
  situation: People in the village are dying from an 
  apparent attack from the surrounding trees. 
   Part3. The party investigates smaller happenings 
  in the village in an attempt to identify the source of 
  the problem. 
   Part 4. The party has narrowed their investigation 
  efforts down to a graveyard, where they’re subjected 
  to a swarm of zombies. 
  Adventure Hooks 
   Wandering Strangers. Aetherglen is a crossroads 
  between neighboring nations and regions and is a 
  natural wayside for wandering adventurers and 
  merchants. As characters of means and power, they 
  are roped into the events of the module. 
   Genealogical Research. Characters may have been 
  hired emissaries from large families or may be 
  members of families seeking long lost relatives. As 
  Aetherglen was the final destination for refugees 
  from a variety of wars through the eons, it has long 
  since been a melting pot for otherwise remote 
  nations. 
   Emerald Enclave (Faction Assignment). The 
  Druids of the Emerald Enclave have sensed a 
  disturbance in the ancient grove of Gulthias trees. As 
  an emissary for the faction, you are to document 
  anything that presents itself as a part of the 
  disturbance, and deal with whatever you’re capable. 
    
   
   
  
  Part 1: Rain Town 
  (Duration: 10 minutes) 
  There was a time when the legions of undead swarmed over 
  the hills. When death and life held no meaning. When a horror 
  stalked the souls of the people of Damara, and a few brave 
  heroes fought back the tide at the Bloodstone Pass. In that 
  time, the Witch King fell, and his armies were scattered to the 
  winds, returned to their graves, and those that followed him 
  and drew from his power were diminished. 
   
  Aetherglen stands on these crossroads of the Ilinver Trail 
  and the North Glister pass, far from the lands of Vaasa and 
  Damara, and yet, many people who now call this place home 
  can trace their family trees back to refugees of that unholy 
  war. Though the great protective Gulthias trees of Glumpen 
  forest overlook the crossroads, the people of this small town 
  still speak of the great King Gareth Dragonsbane and his 
  defeat of the Witch King.  When the Mists stole into Glumpen 
  Swamp and the Quivering Forest, these people were naturally 
  suspicious, and the Mist took far fewer of them away to the 
  cold lands of Barovia. Visitors are welcome at Aetherglen, but 
  they’re met with a watchful eye and a suspicious disposition. 
   
  When you arrived, you thanked whatever gods who were 
  listening that you were able to find room, as there was a storm 
  on the horizon. No sooner had you stabled your horses when 
  the sky opened and blessed the land with loud thunder and 
  bright lightning. The inn, however, was quiet inside. All eyes 
  turned to you, the newly admitted stranger in their midst. As 
  luck would have it, a chair was open near the bar. You made 
  your way over, trying not to drip on too many of the 
  townsfolk. Talk began again, as folks seemed to determine you 
  mean them no immediate harm. 
  General Features 
  Note that throughout this adventure, the party is subject to 
  bursting, torrential rain, and low visibility. To make their way 
  to any destination within the village typically requires a local 
  guide, due to the rain. Any character caught in the rain for 10 
  minutes without a proper poncho or rain gear will be 
  subjected to one level of exhaustion. 
   
  Terrain. Level terrain within the village. Outside of the 
  village the terrain resembles the Giant Redwood forest of 
  northern California. 
   
  Weather. Torrential rain. Pooling water and extremely low 
  visibility.  
   
  Light. Due to the canopy, all light is normally indirect and 
  gloomy. The rain does nothing to improve this. 
  If the party wishes to seek information (Success on an 
  Investigation check, DC noted below) about local 
  stories of interest, they can find the following.  
   
  If they don’t actively seek information, some of the 
  subjects of the rolls below could voluntarily come 
  forward to entreat the new strangers. 
   
  • DC5: An old woman in the back of the tavern’s main 
  room will tell any party member their fortune if 
  given some money. If you have a Tarot or Tarokka 
  deck, you can make this an opportunity to spill 
  secrets (fake or real) about the module, or simply 
  an opportunity for some role-playing. Her fortune 
  telling becomes more dire and animated based on 
  how much money she’s given. Odd how that works 
  out, eh? 
  • DC10: A farmer named Anderson has had problems 
  with his onion fields: The weeds are so massive and 
  intrusive that he’s been unable to fight back the 
  overgrowth. He’s had to abandon two entire fields, 
  and his livelihood among the visiting merchants 
  has been suffering. 
  • DC10: Someone has been disturbing the graves of 
  two of the churches in town (Kelemvor and 
  Lathander): Markers have been knocked down, and 
  signs of graverobbing have been found. A temple of 
  Waukeen was broken into, and the tombs were 
  disturbed. 
  • DC10: The trees have always pro tected the village. 
  The villagers believe that armies have been 
  diverted in the forest, and that the trees have even 
  protected them from harsh weather and natural 
  and supernatural disasters. Something has 
  changed, however, and it’s been a gradual thing: 
  Harsh weather has been getting through the 
  canopy, and no one can prove it, but more and 
  more disreputable people have been coming to 
  town. 
  • DC15: Millie, one of the children that’s always 
  underfoot here in Aetherglen, was seen last week to 
  have been posting notices searching for her lost cat, 
  Furrball. Then, a day later, she was seen tearing 
  down all the notices, while crying. When 
  approached, she maintained that Furrball had died 
  under a merchant’s cartwheel. And then, a day 
  later, she told everyone that a miracle had 
  happened and Furrball wasn’t dead after all. Millie’s 
  mother frantically began telling everyone yesterday 
  that Millie has run away, and she hasn’t seen her for 
  a whole day. 
  • DC15: One of the bar patrons maintains that the 
  giant trees surrounding the village have decided 
  that Aetherglen is no longer welcome, and they’re 
  actively trying to kill the residents. He’s heard that 
  people have died because the trees have attacked 
  them in some way. He doesn’t have any details, and 
  he can’t tell the characters who those people that 
  died were, but he’s heard these things from 
  reputable sources. 
  • DC20: Aetherglen gets a lot of strangers, but one 
  has been attracting some attention by the curious 
  
  residents. An older man with a bruise down one 
  side of his face has been asking after the wellbeing 
  of the people of the village. He hasn’t been making 
  too many inquiries, and he hasn’t been that 
  obvious, but some have put it together that all his 
  questions seem to be focused on the trees and the 
  graveyards. 
   
  Note that intention here is for most, if not all, of that 
  information to fall into the hands of the players. The 
  DC numbers act as a guide to gift players with higher 
  investigation skills the juicier bits. 
  Part 2: Shoe Drop 
  (Duration: 1 Hour) 
  You gather yourselves together and make some introductions, 
  as you all seem new to this place. Hours pass, stories are 
  swapped, and as the saying goes: “Old friends are made on the 
  road.” As the evening grows longer, and the storm outside 
  seems to have no intention of abating, you begin to ponder 
  retiring to the upstairs loft. 
   
  Just at that moment, the front door to the inn slams open, 
  and a storm breeze blasts through the room, momentarily 
  dampening the immense hearth fires. A young man stands in 
  the doorway, underdressed for the storm, and sodden as a lost 
  puppy for it. He’s shaking from the cold and yells out to the 
  bar keep in an equally quavering voice: “Liam!  It’s happened 
  again!” 
   
  Those townsfolk that are left in the inn are on their feet in 
  an instant, some rush to comfort the young lad while others 
  tend to the door. A few have clustered around the innkeeper, 
  who’s previously dower mood has been replaced by red-faced 
  anger. 
  Investigation checks can be made to ask people 
  questions about what is going on: 
  • DC10: A widow and her son live in a small shack in 
  the poorer part of the village, keeping to 
  themselves and subsisting on the kindness of 
  friends and extended family. The widow’s cousin, 
  Akadi, found them tonight, and he thinks they may 
  already be dead. 
  • DC15: Liam, the Innkeeper and mayor of the town, 
  believes this may have happened before. “It’s the 
  trees, you see,” he says, “something’s happened. 
  They grow out of the ground and find something 
  living and take it over. A woman in town died to 
  this, last week, and we took her and buried her. Our 
  holy men tell us that they do not know what has 
  happened, and do not know how to counter such a 
  great magic that would move the trees in such a 
  fashion.” 
  • DC20: Liam: “The woman we buried? Something is 
  growing out of her grave. It’s at the Temple to 
  Lathander. The temple priest has tried to cut it 
  down, but it keeps growing bigger.” 
  The players can take a few paths here: Investigate the 
  temple graveyard, investigate the disappearance of 
  Millie and her cat, or progress to the small home 
  where Akadi discovered his cousin and her son.  The 
  emphasis should be on the latter, as it’s time-
  sensitive. Regardless of where they go and what they 
  do, they should end this section of the adventure at 
  Akadi’s Cousin. 
   
  
  Temple of Lathander Graveyard 
  The temple graveyard dedicated to the god of Morning is what 
  you would expect from a small village that’s perpetually 
  underneath a canopy of trees: Small. Approximately forty 
  small grave markers dot a fenced-in lawn, drawn out in equal 
  measure and with room for many more. One such marker 
  stands out, however, as the grave that it’s marking has been 
  overgrown by what appears to be an eight-foot-tall tree with 
  black bark. No leaves grow on the tree, and the marker has 
  been knocked out of its berth and now lists at an angle away 
  from the grave. The branches seem to spread out, as if they 
  were fingers of some gigantic hand. 
  The tree is warm to the touch, and careful inspection 
  will show that it is growing larger, albeit at a snail’s 
  pace. It is susceptible to magical fire (AC 8, 30HP), but 
  is immune to mundane fire, and resistant to non-
  magical damage of any kind. Burning it or smashing it 
  to the ground will only destroy what’s visible, and if 
  the characters hang around long enough, they’ll see it 
  sprouting new limbs through the ash and wreckage 
  they’ve left behind. If they dig into the grave and try 
  to kill the tree at the roots, they’ll find that what lies 
  in the grave is no longer a human corpse but is a 
  Young Roper (stats as a Roper, but with AC13 and 
  only 35HP.  See appendix for full stats). 
   
  Adjusting the Encounter 
  Here are the recommendations for adjusting these combat 
  encounters. They are not cumulative. 
  • Very Weak Party:  AC 11, 30HP 
  • Weak Party:  AC13, 30HP 
  • Strong Party:  AC17, 70HP 
  • Very Strong Party:  Stats are for a regular Roper 
   
  Lost Kitty 
  Dadric, Millie’s mother, sobs and falls into your arms as she 
  describes what Millie looks like and when she last saw her. 
  “She’d never run away, I know my Millie,” she says, answering 
  your next question before you ask it. “It’s her cat, I just know 
  it. She was obsessed with little Furrball, and when he was 
  killed under that merchant’s cart, something broke in her.” 
  She starts to cry again, only stopping to suggest that you try 
  looking for Millie around the Temple of Kelemvor. That’s 
  where their little family buried Furrball. 
  Dradic doesn’t know much more about what Millie 
  was doing with Furrball, or why she would believe 
  that Furrball had returned to life. She thinks Millie 
  found another cat that looked like Furrball. Dradic 
  can confirm that Furrball died under a merchant’s 
  cartwheel, as has been described previously to the 
  party members, as she assisted Millie in burying the 
  cat and saying some words over the grave. 
  Visiting the temple of Kelemvor yields no clues as to 
  Millie’s whereabouts, although the priest can 
  comment that several the graves at their location 
  have shown signs of disturbance, as if people were 
  trying to get at their contents. He doesn’t understand 
  that, however, as traditionally people aren’t buried 
  with anything valuable around here. 
  Investigating Furrball’s grave will yield no new 
  evidence, but while the characters are there, they’ll 
  notice that the edge of the graveyard is backed up 
  against the edge of the forest. While they’re there, 
  investigating the grave, 3 zombies will emerge from 
  the forest and slowly approach the party. They have 
  the appearance of having recently dug themselves out 
  of their own graves, and one of them is the corpse of a 
  young girl. If the characters defeat the zombies and 
  bring Dadric the corpse, she’ll positively identify it as 
  Millie. 
  Adjusting the Encounter 
  Here are the recommendations for adjusting these combat 
  encounters. They are not cumulative. 
  • Very Weak Party:  1 Zombie (Millie), 3 Skeletons 
  • Weak Party:  2 Zombies 
  • Strong Party:  3 Zombies, 3 Skeletons 
  • Very Strong Party:  3 Zombies, 1 Wight 
  Akadi’s Cousin 
  You enter a small but well-kept hovel, the décor displaying 
  loving attention to detail and an admiration for the natural 
  weave and weft of the wood. Standing in the middle of the 
  room is the woman responsible, frozen in the action of 
  sweeping the floor. She seems alive, openly weeping and 
  calling out for her son in a fragile voice, but she also seems 
  unable to move. Upon closer inspection, you can see that 
  small tree roots anchor her to the floor, growing up under her 
  skin. You can see the lumpy forms of the roots underneath her 
  clothing, stopping at about her waist. 
   
  “It has me. I’m gone,” she whispers, pale and covered in 
  sweat. “But care not for me,” she continues, “please see to my 
  boy. Please check on my sweet Elijah.” She closes her eyes. 
  Her breathing continues, ragged and occasionally interrupted 
  by the pain of the slowly moving roots. 
  
  The boy’s room is what you’ve come to expect from this 
  home: Immaculate. The wall is littered with framed drawings 
  of a mother and child, drawn with a caring hand and a great 
  deal of skill. A quick glance at the desk and the pencils and 
  paper, and you realize that the boy, Elijah, is responsible for 
  those drawings. 
   
  Elijah lies on his bed, curled up as if sleeping. You try and 
  wake him, and notice that the roots have grown under every 
  inch of his skin, giving it a dark brown and bruised sheen. 
  Pulling back the covers, you see a large root system emerging 
  from under the bed and flowing through the mattress. 
   
  Elijah’s eyelids flutter open. “You,” he whispers, lips hardly 
  moving, “you must find it. The Old One can do no more. It is 
  corrupted.” And with that, a final breath of air escapes what’s 
  left of his lungs, and his eyelids droop closed. 
   
  You emerge from the boy’s room to discover that a similar 
  fate has befallen his mother, the roots having finally reached 
  her head and taking her life. The townsfolk that have come 
  with you are weeping. They can do more than mourn. 
   
  A man stands at the door to the house. He wears a cloak of 
  deep brown with green piping, holds a staff and has a bruise 
  down one side of his face. “This cannot continue,” he says. “I 
  know the source, but I know not how to treat the problem. We 
  need your help, strangers.” 
  The man introduces himself as Bonewits, a “master” 
  druid. He isn’t forthcoming on many things, but he’ll 
  tell the party the following: 
  • He’s been studying and living among the Gulthias 
  trees for decades. They are infested with a 
  generous spirit, and are, in fact, all one large 
  organism. The people of Aetherglen were always 
  right to suspect that the trees protected them from 
  the illness of the surrounding world. 
  • There is a tree above all trees deeper in the forest. 
  He doesn’t know how old it is but has never seen a 
  tree as ancient as that tree, in his life. It’s so old and 
  so large that a community of Wood Elves have 
  established a city the basic underneath its root 
  system. He has spoken with many of them, over the 
  years, and they consider themselves its caretakers. 
  • He believes that tree was planted there and did not 
  grow or choose to grow there by chance. He 
  believes that the entire forest is born of saplings 
  originally cut from that tree. In his research, he’s 
  found reference to an ancient druidic society that 
  may have been the reason that tree exists at all. 
  • In the past year, something has happened to the 
  ancient tree. The roots have darkened and have 
  receded to the point where there is only one 
  opening to the city buried beneath it. He hasn’t 
  spoken to or seen any evidence of the Wood Elves 
  above ground in all that time. People have gone 
  missing, undead have been seen among the trees, 
  and the forest appears to be drawing back from the 
  ancient tree. 
  • These attacks on the townspeople are troubling, 
  but more troubling is that the people they bury 
  don’t stay dead. Something happens when people 
  are buried, now, and they return, shambling 
  forward and attacking anything living. He’s been 
  trying to find out the source of the problem without 
  alerting too many people and causing a panic, but 
  the problem has gone beyond his efforts to contain 
  it. 
  • The bruise on his face happened when he fought off 
  an attack much like what happened here. He’d been 
  asleep in the forest, and the roots had come for him 
  in the night, trying to infect the skin under his face. 
  He had fought it to a standstill, but the roots are 
  still there, under his skin. He needs to continually 
  use all his magical capabilities to keep it from 
  growing. 
  • The toll this fight is taking on him means that he’s 
  not able to venture out and continue his 
  investigations of what is happening with the tree or 
  with the undead in the village. He’s going to need 
  the party’s help to put a stop to this. 
  Throughout the discussion with the party, Bonewits 
  is relying on his staff to keep him upright. The party 
  should be able to take note that he has very little 
  strength left but is making every effort to help them 
  out. He’ll end the discussion by directing them to the 
  graveyard of any of the temples in town. He hands 
  them a set of small seeds with directions to plant the 
  seeds in the graves, in hopes that the saplings that 
  row there will contain the undead. 
   
   
  
  Part 3: Graves 
  (Duration: 30 minutes) 
  As you approach the graveyard, you’re struck with the change 
  of atmosphere from when last you visited. Now, the smell of 
  rotting flesh is pervasive, and some of those graves that you 
  can see have been dug up from within. This is not the work of 
  graverobbers, but that of the living dead. 
   
  4 Zombies are in the graveyard area and will spot the 
  party right away. A successful DC10 Perception check 
  will detect that some of the graves that are not 
  already dug up having shifting dirt, and most likely 
  have more zombies coming up. If nothing is done to 
  stop the zombies, 2 more will emerge and join the 
  combat on round 3. Every 2 rounds, thereafter, 
  another 2 zombies will emerge to join the combat. 
  Note that zombies who have not yet emerged are not 
  yet fully animated and are not subject to a cleric’s 
  Turn. 
  To stop the zombies from emerging, the party can 
  follow Bonewits’ directions, and plant the seeds in the 
  graves. They have enough seeds to cover the entire 
  graveyard but use your discretion as the DM to 
  heighten the drama or extend the combat (place 
  graves beyond their reach unless they fight more 
  zombies, or have the seeds be fewer in number than 
  what’s necessary to cover the graveyard. In general, 
  planting a seed reduces the number of 
  reinforcements (as above) by 1. If the party can 
  reduce the reinforcements to cover themselves for 
  the next 10 rounds, they’ve succeeded in suppressing 
  the zombies. Adjust that number up or down 
  depending on the length of combat you’re trying to 
  achieve. 
   
  Adjusting the Encounter 
  Here are the recommendations for adjusting these combat 
  encounters. They are not cumulative. 
  • Very Weak Party:  Reinforcements are 2 Skeletons instead 
  of 2 Zombies 
  • Weak Party:  1 Zombie reinforcement instead of 2 
  • Strong Party:  3 Zombies reinforcements instead of 2 
  • Very Strong Party:  4 Zombies reinforcements instead of 2 
   
  At the end of the combat, a few villagers approach out 
  of the rain, accompanying and supporting Bonewits. 
  Epilogue 
  “You’ve done it, I see,” he says, wincing at the attempt to 
  speak. “It’s not over, of course. What you see here is the very 
  fringe of the corruption. My samples and investigation lead me 
  to believe that there’s something, some outside force, 
  corrupting the ancient tree, and through it, the rest of the 
  forest.” 
   
  Among the group, Liam steps forward: “We’ll give you what 
  you need for the journey, and I’ll empty my pockets now for 
  what you’ve done for the town. I can’t reward you with much 
  more than that. If you…no, when you return, we’ll be here to 
  support you further.” 
   
  Liam then hands you a sum of 250gp. Bonewits hands you a 
  leather-bound journal: His notes, he explains. Hopefully, you 
  can find them useful on your journey to the tree. Finally, he is 
  carrying a small animal, and hands it over. “Furrball,” he 
  explains. “He died, of course, but is relatively friendly. My 
  sense is that he’s connected to the corruption in some way. 
  You may be able to take advantage of that connection.” 
   
  The rain doesn’t let up, and the townspeople fade into the 
  night, back to their homes. You wonder how much longer it’ll 
  be until another of their number is taken by the trees. It may 
  be a trick of your noses, but the smell of decay seems to have 
  gotten stronger. 
   
   
  
  Rewards 
  Make sure players note their rewards on their 
  adventure log sheets. Give your name and DCI 
  number (if applicable) so players can record who ran 
  the session. 
  Experience (Min/Max XP: 450/600 ea.) 
  Total up all combat experience earned for defeated 
  foes and divide by the number of characters present 
  in the combat.  
  Combat Awards 
  Name of Foe 
   
   
  XP Per Foe 
  Zombie  
   
   
  50 
  Skeleton  
   
   
  50 
  Wight 
   
   
   
  700 
  Young Roper 
   
   
  700 
   The minimum total award for each character 
  participating in this adventure is XXXX experience 
  points. 
   The maximum total award for each character 
  participating in this adventure is XXXX experience 
  points. 
  Treasure 
  The characters receive the following treasure, divided 
  up amongst the party. Treasure is divided as evenly 
  as possible. Gold piece values listed for sellable gear 
  are calculated at their selling price, not their purchase 
  price.  
  Treasure Awards 
  Item Name 
   
   
  GP Value 
  Liam’s Purse 
   
   
  250 
  Story Awards 
  During the course of this adventure, the characters 
  may earn the following story award: 
   Furrball the Skeleton Kitty Cat. Furrball is a non-
  combat familiar. He qualifies as undead, but when 
  threatened has an additional ability that allows him 
  to enter the Ethereal Plane. This ability also allows 
  him to be annoyingly underfoot. He demands food, 
  even though he doesn’t eat, and demands pets and 
  scratches behind his ears, even though he has no skin. 
  Furrball is intended for flavor only and provides no 
  advantages as a regular Wizard or Warlock familiar. 
  Renown 
  Each character receives one renown at the end of 
  this adventure. 
   Members of Emerald Enclave that send back 
  information on the undead in the village and the 
  attacks from the trees earn one additional renown 
  point. 
    
  DM Reward 
  In exchange for running this adventure, you earn DM 
  Rewards as described in the D&D Adventurers League 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide (ALDMG). 
   
   
  
  Appendix A: Monsters 
  Zombie 
  Medium Undead, neutral evil 
  Armor Class: 8 
  Hit Points: 22 
  Speed: 20ft. 
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  13 (+1) 
  6 (-2) 
  16 (+3) 
  3 (-4) 
  6 (-2) 
  5 (-3) 
   
  Saving Throws: Wis +0 
  Damage Immunities: poison 
  Condition Immunities: poisoned 
  Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 8 
  Languages: understand the languages it knew in life but 
  can’t speak. 
  Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP) 
   
  Undead Fortitude: If damage reduces the zombie to 0 
  hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw 
  with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is 
  radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the zombie 
  drops to 1 hit point instead. 
  Actions 
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5ft., one 
  creature. Hit: 4 (1d6+1) bludgeoning damage. 
   
  Skeleton 
  Medium Undead, lawful evil 
  Armor Class: 13 
  Hit Points: 13 
  Speed: 30ft. 
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  10 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  15 (+2) 
  6 (-2) 
  8 (-1) 
  5 (-3) 
   
  Damage Vulnerabilities: bludgeoning 
  Damage Immunities: poison 
  Condition Immunities: exhausted, poisoned 
  Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 9 
  Languages: understand the languages it knew in life but 
  can’t speak. 
  Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP) 
  Actions 
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., 
  one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) slashing damage. 
   
  Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 
  80/320ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage. 
  Wight 
  Medium undead, neutral evil 
  Armor Class 14 (studded leather) 
  Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   15 (+2) 
  14 (+2) 
  16 (+3) 
  10 (+0) 
  13 (+1) 
  15 (+2) 
   
  Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4 
  Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, 
  and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t 
  silvered 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 
  Languages the languages it knew in life 
  Challenge 3 (700 XP) 
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wight has 
  disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on sight. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The wight makes two longsword attacks or 
  two longbow attacks. It can use its Life Drain in place of 
  one longsword attack. 
  Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) necrotic damage. The 
  target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving 
  throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount 
  equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the 
  target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect 
  reduces its hit point maximum to 0. 
   A humanoid slain by this attack rises 24 hours later as 
  a zombie under the wight’s control, unless the 
  humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed. The 
  wight can have no more than twelve zombies under its 
  control at one time. 
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage, or 7 (1d10 
  + 2) slashing damage if used with two hands. 
  Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 
  150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage. 
   
   
   
   
  
  Young Roper (Roper) 
  Large Monstrosity, neutral evil 
  Armor Class: 15 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points: 50 
  Speed: 10ft., climb 10ft. 
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  16 (+3) 
  8 (-1) 
  17 (+3) 
  7 (-2) 
  16 (+3) 
  6 (-2) 
   
  Skills: Perception +6, Stealth +5 
  Senses: darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 16 
  Languages: --- 
  Challenge: 3 (700 XP) 
   
  False Appearance. While the roper remains motionless, 
  it is indistinguishable from a normal cave formation, 
  such as a stalagmite. 
   
  Grasping Tendrils. The roper can have up to six tendrils 
  at a time. Each tendril can be attacked (AC 15; 10 hit 
  points; immunity to poison and psychic damage). 
  Destroying a tendril deals no damage to the roper, 
  which can extrude a replacement tendril on its next 
  turn. A tendril can also be broken if a creature takes an 
  action and succeeds on a DC 12 Strength check against 
  it.  
   
  Spider Climb. The roper can climb difficult surfaces, 
  including upside down on ceilings, without needing to 
  make an ability check. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The roper makes two attacks with its 
  tendrils, uses Reel, and makes one attack with its bite. 
   
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one 
  target. Hit: 10 (2d8+2) piercing damage. 
   
  Tendril. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 50 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: The target is grappled (escape DC 12). 
  Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained and has 
  disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving 
  throws, and the roper can't use the same tendril on 
  another target. 
   
  Reel. The roper pulls each creature grappled by it up to 
  25 feet straight toward it. 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/Adventure League/Convention Created Content/Gary Con (GARY)/CCC-GARY-04 - The Darkness of the Mountains.pdf