TEXT: 1
  
  2
  Credits
  Narrative Design: Blue Maelstrom, Kevin 
  Bryan, Oliver Clegg, Vlad “Noa” Giulvezan
  Cover Art: Charlie Furtive
  Original Interior Art: Charlie Furtive, 
  Julia Elam, Madeline Courtney, Missy Weir. 
  Cartography: Ignacio Santander-Alfonso
  Editing: Noah Grand
  Layout: Cat Evans, Alicia Furness
  Production: Alicia Furness & Cat Evans
  Team Leads: Liz Gist (Art), Alison Huang 
  (Community Management), R.P. Davis 
  (Editing), Cat Evans (Layout)
  Special Thanks: Global capitalism for giving 
  us such rich pickings. 
  Additional Interior Art: Adobe Stock, 
  Pixabay (used under CC0 licence) 
  All original material in this work is 
  copyright 2020 by its respective authors and 
  artists.
  ProduCers’ Notes
  After a brief spurt of hope that a global 
  crisis might actually change something and 
  foster the tiniest amount of compassion or 
  humanity amongst our ruling elites, it turns 
  out capitalism is back in full force. The UK 
  government isn’t even hiding the fact that 
  it values workers’ lives at slightly less 
  than the cost of a takeaway sandwich (no 
  really - “get back to work or the sandwich 
  shops will go out of business”).
  However, lest we forget: it’s not just 
  workers’ lives the rich fail to value, it’s 
  literally the entire planet. As I write this 
  California’s on fire and its prison labour 
  force can’t respond because they’ve all got 
  COVID. 
  Hope you’ve all paid your Antifa subs, 
  because there’s never been a better time to 
  #EatTheRich. 
  -- Cat Evans
  Look, if you’re familiar with my work, you 
  know that environmental themes pop up a lot. 
  So excuse me while I get on my soapbox. 
  Everyone talks about how in 2020 the world 
  is on fire, but it’s easy to forget that 
  the planet is actually burning. Climate 
  scientists have been warning us about the 
  effects of human-induced climate change 
  since at least the 1970s, but not enough of 
  us have been listening. 
  Obviously the link between capitalism 
  and the destruction of the planet is a 
  close one. Industrial pollution, factory 
  farming, the rise of the car, a culture of 
  disposability: all are major players in the 
  climate crisis we face. 
  We need to hold companies and corporations 
  accountable for the damage they do to the 
  planet. I am a major proponent of that. 
  But we also need to recognize our role in 
  the process. If we continue to consume, to 
  demand more things faster and cheaper, the 
  corporations aren’t going to change their 
  ways. 
  What D&D teaches me, and which you will find 
  in each of the adventures in this issue, 
  is that individual actions can and do make 
  a difference. Whether it’s getting out to 
  protest, buying second hand, choosing to 
  walk instead of drive, recycling, growing 
  your own food, buying local, or going 
  vegan...we can all find a way to help protect 
  the Earth. It’s the only one we’ve got. I 
  hope you’re inspired by the adventures in 
  these pages to find one new way you can make 
  a difference.
  -- Alicia Furness
  
  3
  table of CoNteNts
  What We eat 
  7
  aquatiC iNterveNtioN 
  19
  MoNey doesN’t GroW oN trees 35
  the beasts WithiN 
  45
  
  How To Use This Zine
  You can run all of the 
  adventures Eat the Rich 
  using only the 5e SRD. If 
  statistics aren’t shown in the 
  adventure, you can find them at 
  https://5thsrd.org/ 
  New creatures, items, and maps 
  are provided at the end of each 
  adventure.
  Now go forth and set the world 
  to rights.
  These adventures 
  contain READ OUT 
  TEXT (in orange 
  boxes) and 
  SIDEBARS (red 
  boxes), for the 
  DM’s info only 
  
  environment
  
  6
  Julia Elam
  
  7
  What We Eat
  Level 2
  Kevin Bryan
  Kevin Bryan makes video games and traditional RPGs in police-occupied 
  Seattle. While he has written plenty of homebrew and monsters, What We 
  Eat is his first published adventure. In designing games, Kevin tries 
  to provoke a range of responses, from wonder to dread to nostalgia. In 
  addition to working on new modules, Kevin is experimenting with the 
  intersections of traditional RPG design and VR/AR spaces. Kevin is unable 
  to get legally married without his wife losing health insurance.
  What We Eat focuses on survival and 
  escape from The Iron Jungle, a bleak 
  industrial complex.
  This dungeon is optimized for four 
  2nd level characters.
  Adventure Background
  Iron rations are a necessary 
  ingredient for every war and every 
  adventuring party. Able to survive 
  in hazardous conditions, easy to 
  transport and debatably nutritious, 
  iron rations are produced in mass at 
  the cheapest prices possible to keep 
  up with the continuing demand for 
  portable, durable satiety.
  The Iron Jungle industrial complex 
  is where iron rations are produced 
  the cheapest. Owned by the Goodseed 
  family, the Iron Jungle cuts every 
  corner, including concern for their 
  workers and the environment, in the 
  name of more efficient production. 
  People enter the Iron Jungle. Pre-
  processed meals leave.
  Adventure Summary
  Getting into the Iron Jungle is 
  easy, because the factory is in 
  constant need of workers. Smuggling 
  weapons into the Iron Jungle is far 
  more difficult. But the most difficult 
  task of all is getting out again. 
   
  The heroes must navigate the 
  complex and its system of rules 
  and punishments to not only find 
  those they seek, but then get them 
  out alive. The heroes will have to 
  either outwit the underworld or 
  inspire the Iron Jungle workers to 
  violent action to improve their 
  chances of escape... or to destroy 
  the jungle for good.
  
  8
  Hooks
  The trail of a wanted fugitive leads 
  directly to the Iron Jungle. The 
  Goodseed family denies any knowledge 
  of the criminal and have resisted 
  any efforts to remove them thus far.
  A missing child has found their 
  way into the Iron Jungle. The 
  Iron Jungle insists that this is 
  impossible as all workers have 
  signed sworn statements stating 
  themselves to be adults of sound 
  mind. 
  What We eat
  Part 1: busiNess as 
  usual
  Getting into the Iron Jungle is 
  easy. Surviving it is much more 
  difficult.
  Entering the Jungle
  There are two main ways to enter the 
  Iron Jungle: hiring on as a worker, 
  or getting smuggled in.
  A gang known as the Spider is able 
  to smuggle people into the Iron 
  Jungle. The Spider can be discovered 
  either through the use of Thieves’ 
  Cant, the Criminal background, or 
  through making a DC 15 Intelligence 
  (Investigation) check. The Spider 
  charges 5 gp per individual wanting 
  to enter the Iron Jungle, gets them 
  into the complex, and provides them 
  with new worker identification. 
  Heroes can hire on as new workers 
  and get a signing bonus of 5 gp. 
  They must claim to be adults with 
  no criminal history, though the 
  clerks don’t care if the characters 
  are criminals. Upon entry, martial 
  weapons are confiscated and held 
  in storage in the gate house. The 
  clerks can be bribed; they are 
  willing to allow martial weapons in 
  for 10 gp, or 5 gp on a successful 
  DC 10 Charisma (Diplomacy or 
  Persuasion) check. All new workers 
  are provided with new worker 
  identification and a bunk assignment.
  
  9
  The Daily Grind
  Whether or not they were smuggled 
  in, workers are expected to work in 
  the daily grind of the Iron Jungle. 
  When the heroes first arrive, they 
  are assigned to a work crew under 
  the authority of Freddy Goodseed (NE 
  halfling cult fanatic). The young 
  spellcaster likes to break the will 
  of new workers by assigning them a 
  series of arduous tasks.
  Recovery
  After working for twelve hours, the 
  heroes have a chance to recover. 
  They are assigned to uncomfortable 
  bunks in the worker barracks. The 
  barracks is close enough to the 
  slaughterhouse that there is a 
  constant foul smell and screams 
  all hours of the night. Resting 
  is difficult; in order to gain the 
  benefits of a long rest, a character 
  must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution 
  saving throw.
  Debt
  Workers earn 3 sp a day, which is 
  tracked and held by the company 
  store. Each day, a worker is 
  charged 1 sp for their lodgings and 
  1 sp for food and water. If they 
  oversleep their bunk shift, their 
  lodgings cost is doubled for the 
  day. Overseers issue fines for poor 
  performance and sabotage, and if the 
  overseers can’t find the individuals 
  responsible for an infraction, they 
  fine the entire crew instead.
  Notoriety
  As the heroes resist the rules and 
  orders of the Iron Jungle they 
  gain Notoriety, which encompasses 
  both the negative attention of the 
  overseers and how thoroughly they 
  inspire their fellow workers. Most 
  groups start with 0 Notoriety, 
  however if they smuggled in martial 
  weapons they start with 1 Notoriety 
  instead.
  The Spiders
  The Spiders are an organization of 
  smugglers and thugs operating out of 
  the Jungle, who work in the shipping 
  department as their day jobs. 
  Getting a job in shipping is difficult 
  without the express approval of the 
  Spiders. The spiders are led by the 
  half-elf Sahansan, who is secretly 
  an aranea who finds the gang name 
  hilarious.
  What They Offer
  While the Spiders are unwilling to 
  smuggle anyone out, they are able to 
  get supplies in. They sell mundane 
  equipment, drugs, and alchemical 
  items at double the list price. They 
  sell martial weapons at three times 
  the list price. 
   
  They also offer a single quiet room 
  that, for 2 gp a night, can provide 
  a group with the space where they 
  can take a long rest without any 
  penalties or checks required.
  Their Treachery
  The Spiders are secretly in league 
  with the Goodseeds. The Goodseeds 
  allow them to operate without 
  interference, but in return, the 
  Spiders alert the Goodseeds of any 
  potential problems.  In addition, 
  the Spiders perform the occasional 
  crime for the Goodseeds. The Spiders 
  alert the Goodseeds to any groups 
  smuggled in, as well as the purchase 
  of any martial weapon.
  
  10
  Part 2: JuNGle 
  eNCouNters
  F
  reddy Goodseed saves the worst 
  work assignments for the newest 
  laborers, hoping to break down 
  any will they have to resist. Pick 
  one of the following assignments 
  each day for the heroes:
  Black Pudding Vats
  Cramped stonework that requires the 
  tallest to stoop over is painted 
  black from smoke and grease. The 
  room is filled with massive bubbling 
  vats, with oil slicked boards 
  providing the only safe passage 
  between them.
  The meat, blood and viscera that 
  can’t be dried and salted is poured 
  out into the black pudding vats, 
  where it is slowly boiled while 
  being mixed with oats, grains, and 
  sawdust.  The vats are large enough 
  to fully immerse a human, walkways 
  are greasy and precarious, and the 
  heat and steam is constant.
  During a full shift on the Black 
  Pudding Vats, each worker must make 
  a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw 
  to avoid getting splashed by the 
  boiling viscera. On a failure, a 
  worker takes 2 (1d4) fire damage. 
  On a natural 1, the worker instead 
  falls into one of the vats, taking 3 
  (1d6) fire damage. Escaping the vats 
  requires a DC 15 Strength (Athletics 
  check). On a failure, the worker 
  takes an additional 3 (1d6) fire 
  damage. 
  If inspecting the contents of the 
  viscera, a worker should make a 
  single Wisdom (Perception) check 
  over the course of their shift. The 
  information revealed depends on the 
  check result, and all results are 
  cumulative:
  What’s In the Viscera?
  Check 
  Result
  Information
  DC 10
  The worker spots bone 
  fragments and shards 
  being added to the 
  mixture
  DC 15
  The worker identifies some 
  of the bones as humanoid 
  in origin
  DC 20
  The worker skims tooth 
  fillings and jewelry made 
  of semi-precious metals 
  worth 2d6 GP from the 
  muck
  If a worker raises an alarm about 
  the bones, or the tooth fillings, or 
  tells some of the other workers on 
  their shift about it, the group’s 
  Notoriety increases by 2.
  Baking Tombs
  The baking tombs resemble a stone 
  mausoleum, with nearly every surface 
  caked with soot, sawdust, and flour. 
  The only relief from the heat comes 
  from troughs of water piped in from 
  outside wells.
  The Baking Tombs are a massive 
  series of bakeries across the 
  Iron Jungle, focused on the mass 
  production of hard, long-lasting 
  biscuits. The biscuits are twice 
  baked, first in a conventional oven, 
  and then again in a second oven to 
  dry them out to make them longer 
  lasting. Wheat and other grains are 
  used as the primary base, though 
  they are often mixed with sawdust 
  and other fillers before being shaped 
  into dough.
  While the Baking Tombs are not as 
  directly hazardous as some of the 
  other work assignments, the heat is 
  constant. Workers can try and fight 
  against the heat by stealing some 
  of the water intended for making 
  dough, and either drink it or coat 
  
  11
  their skin with it. The overseers 
  disapprove of this sort of theft, 
  and have a passive Perception of 
  12. Getting caught by the overseers 
  attracts their retribution (see 
  Overseers’ Retribution).
  Workers who don’t cool themselves 
  down with water suffer a lesser form 
  of Extreme Heat and must make a DC 
  10 Constitution check or gain a 
  level of exhaustion. Workers who 
  slow down by gaining 2 or more 
  levels of exhaustion are fined 3 gp 
  per shift for their laziness.
  Slaughterhouse
  The Slaughterhouse is a haphazard 
  affair, the cobblestones slick with 
  blood that refuses to drain. Bladed 
  implements are scattered throughout 
  the room.
  The slaughterhouse is the most 
  dangerous of assignments. All 
  workers are equipped with a variety 
  of tools that could be used as 
  comparable martial weapons. They 
  are expected to quickly kill 
  and butcher the confused and 
  frightened animals brought 
  into the slaughterhouse. 
   
  While most animals are 
  docile or terrified 
  enough to 
  be killed 
  quickly, the 
  occasional one 
  manages to resist. 
   
  Once per shift, roll on 
  the table to determine the 
  resisting animal:
  Angry Animals
  d6
  Result
  1
  Mule
  2
  Elk
  3
  Giant Rat
  4
  Boar
  5
  Draft Horse
  6
  Warhorse
  All animals act as if affected by 
  the confusion spell.
  During the chaos, characters can 
  attempt to hide a butchering tool on 
  their person by making a Dexterity 
  (Sleight of Hand) check against a 
  passive Perception of 11. Getting 
  caught by the overseers attracts 
  their retribution (see Overseers’ 
  Retribution). If a worker is 
  rendered unconscious the overseers 
  intervene and kill the animal. The 
  unconscious worker is then fined 5 gp 
  for negligence.
  
  12
  Score
  Consequence
  3 or 
  below
  Minor inconveniences.
  4
  The heroes’ meals are burnt, oversalted and generally inedible. If 
  they do not buy or find alternative rations, they go without food for 
  the day.
  5
  5 The heroes are fined 6 gold each by the company store. If this 
  takes them into debt, they begin to owe interest.
  6
  6 One of the heroes is selected by an overseer to receive corporal 
  discipline for a crime (real or imagined). They are expected to 
  endure 1d6+1 damage without resisting. The group gains +1 Notoriety.
  7
  7 The heroes meals are poisoned with viscera from the black pudding 
  vats. Anyone consuming the food must make a DC 11 Constitution 
  saving throw or become infected with Sewer Plague.
  8
  8 One of the heroes bunk mates is framed for a crime the heroes 
  committed. If the heroes do not aid them the heroes lose 2 
  Notoriety.  The punishment is particularly severe and the condemned 
  take 2d6+2 damage. If the heroes intervene and either take the 
  punishment or save the innocent, they gain 1 Notoriety.
  9
  9 The Spider Strikes: When waking up in the morning, the heroes 
  discover an agent of the Spider, described on page (XX). This event 
  only occurs once.
  10
  10 The heroes are assigned to the pudding vats and the overseers 
  are instructed to make an example of the heroes. Overseers try and 
  encourage the heroes to have an accident in the vats. The Dexterity 
  Saving Throw difficulty is increased to 12, and any failure causes a 
  hero to fall fully into the vat.
  11
  11 Fire in the Barracks. While they are sleeping, agents of The 
  Spider attempt to burn down the worker barracks that the heroes are 
  assigned to, as described on page 37. This event only occurs once.
  The Overseers Retribution
  O
  verseers usually work in teams of 
  two (half-orc or halfling guards). 
  Overseers are armed with clubs, 
  torches, and a bell, which they 
  usually keep in a bag. 
   
  Whenever an Overseer sees an act 
  that they disapprove of, they issue 
  a beating, delivering 1d6+1 points 
  of damage. When issuing a routine 
  beating they never try to kill, 
  instead leaving a worker unconcious 
  to put back to work later. Should 
  the worker resist, they use 
  additional force, and even risk 
  killing the worker. Being witnessed 
  resisting a beating increases the 
  group’s Notoriety by 2. 
   
  Should one of the Overseers fall, 
  or if both Overseers in a team is 
  reduced to less than half their hit 
  point maximum, they Disengage and 
  draw their bell, and on their next 
  turn ring the bell for backup. 
  Brute Squads
  Should an Overseer ring their bell 
  for backup, a brute squad arrives in 
  3d6 rounds. 
   
  A brute squad consists of 2 thugs 
  and 1 scout. Brutes are commonly 
  humans, half-elves, and half-orcs. 
  Notoriety Consequences Table
  
  13
  Unlike the Overseers, the Brutes 
  arrive ready to kill, and make no 
  distinction between their primary 
  targets and workers who get stuck in 
  the crossfire.
  Notoriety
  As the heroes labor in the Iron 
  Jungle, they gain Notoriety for 
  their actions. The more Notoriety 
  they gain, the more likely they are 
  to suffer the abuses of both the 
  Goodseeds and the Spiders. Notoriety 
  can also serve to inspire their 
  fellow workers, however, and (should 
  the heroes survive) show that 
  management can be actively defied.
  • 
  After reaching 5 Notoriety the 
  heroes can start to make Charisma 
  (Persuasion) checks to influence and 
  inspire otherwise terrified workers.
  • 
  After reaching 8 Notoriety the 
  heroes inspire aid and sabotage 
  without having to make Charisma 
  checks or even asking.
  • 
  If the heroes fail to assist 
  their fellow workers who are in 
  peril, their Notoriety falls.
  Notoriety is not without its costs, 
  however. Every morning, the heroes 
  are beset by one of the following 
  consequences. A minimum Notoriety is 
  suggested for each consequence.
  The Spider Strikes
  W
  hen the heroes first arrived 
  into the Iron Jungle, either 
  the front gate clerks or the 
  Spiders made note of any spellbooks, 
  spell component pouches, or holy 
  symbols the heroes brought in. This 
  information was carefully recorded 
  and filed away should it become 
  useful later. 
   
  Now Velkaros, agent of the Spiders 
  (NE human spy) is being sent to 
  collect on that information.
   
  If undetected, Velkaros sneaks 
  in and begins rifling through the 
  group’s belongings, grabbing the 
  first spellbook or holy symbol he can 
  find. At that point he is spotted by 
  one of the heroes’ bunkmates. 
   
  Once the party is alerted, 
  Velkaros’s objective is to flee. 
   
  If subdued, Velkaros admits that he 
  was sent by Sahansan himself, as a 
  favor for the Goodseeds. Velkaros 
  doesn’t know how long Sahansan has 
  been working with the Goodseeds, but 
  does know that Sahansan isn’t as 
  human as he first appears. 
   
  In addition to his listed equipment, 
  Velkaros carries a set of thieves’ 
  tools.
  Fire in the Barracks
  Two Agents of the Spider (high elf 
  spy) sneak up to the worker barracks 
  from the outside.  The Agents bar 
  the door and then retreat twenty 
  feet. There, they and two members of 
  a Brute Squad (half-orc thug) throw 
  vials of alchemist’s fire at the 
  barracks.
  If the heroes aren’t keeping watch, 
  roll initiative when the first vial 
  of alchemist’s fire lands. Otherwise, 
  initiative is triggered when the 
  heroes discover the Agents. 
  
  14
   
  The door wasn’t made to be barred 
  from the outside and can be forced 
  open with a successful DC 15 
  Strength check. Up to two characters 
  can work together in the check. 
  Additionally, creatures inside 
  the barracks can escape through a 
  window. Medium and larger creatures 
  escape on a successful DC 10 
  Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity 
  (Acrobatics) check. On a failure, a 
  creature escapes but takes 2 (1d4) 
  slashing damage from the broken 
  window. Small or smaller creatures 
  automatically succeed on the check. 
   
  After three rounds, the barracks is 
  fully alight. Creatures still in the 
  building take 2 (1d4) fire damage at 
  the start of each of their turns 
  until they escape.  After three 
  rounds the fire damage increases to 5 
  (2d4). 
   
  The Brutes move in to intercept and 
  attack any creatures fleeing through 
  the door or windows, wanting to make 
  sure to silence all witnesses. The 
  Agents move in to assist the Brutes 
  after the barracks has caught on 
  fire.
  In addition to the heroes, there are 
  six other workers (all commoners) 
  asleep in the barracks when the 
  attack takes place. The heroes 
  gain 1 Notoriety for each worker 
  who survives the fire. In addition 
  to their standard equipment, the 
  Brutes and Agents carry 5 vials of 
  alchemist’s fire each.
  
  15
  Part 3: reCovery
  T
  he heroes have arrived in the 
  Iron Jungle searching for an 
  escaped fugitive, a lost child, 
  or both. Getting information on 
  their quarry is more difficult than 
  initially expected. The heroes have 
  to do an investigation of their own 
  as well as earning the trust of 
  their fellow workers to find out the 
  truth.
  Asking the Workers
  E
  ach shift the heroes can ask 
  their fellow workers if they 
  have seen either of the two 
  individuals, or where missing 
  workers might have gone. Unless 
  the heroes have amassed at least 3 
  Notoriety, workers are reluctant 
  to speak with them, thinking them 
  potential spies and informers for 
  the Goodseeds. 
  If the heroes have at least 1 
  Notoriety, a DC 10 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check reveals that the 
  fugitive was seen being escorted to 
  the individual labor camp and has 
  not been seen since. Additionally, 
  the child was seen in the individual 
  labor camp as one of the new guards 
  posted on the walls.
  Investigating the Jungle
  W
  orkers are not watched while 
  off shift, so it’s easy 
  to sneak out of the worker 
  barracks to try and observe the rest 
  of the complex. However, avoiding 
  guard patrols can be risky. If 
  scouting instead of sleeping, a hero 
  can attempt a DC 12 Intelligence 
  (Investigation) check to explore and 
  learn more about the compound.  Each 
  subsequent successful check gains an 
  additional piece of information.
  • 
  The Iron Jungle is divided into 
  multiple sections, with a worker 
  barracks next to each major work 
  area. The slaughterhouse barracks, 
  where the heroes are assigned, is 
  the least desirable barracks.
  • 
  The back overseer barracks 
  conceals a door that leads to a 
  second, restricted section of the 
  compound.
  • 
  The restricted compound is 
  where the more troublesome and 
  expendable workers are sent. It is 
  run by Otis’s daughter Adelaide, who 
  is feared for her cruelty.
  • 
  Entering the restricted section 
  requires either a key (carried by 
  one of the Goodseeds), a member of 
  a Brute Squad, breaking in with 
  thieves’ tools, or climbing over the 
  wall and bypassing the razor wire.
  Failing an Intelligence 
  (Investigation) check by 5 or more 
  leads to the heroes being caught 
  by a patrol of Overseers. The first 
  time this happens, the Overseers 
  are content with inflicting a light 
  beating to one of the heroes for 
  3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage. This 
  increases their Notoriety by 1. On 
  subsequent discovery, the Overseers 
  become increasingly violent, and the 
  damage increases by 1d6.
  The Restricted Section
  High walls crowned in razor wire 
  do little to hide the smell of rot 
  and the cries of agony from the 
  restricted section, a recurring 
  promise to all those who defy the 
  Goodseeds.
  Walls. The walls of the restricted 
  section are 15 feet high and 
  require a successful DC 15 Strength 
  (Athletics) check to climb. The 
  DC is reduced to 5 if the heroes 
  are using rope or climbing gear to 
  cross. The walls are topped with 
  razor wire, which if not cut with 
  proper tools, requires a DC 10 
  Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to 
  
  16
  cross; on a failure, a character 
  takes 2 (1d4) slashing damage.
  Front Door. The front door is 
  locked with a basic lock, which can 
  be picked with a successful DC 10 
  Dexterity check made with thieves’ 
  tools. All Brute Squad members and 
  every Goodseed carries a key which 
  opens the lock.
  After the heroes get inside the 
  restricted section, security becomes 
  more lax. Two Overseers patrol the 
  entire area every 10 minutes, but in 
  this part of the complex they don’t 
  bother carrying bells. Should the 
  alarm be raised, however, a Brute 
  Squad reaches the source of conflict 
  within 6 rounds. 
   
  The Restricted section is made up of 
  three main areas:
  The Cells. Prisoners are held in the 
  cells for weeks or months at a time, 
  often given back-breaking repetitive 
  tasks to perform lest they face 
  greater punishment. All cell doors 
  have basic locks, requiring a 
  successful DC 10 Dexterity check 
  made with thieves’ tools to open. 
  All guards in this section carry 
  a complete set of cell keys.  The 
  fugitive the heroes seek is held 
  in one of the cells, along with 
  12 other tortured and emaciated 
  prisoners.
  Adelaide’s Barracks. The 
  headquarters of Adelaide Goodseed 
  and her specially chosen guards and 
  enforcers. Adelaide is currently 
  training the child the heroes seek 
  as one of her new enforcers.
  Adelaide (CE halfling bandit captain) 
  is assisted by her two trainees, 
  Ukotar (NE half-orc bandit) and the 
  child (NE human commoner). Adelaide 
  immediately attacks any individuals 
  she doesn’t know personally and 
  urges her trainees to assist her.  
  If reminded of their family, or 
  convinced with a DC 15 Charisma 
  (Intimidate or Diplomacy) check, the 
  child backs down from the fight.
  The Abattoir. Workers and prisoners 
  who have outlived their usefulness 
  are taken here, where they’re 
  killed, butchered, and broken down 
  into viscera that is later delivered 
  to the Black Pudding Vats for 
  disposal. The Abattoir is currently 
  haunted by the ghost of one of the 
  recently deceased workers. The 
  guards have learned to avoid the 
  area for now.
  Upon entering the Abattoir, the 
  ghost (treat as a specter) attacks 
  the party unless they have an 
  Notoriety score of 6 or higher. If 
  their Notoriety is 10 or higher, 
  the ghost instead follows them, 
  aiding them in combat against the 
  Goodseeds, the Spiders, and their 
  agents.
  
  17
  Part 4: esCaPe & 
  CoNClusioN
  G
  etting out of the Iron Jungle 
  is difficult. The Spiders only 
  smuggle people in; they don’t 
  smuggle anyone out. If the heroes 
  try to simply leave, they quickly 
  find that they are deeper in debt 
  to the company store than they 
  expected.
  Digging Out
  T
  he heroes can attempt to dig 
  a passage out of the complex. 
  This requires them laboring 
  instead of sleeping, requiring them 
  to make a DC 10 Constitution check 
  each night they go without sleep. 
  On a failure, a hero gains a level 
  of exhaustion. They can request 
  assistance for their digging project 
  if they have a Notoriety score of 5 
  or higher. Digging out requires 20 
  nights of individual labor.
  Fighting Out
  T
  he heroes can attempt to 
  fight their way out. If going 
  through the main gates they 
  fight Goodseed Overseers who call 
  for the Brute Squad as backup. If 
  going through the loading docks, 
  the heroes face both Overseers and 
  Spiders. 
   
  Causing distractions first can make 
  the escape easier, as it causes the 
  Spiders and Goodseeds to spread 
  their forces thinly. The heroes 
  can recruit others to help cause 
  the distractions if they have a 
  Notoriety of 5 or higher, or cause 
  the distractions themselves.
  Rebellion
  I
  f the heroes have a Notoriety 
  score of 8 or higher they can 
  attempt to incite other workers 
  to rebel and take direct action 
  against the Goodseeds, both in 
  direct sabotage of the Iron Jungle 
  operations and in direct attacks on 
  the Overseers. This incitement can 
  take place in roleplay or through a 
  DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) check. 
  The DC of this check is reduced by 
  2 for each point of Notoriety the 
  heroes have in excess of 8.
  Getting Revenge
  i
  f escaping through Digging Out or 
  Fighting Out, arrange things so 
  that Freddy Goodseed (NE halfling 
  cult fanatic) catches the Heroes 
  in the act and tries to stop them, 
  giving the heroes a chance to get 
  revenge on Freddy for all the petty 
  indignities they’ve suffered over 
  the past few weeks.
  If escaping through Rebellion, have 
  Otis Goodseed (LE halfling noble) 
  himself show up with a Brute Squad 
  to try and crush the rebellion. 
  If Otis himself is killed, the 
  Iron Jungle operation collapses, 
  lacking Otis’s unique combination of 
  viciousness and planning.
  
  18
  Madeline Courtney
  
  19
  Aquatic 
  Intervention
  Level 3
  Blue Maelstrom
  Blue is an RPG writer, software engineer, and Twitch variety streamer 
  with a love for tabletop in all its forms. A longtime player and DM, 
  Blue debuts as a 5e adventure writer in this zine, with “Aquatic 
  Intervention,” an exploration of capitalism’s use of foreign 
  interventionism and that ideology’s negative effect on both indigenous 
  populations and the environment. Blue also has writing credits on several 
  indie RPGs, such as Come With A Price: A Witchcraft RPG. You can get in 
  touch or follow Blue’s work at @silbmaerto on Twitter.
  A wealthy bard recruits a group 
  of adventurers to dive down to an 
  aquatic elf village and aid the 
  elves in their struggle against a 
  powerful sahuagin tribe. There, they 
  discover that the most deadly threat 
  to the village comes not from below, 
  but from above.
  This adventure is designed for three 
  to five 2nd-4th level characters, and 
  is optimized for four characters 
  with an average party level (APL) of 
  3.
  adveNture baCkGrouNd
  T
  he rivalry between sahuagin 
  and aquatic elves is as 
  old as recorded history. 
  Countless battles have been fought 
  between the two species, driven 
  by territoriality and the eternal 
  enmity between their respective 
  gods: The Nightmare Shark and The 
  Dolphin King. 
  Every corner of the ocean bears the 
  scars of this perpetual war, and 
  Petrieth’s Bay is no exception. 
  Situated far from any major ports 
  and surrounded by sharp cliffs, the 
  bay does not appear particularly 
  noteworthy to the eyes of surface 
  dwellers. Just under the surface 
  though, there lies a priceless 
  treasure. A huge coral reef lines 
  this bay, decorating the sea floor 
  with legions of diverse marine 
  creatures and plants. The reef is 
  breathtaking to behold, but what 
  makes it truly special is the coral 
  itself. Each vibrant red polyp of 
  coral glows faintly with magical 
  energy, hinting at the extraordinary 
  healing properties that lie within. 
  The coral’s magic instantly heals 
  a huge variety of injuries, from 
  mundane wounds to poisoning to even 
  blindness. 
  When the elves and sahuagin first 
  reached this bay, each species 
  
  20
  picked a spot where the coral was 
  particularly sturdy, built a village 
  atop it, and raised their armies 
  to purge the other from the reef. 
  The more they fought, however, the 
  more they were forced to rely on the 
  coral to heal their wounded. The 
  more they harvested the coral, the 
  weaker the reef became. Realizing 
  that their war would destroy both 
  their homes, the two sides agreed 
  to a ceasefire. Despite their mutual 
  hatred, they tolerated each other’s 
  presence for the sake of the reef.
  This was the state of Petrieth’s 
  Bay for over two centuries, 
  until Eristho Generee arrived. 
  An entrepreneur of some fame and 
  wealth, Eristho covertly rekindled 
  the longstanding war, promising 
  his aid to both species. Neither 
  side suspects the man’s true goal: 
  Eristho plans to claim and harvest 
  the entire reef himself. The stage 
  is set for the final conflict between 
  the elves and the sahuagin, and a 
  group of would-be heroes unknowingly 
  heads directly towards it.
  adveNture suMMary
  T
  he adventurers travel to 
  Petrieth’s Bay to meet 
  Eristho, who hires them as 
  mercenaries on behalf of the elves 
  of Y’Petrieth.
  Traveling to Y’Petrieth, the 
  characters meet the village elder, 
  Sariel, who gives the adventurers 
  a mission to raid a sahuagin scout 
  camp. One of Sariel’s advisors, 
  Malayna, asks the party to capture 
  and question the scouts, while 
  another encourages them to leave 
  none alive. Regardless of their 
  approach, the adventurers attack the 
  camp and defeat the scouts.
  Upon returning, the adventurers 
  learn that the sahuagin have 
  kidnapped Malayna from Y’Petrieth. 
  The adventurers infiltrate the 
  sahuagin village and discover that 
  not only is Malayna a vehuagin spy, 
  but also that Eristho has been 
  manipulating both villages into 
  fighting each other. The sahuagin 
  chieftess asks the adventurers to 
  help defeat the elves, while Malayna 
  requests that the adventurers 
  confront Eristho while she stops the 
  fighting between the two species.
  The adventurers can support one 
  village over another or confront 
  Eristho. Their choice determines the 
  fate of the villages and the reef. 
  What are vehuaGiN?
  A vehuagin is a mutated sahuagin 
  born with the appearance of an 
  aquatic elf. They often infiltrate 
  aquatic elf communities, acting as 
  spies and saboteurs for invading 
  sahuagin tribes.
  hooks
  • 
  A local job listing calls for 
  brave adventurers to assist in 
  saving an aquatic elf village from 
  sahuagin raids.
  • 
  Hearing of the adventurers’ 
  exploits, Eristho sends his right 
  hand woman, Lena, to personally 
  recruit the adventurers, requesting 
  their aid in exchange for a generous 
  gold reward.
  • 
  One of the adventurers has a 
  relationship (familial or otherwise) 
  with an aquatic elf villager, who 
  asks that they take Eristho’s job 
  opportunity.
  In each hook, the adventurers are 
  instructed to seek out a camp on the 
  shores of Petrieth’s Bay, where they 
  meet their employer.
  
  21
  aquatiC iNterveNtioN
  Part 1: dive riGht iN
  T
  he adventurers travel towards 
  the coastline, eventually 
  reaching Petrieth’s Bay. From 
  atop the neighboring cliffs, they 
  view the long beach that surrounds 
  the bay as their nostrils fill with 
  briny air. A particularly perceptive 
  person might notice a faint reddish 
  glow in the more shallow waters, but 
  to most the bay appears fairly calm 
  and ordinary. On the shore below, 
  a small yet ornate encampment is 
  visible. The flag flying above the 
  camp depicts a golden tree bearing 
  crimson apples, the insignia of 
  Eristho Generee (Appendix A). 
  Eristho’s Camp
  i
  f the adventurers approach 
  Eristho’s camp, they are met by 
  two guards dressed in matching 
  high-quality chain shirts. The 
  guards lead them into the large 
  tent that dominates the center of 
  the encampment. Pushing aside the 
  silk tent flaps, they see a youthful, 
  attractive, half-elf man reclining 
  on a crimson divan. The half-
  elf quickly rises to his feet and 
  greets them with a warm smile as 
  he vigorously shakes each of their 
  hands:
  “Ah, you must be the mercenaries 
  I requested! I cannot thank you 
  enough, you have arrived just in 
  time! There is much work to be done, 
  and we must get started immediately. 
  Oh, but where are my manners? I 
  am Eristho Generee. You may have 
  heard of some of my philanthropic 
  initiatives, or perhaps one of my 
  operas?”
  A tall, lean, and stoic woman with 
  raven-black hair stands next to the 
  divan, her armored hand resting on 
  the hilt of a sword at her belt. 
  Eristho introduces her as Lena Onara 
  (LE human bandit captain, she/her), 
  his right hand woman.
  After introductions, Eristho 
  selectively explains the situation 
  to inspire characters to take his 
  offer: 
  • 
  For centuries, the villagers 
  of Y’Petrieth have had a tenuous 
  ceasefire with their sahuagin 
  neighbors. 
  • 
  That all changed a month ago, 
  when the sahuagin launched a brutal 
  surprise raid on the village, 
  somehow evading the elves’ best 
  scouts and decimating the elven 
  army. 
  • 
  The village only survived 
  because the village’s religious 
  leader, Agnaliann, struck down the 
  sahuagin chieftain, throwing the 
  sahuagin forces into chaos. 
  • 
  Although the sahuagin retreated 
  to lick their wounds, the elves 
  expect another attack within weeks. 
  • 
  With so many warriors dead, 
  they expect to be overwhelmed. 
  • 
  Eristho, hearing of the elves’ 
  plight, offered his philanthropic 
  services, promising to hire 
  experienced mercenaries to assist 
  them. 
  Eristho offers the adventurers 200 
  gp to assist the elves in defeating 
  the sahuagin. A successful DC 
  13 Charisma (Persuasion) check 
  convinces him to add an additional 
  50 gp.
  Eristho hides several facts: 
  • 
  He had been aware of the two 
  villages’ existences for several 
  months before the raid
  • 
  Lena, under his orders, met 
  with the sahuagin chieftain and 
  convinced him to undertake the raid 
  in the first place
  • 
  He magically confounded the 
  
  22
  elven sentries so the sahuagin could 
  sneak past them
  Eristho has been intentionally 
  pushing both villages towards open 
  warfare in order to weaken them. 
  His true goal is to wipe out or 
  enslave both villages, allowing him 
  unrestricted access to the coral, 
  which he plans to wantonly harvest 
  and sell to the surface world.
  If the adventurers take the job, 
  Eristho produces his diver’s tome 
  (Appendix B), offering to cast water 
  breathing on anybody who needs it. 
  Once preparations are complete, 
  Eristho leads the characters into 
  the water, towards Y’Petrieth. 
  Features of the Area
  Arms Vendor. Eristho uses one tent 
  as a shop, stocking weapons suited 
  for underwater combat. If the 
  characters cannot afford weapons, 
  Eristho offers to deduct their cost 
  from the characters’ reward. The 
  vendor sells daggers, javelins, 
  shortswords, spears, tridents, 
  darts, nets, crossbows, and crossbow 
  bolts. Remind players that attacks 
  with other weapons are made at 
  disadvantage underwater unless they 
  have a natural swimming speed.
  Part 2: heroes of the 
  day4
  0 feet below the surface, the 
  seafloor is host to a legion 
  of diverse marine creatures. 
  Cerulean sponges mingle with peach-
  colored crustaceans, and swarms of 
  pink planktivores dart around lazing 
  starfish. Most striking, however, are 
  the small colonies of vibrant red 
  coral, each giving off a faint glow. 
  After 30 minutes of travel, the 
  colonies become more frequent and 
  dense, until finally a huge mass 
  of coral stretches a mile across 
  and dozens of feet high. The coral 
  lights up the area around it like 
  a beacon. Atop the reef, carved 
  wooden walls and layered seaweed 
  decorations mark the presence of 
  small houses and other structures. 
  Large patches of the reef appear 
  inert, displaying few polyps and 
  lacking the red glow of the rest 
  of the structure. Green and blue 
  skinned elves swim among the 
  buildings, going about their day.
  Y’Petrieth Council Room
  E
  ristho leads the adventurers 
  past the village guards, 
  happily waving to villagers as 
  he passes by. They cheer and wave 
  back, clearly encouraged by his 
  presence. 
  Inside a three-story tower of carved 
  coral at the center of the reef is 
  a plainly decorated assembly room, 
  dominated by three massive stone 
  chairs that face the entrance. 
  Sariel Vadimion the village elder 
  sits in the largest of the three, 
  while his advisors, spiritual leader 
  Agnaliann Amaral and scholar Malayna 
  Liarenn, sit in the others.
  Sariel greets Eristho warmly and 
  introduces his council to the party. 
  He thanks the adventurers for their 
  aid and explains their first mission: 
  
  23
  • 
  A week ago, Y’Petrieth’s 
  sentries noticed the sahuagin had 
  set up a scout camp on the edge of 
  elf territory, which they believe is 
  a prelude to an invasion. 
  • 
  Suspecting a trap, the elves 
  have avoided risking their remaining 
  soldiers. 
  • 
  Sariel tasks the adventurers 
  with raiding the camp and 
  incapacitating the sahuagin before 
  they can flee or spring their trap.
  Malayna encourages the adventurers 
  to capture the sahuagin alive, 
  suggesting that, once disarmed and 
  bound, they might explain why and 
  how they attacked the elves. She 
  believes that if their reasons can 
  be understood, a lasting peace might 
  be established.
  Agnaliann belligerently interrupts 
  Malayna, mocking her. He warns the 
  party that keeping the sahuagin 
  alive puts them at risk of a 
  treacherous trap and bringing them 
  to the village would mock The 
  Dolphin King. 
  Eristho agrees that the sahuagin are 
  too dangerous to be kept alive, in 
  case they might escape or unleash 
  some trap. As an incentive, he offers 
  the adventurers a 10 gp bounty per 
  sahuagin head. A successful DC 16 
  Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that 
  Eristho is hiding his reasons for 
  wanting the sahuagin dead.
  Before the adventurers leave, 
  Sariel offers them four coral polyps 
  (Appendix B), briefly explaining 
  the history and nature of the 
  coral. He mentions that the elves 
  are reluctant to harvest too much, 
  as they needed to harvest large 
  amounts to heal their injured after 
  the raid and too much additional 
  harvesting would kill the reef. 
  However, they must harvest what is 
  necessary for survival. He cautions 
  the adventurers against harvesting 
  the polyps themselves, as an 
  inexperienced harvester will destroy 
  the polyp. Sariel also provides the 
  adventurers a map of the bay, with 
  the two villages and the sahuagin 
  camp clearly marked.
  Features of the Area
  NPCs
  All aquatic elves and vehuagin have 
  a swimming speed of 30 feet and can 
  breathe air and water.
  Sariel Vadimion (N aquatic elf 
  druid, he/him): A wizened old elf. 
  Desires safety for his village 
  beyond all else. Highly spiritual, 
  placing great trust in Agnaliann’s 
  counsel. Views Malayna as a good and 
  wise friend, but finds her desire for 
  permanent peace naive. 
  Agnaliann Amaral (LE aquatic elf 
  priest, he/him): A religious zealot. 
  Harbors deep hatred towards the 
  sahuagin for their worship of The 
  Nightmare Shark.
  Malayna Liarenn (LG vehuagin 
  spy, she/her): Intelligent and 
  personable, Malayna infiltrated 
  the aquatic elf village as a spy, 
  befriended Sariel, and became his 
  advisor. Years as a double agent 
  have led her to sympathize with 
  the aquatic elves, seeing them as 
  family. Nevertheless, she doesn’t 
  wish for any of her fellow sahuagin 
  to be harmed, especially Khella, 
  her betrothed. Malayna wants to 
  create a lasting peace between the 
  two factions, so that she may live 
  openly with both peoples and her 
  beloved.
  
  24
  Part 3: a siMPle 
  sCoutiNG MissioN - the 
  CoCoNut Crab
  F
  ollowing Sariel’s map to the 
  sahuagin camp, the adventurers 
  travel 30 minutes through open 
  water before spotting a rotting hulk 
  of wood and barnacles resting on the 
  seafloor. This is the wreck of The 
  Coconut Crab, a decades-old sailing 
  ship that now hides the sahuagin 
  spies. See Appendix C for a map of 
  the 70-foot-long wreck.
  Features of the Area
  Seaweed. The floating pile of seaweed 
  in the center of the wreck is 
  difficult terrain for any creature 
  that does not have a swimming speed.
  Creatures
  F
  our sahuagin and three reef 
  sharks occupy the shipwreck. 
  One sahuagin and one shark 
  stand guard near each hole in the 
  hull. The remaining two sahuagin 
  and one shark relax near a pile of 
  seaweed bedding and food scraps in 
  the center of the wreck. Adventurers 
  with a passive Perception of 13 or 
  higher notice the guards near the 
  holes. 
  A successful DC 13 Dexterity 
  (Stealth) check allows the 
  adventurers to approach the 
  shipwreck unseen. Otherwise, the 
  sahuagin notice anybody within 90 
  feet and attack anybody within 50 
  feet. 
  Tactics
  O
  ne sahuagin flees towards their 
  village. The other sahuagin rush 
  into melee and fight to the death. 
  They prioritize lightly armored 
  targets, but if an adventurer is 
  injured, nearby sahuagin focus on 
  them in order to utilize Blood 
  Frenzy. 
  The sahuagin direct the reef sharks 
  to fight alongside them, utilizing 
  their Pack Tactics. The sharks 
  follow the commands of the nearest 
  conscious sahuagin. If given no 
  commands, the sharks lash out at 
  anyone attacking them, but flee if 
  reduced to 6 or fewer hit points.
  Development
  i
  f a sahuagin is captured 
  alive, the characters may 
  interrogate them. The sahuagin 
  of Petrieth’s Bay speak Common, 
  having been introduced to it while 
  negotiating the initial ceasefire. 
  With a successful DC 17 Charisma 
  (Intimidation or Persuasion) check, 
  the sahuagin reveal they were told 
  to make camp there by a human 
  woman, who warned their chieftess 
  of an impending elf attack. The 
  woman’s description matches Lena. An 
  additional DC 17 check reveals that 
  the woman assured the sahuagin that 
  they would be undetectable to the 
  elves’ sentries. 
  For each additional sahuagin 
  captured, reduce the DC of these 
  checks by 2. Sparing the sharks 
  grants advantage to these checks.
  This encounter could be difficult 
  for some parties. If necessary, 
  encourage players to take a rest 
  before returning to Y’Petrieth.
  
  25
  Difficulty Adjustments
  Make the following adjustments if 
  the party is weak or strong:
  • 
  If the party is weak, remove 
  one sahuagin and one reef shark, 
  and reduce the DC of checks made to 
  interrogate the sahuagin by 2.
  • 
  If the party is strong, add 
  one sahuagin and one reef shark. 
  The DC of checks to interrogate the 
  sahuagin cannot be reduced below 13.
  Part 4: iNto the 
  shark’s deN
  R
  eturning to Y’Petrieth, the 
  adventurers notice the elves 
  marshalling for war. Warriors 
  bark orders while even the youngest 
  elves grab spears and assemble into 
  formation on the village outskirts. 
  Anyone can tell the adventurers 
  that, while they were gone, a group 
  of sahuagin infiltrated the village 
  and kidnapped Malayna. Eristho 
  left the village and returned 
  to the surface to summon more 
  mercenaries from nearby towns, while 
  Agnaliann marshaled the elf army in 
  preparation to attack the sahuagin.
  Sariel charges the adventurers with 
  rescuing Malayna. He explains that 
  the sahuagin village lies atop a 
  similar coral structure in the 
  deeper waters of the bay, one hour’s 
  travel away and 160 feet below the 
  surface. He suspects that Malayna 
  was brought to the chieftess’ hut, a 
  large domed wooden structure in the 
  center of the village. 
  If the adventurers used all their 
  coral polyps, they can convince 
  Sariel to give them four more 
  on a successful DC 13 Charisma 
  (Persuasion or Deception) check.
  Once Sariel is out of earshot, 
  Agnaliann approaches and suggests 
  that now would be the perfect 
  opportunity to purge the sahuagin 
  permanently. He asks the party to 
  assassinate the chieftess, arguing 
  that with her gone the sahuagin 
  would be thrown into disarray, 
  allowing him to lead the elf army 
  into the sahuagin village nearly 
  unopposed.
  
  26
  Village Outskirts
  A
  s the party dives deeper, the 
  water grows colder and the 
  sea grows darker, even with 
  the coral bathing the sea floor in 
  dim light. Unfamiliar fish and bottom 
  feeders flit about the silent waters, 
  while sharp toothed anglerfish 
  pass by, paying the adventurers 
  little mind. As the coral colonies 
  become more dense yet again, the 
  adventurers notice ominous dark 
  shapes above them. Looking up, they 
  see the familiar silhouettes of 
  sharks. 
  The ocean around the sahuagin 
  village is patrolled by trained 
  sharks. With a successful DC 13 
  Dexterity (Stealth) check, the 
  adventurers sneak past them. 
  Alternatively, a successful DC 15 
  Wisdom (Animal Handling) check 
  pacifies the sharks. Otherwise, one 
  hunter shark and one reef shark 
  attack the party.
  Once the adventurers bypass the 
  sharks, they reach the outskirts 
  of the village, where they notice 
  patrols of 12 sahuagin each. A 
  successful DC 13 Dexterity (Stealth) 
  check bypasses these sentries. 
  A successful DC 13 Intelligence 
  (Investigation) check notices a 
  gap in the patrols, giving the 
  adventurers advantage on the 
  check. Alternatively, a successful 
  DC 13 Charisma (Deception) check 
  distracts the sentries, allowing the 
  adventurers to slip by undetected. 
  If the adventurers engage a patrol, 
  the sentries attempt to incapacitate 
  the adventurers and bring them 
  before the chieftess.
  Bek’orra’s Hut
  O
  nce inside the village, the 
  adventurers easily find the 
  chieftess’ hut. 
  Inside, Bek’orra, the sahuagin 
  chieftess, sits atop a fearsome 
  throne of shark cartilage. To the 
  side of the chieftess, Malayna holds 
  hands with Khella. She whispers 
  to Khella, but too softly for the 
  adventurers to understand. If they 
  move closer, the chieftess notices 
  them and commands them to come 
  forward.
  If the adventurers were captured, 
  they are bound with manacles and 
  tossed into the hut, and Khella 
  takes their equipment.
  Shocked, Malayna profusely 
  apologizes to Bek’orra, explaining 
  that she thought nobody saw her 
  leave Y’Petrieth. Turning to the 
  adventurers, she reveals her true 
  nature as a vehuagin (see What Are 
  Vehuagin? sidebar) and explains 
  that she deduced Eristho’s true 
  intentions. She is now aware that 
  Eristho engineered the initial 
  sahuagin attack and has been pushing 
  the villages into open warfare, 
  and she believes that he intends 
  to bring a large mercenary army to 
  subjugate the survivors of the war 
  so that he may claim both villages’ 
  coral supplies. 
  Bek’orra interrupts, revealing that 
  her scouts tell her that Agnaliann’s 
  attack is imminent, and explains 
  that, regardless of Eristho’s 
  treachery, the sahuagin will suffer 
  severe losses if they do not strike 
  first. Reluctantly, Bek’orra asks 
  the adventurers to assassinate 
  Sariel and Agnaliann, rendering the 
  elf army leaderless, allowing the 
  sahuagin to easily overwhelm them, 
  and minimizing damage to both the 
  reef and her people. 
  
  27
  Malayna begs the adventurers not 
  to doom the elves and offers an 
  alternative. She plans to reveal 
  her true nature to Sariel, expose 
  Eristho’s duplicity, and convince 
  Sariel to re-establish the ceasefire 
  with the sahuagin. She is confident 
  that, despite her duplicity, Sariel 
  cares for her enough that he would 
  consider peace once she makes it 
  clear that she knows personally that 
  the sahuagin are not interested in 
  war. She asks that the adventurers 
  instead track down Eristho and deal 
  with him before he can call for more 
  mercenaries, as he could still harm 
  the reef if given time to prepare. 
  If the adventurers ignore these 
  pleas and attack immediately, go to 
  Part 5 and skip the decision-making 
  process, as they have already made 
  their decision!
  While Bek’orra believes her plan is 
  more reliable, she concedes that it 
  hinges on the adventurers’ consent 
  and agrees to honor a ceasefire if 
  Malayna is successful.
  NPCs
  Chieftess Bek’orra (LN sahuagin, 
  she/her): Assumed command after her 
  father died in the attack on the 
  elf village. Unlike her father, she 
  is open to coexistence with the 
  elves, but still stops at nothing to 
  protect her people.
  Bek’orra has the statistics of 
  a priest, except that she has a 
  swimming speed of 40 feet, the spell 
  mass healing word prepared, and the 
  following special traits from the 
  sahuagin stat block: Blood Frenzy, 
  Limited Amphibiousness, and Shark 
  Telepathy. 
  Khella (Appendix A): Champion of the 
  village and Bek’orra’s bodyguard. 
  Extremely devoted to her chieftess 
  and madly in love with Malayna, her 
  betrothed. Does anything to protect 
  them.
  Part 5: a diffiCult 
  deCisioN
  I
  f the adventurers return to the 
  surface to confront Eristho, he 
  admits his true motives and bribes 
  the adventurers with an additional 
  75 gp to go back to each village 
  and kill their respective leaders, 
  allowing his forces to take over. 
  If they refuse, he and his guards 
  attack.
  If the characters antagonize the 
  sahuagin, Bek’orra and Khella attack 
  them. If the adventurers fight back, 
  Malayna reluctantly assists the 
  sahuagin.
  If the adventurers agree to 
  assassinate Sariel, they travel to 
  Y’Petrieth and confront him in the 
  council room.
  Creatures
  E
  ristho’s Camp: Four guards 
  patrol the perimeter. Eristho 
  (Appendix A) and Lena (bandit 
  captain) are in the main tent.
  Bek’orra’s Hut: Bek’orra (priest, 
  with changes listed in Part 4), 
  Khella (Appendix A), and Malayna 
  (spy) occupy the hut.
  Y’Petrieth Council Room: Sariel 
  (druid) and Agnaliann (priest) 
  reside in the council room, 
  discussing the upcoming battle.
  Tactics
  Eristho’s Camp. Eristho immediately 
  casts hideous laughter to disable 
  his opponents while Lena and the 
  guards charge forward. He uses 
  Create Diversion against the enemy 
  he regards as the largest threat 
  and expends his remaining spell 
  slots before entering melee combat. 
  If reduced to 6 hit points or 
  less, Eristho begs for his life, 
  
  28
  offering the adventurers all the 
  gold he carries. Lena fights to the 
  death unless Eristho surrenders. 
  The guards flee if Eristho is 
  incapacitated.
  Bek’orra’s Hut. Malayna and Khella 
  fight side by side so Malayna can 
  Sneak Attack. Bek’orra stays behind 
  them, using damage-dealing ranged 
  spells. She casts mass healing 
  word as needed. Otherwise, use the 
  sahuagin tactics from Part 3.
  Y’Petrieth Council Room. Agnaliann 
  and Sariel keep their distance, 
  using spirit guardians and entangle 
  to slow down enemies. They then use 
  damage-dealing ranged spells such as 
  spiritual weapon, guiding bolt, and 
  produce flame, targeting spellcasters 
  first.
  Development
  i
  f the adventurers kill Sariel 
  and Agnaliann, the elf army, 
  demoralized by the loss of their 
  leaders, is quickly overwhelmed by 
  the sahuagin attack. 
  If the adventurers kill Bek’orra, 
  the sahuagin army falls into chaos. 
  Once the adventurers leave, the elf 
  army arrives and slaughters the 
  sahuagin.
  Rewards
  E
  ristho carries 370 gp and his 
  diver’s tome. Bek’orra and 
  Sariel each carry four coral 
  polyps.
  Difficulty Adjustments
  M
  ake the following adjustments 
  at each location if the party 
  is weak or strong:
  Eristho’s Camp:
  • 
  If the party is weak, two 
  guards immediately flee.
  • 
  If the party is strong, Lena 
  has the statistics of a knight.
  Bek’orra’s Hut:
  • 
  If the party is weak, Malayna 
  has the statistics of a noble.
  • 
  If the party is strong, add two 
  sahuagin.
  Y’Petrieth Council Room:
  • 
  If the party is weak, Agnaliann 
  has the statistics of an acolyte, 
  except that he has 18 (4d8) hit 
  points and also has the spell 
  guiding bolt prepared. 
  • 
  If the party is strong, add two 
  aquatic elf warriors. Each warrior 
  has the statistics of a scout.
  
  29
  CoNCludiNG the adveNture
  i
  f the party follows Malayna’s 
  plan, Malayna negotiates a 
  ceasefire between the two factions 
  and begins working openly to form 
  a more permanent peace between the 
  villages. After a week, envoys from 
  the villages deliver this news to 
  the adventurers. 
  If the party destabilizes one or 
  both villages, Eristho arrives in 
  force with an army of mercenaries 
  that vastly outnumber the villages’ 
  surviving warriors. Eristho rewards 
  the characters for their assistance 
  and strongarms the survivors into 
  an unconditional surrender. The 
  terms of the surrender allow Eristho 
  to brutally harvest the coral, 
  using the surviving villagers as 
  cheap labor. Left unopposed, the 
  harvesting kills the reef, driving 
  the coral extinct in a year.
  CoNtiNuiNG the adveNture
  i
  f Eristho succeeded, the party 
  can take revenge by sabotaging 
  his harvesting operation, freeing 
  enslaved villagers, assisting a 
  rebellion against him, or attacking 
  him in private. The villages and the 
  reef never fully recover, but the 
  adventurers can still stop Eristho 
  from profiting off their devastation.
  If Eristho failed, the adventurers 
  establish a good reputation with the 
  villages. Villager NPCs might assist 
  the adventurers in future underwater 
  escapades, or they might use the 
  adventurers as intermediaries 
  in establishing an equitable 
  relationship between the villages 
  and surface-dwelling polities.
  
  30
  aPPeNdix a: MoNsters & NPCs
  Eristho Generee
  Medium humanoid (half elf), neutral evil
  Armor Class 
  15 (chain shirt)
  Hit Points 
  27 (5d8 + 5)
  Speed 
   
  30 ft.
  saving throws 
  Dex +4, Wis +3
  Skills  
  Perception +5, Performance +4,  
   
   
   
  Persuasion +6
  Senses   
  darkvision 60 ft., 
   
   
   
  passive Perception 15
  Challenge   
  1 (200 XP)
  languages   
  Common, Elvish
  Spellcasting. Eristho is a 2nd-level 
  spellcaster. His spellcasting ability 
  is Charisma (spell save DC 12, +4 to 
  hit with spell attacks). Eristho has 
  the following bard spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): friends, vi-
  cious mockery
  1st level (3 slots): charm person, 
  hideous laughter, thunderwave
  Create diversion (1/day). Eristho can use a bo-
  nus action on his turn to beguile one 
  creature within 30 feet of him. If 
  the target can hear or see Eristho, 
  the target must succeed on a DC 12 
  Charisma saving throw or all attack 
  rolls against the target have advan-
  tage until the start of Eristho’s 
  next turn. 
  Fey Ancestry. Eristho has advantage on 
  saving throws against being charmed 
  and magic can’t put him to sleep.
  CON
  12 
  (+1)
  DEX
  14 
  (+2)
  STR
  11 
  (+0)
  INT
  10 
  (+0)
  WIS
  13 
  (+1)
  CHA
  14 
  (+2)
  Actions
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 
  (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
  shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, 
  range 80/320, one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 
  +2) piercing damage.
  
  31
  Khella
  Medium humanoid (sahuagin), chaotic neutral
  Armor Class 
  14 (scale mail)
  Hit Points 
  32 (5d8 + 10)
  Speed 
   
  30 ft., swim 40 ft.
  Skills  
  Intimidation +3, Perception +4 
  Senses   
  darkvision 120 ft., 
   
   
   
  passive Perception 14
  Challenge   
  1 (200 XP)
  languages   
  Common, Sahuagin
  Blood Frenzy. Khella has advantage on me-
  lee attack rolls against any creature 
  that doesn’t have all its hit points.
  Limited Amphibiousness. Khella can breathe air 
  and water, but she needs to be sub-
  merged at least once every 4 hours to 
  avoid suffocating. 
  Shark Telepathy. Khella can magically com-
  mand any shark within 120 feet of 
  her, using a limited telepathy.
  CON
  14 
  (+2)
  DEX
  11 
  (+0)
  STR
  13 
  (+1)
  INT
  12 
  (+1)
  WIS
  13 
  (+1)
  CHA
  9 
  (-1)
  Actions
  Multiattack. Khella makes two melee at-
  tacks, one with her bite and one 
  with her claws, warhammer, or spear.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 
  + 1) piercing damage.
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 
  + 1) slashing damage.
  Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 
  (1d8 + 1) bludgeoning damage or 6 
  (1d10 +1) if used two-handed.
  Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: 
  +3 to hit, range 20/60, one target. 
  Hit: 4 (1d6 +1) piercing damage or 5 
  (1d8 +1) if used two-handed.
  ReActions
  Guardian of the tribe. When a creature 
  Khella can see attacks a target 
  other than her that is within 5 
  feet of her, Khella and the tar-
  get swap places, and Khella be-
  comes the target instead.
  
  32
  aPPeNdix b: iteMs
  Coral Polyp
  Wondrous Item, uncommon
  Harvested in Petrieth’s Bay, this 
  large, red polyp of coral gives off 
  a dull glow, indicating its magical 
  nature. As an action, you can expend 
  the polyp and touch a creature, 
  applying one of the following 
  effects:
  ● The creature regains 2d4 + 2 
  hit points.
  ● End one condition afflicting the 
  creature. The condition can be 
  blinded, deafened, paralyzed, 
  or poisoned.
  ● Reduce one level of the 
  creature’s exhaustion caused by 
  swimming.
  Diver’s Tome
  Wondrous Item, rare (requires 
  attunement by a spellcaster)
  This leather-bound book is covered 
  in arcane purple runes belonging to 
  a long-dead language. Once per day, 
  you can cast water breathing as a 
  ritual by reading from this book.
  
  33
  aPPeNdix C: MaPs
  The Coconut Crab:
  Key: The ship rests on its side. Each square is 5 ft. x 5ft, and the holes 
  in the hull are entrances into the ship.
  
  34
  Amelia Ng
  Charlie Furtive
  
  35
  Money doesn’t 
  grow on trees
  Level 4
  Oliver Clegg
  Oliver does a lot of things and they’re all very gay. One of his books 
  was recently banned from the DMs Guild for having too many implied 
  penises and a slime boi touching himself somewhere that was not a nipple. 
  Strangely, nobody made a peep about the femme-coded mimic with a “loot 
  me” sign. Oliver did not write this bio (Cat did). 
  Join his legion of fans on Twitter @deathbybadger
  T
  he region of Cinderwood is 
  ablaze, set alight by the magic 
  of a vengeful treant determined 
  to stomp out the humans who abused 
  and mutilated its home. The 
  characters are faced with a simple 
  conundrum—can they find a way to 
  placate the burning forest, or will 
  they perish in the raging inferno? 
  Spoiler: they perish in the blazing 
  inferno. 
  This adventure is optimized for four 
  4th-level characters.
  adveNture baCkGrouNd
  A 
  town of lumberjacks and their 
  families moved into an Old 
  Forest, despite the warnings 
  of locals about the spirits that 
  dwelled within. There, they began 
  to harvest the forest’s magical 
  wood for use in industry. This 
  proved more lucrative than any of 
  the lumberjacks had dared dream. 
  The peaceful treants who lived in 
  the forest begged the humans to 
  stop, but the humans were driven by 
  avarice and ignored their requests. 
  One evening, the treant Splintermaw 
  returned to his grove to find his 
  companions slaughtered, taken away 
  to be turned into logs. That night, 
  the treant set fire to the forest and 
  the world began to burn. Hidden in 
  the smoke, the forest drifted away 
  into the nightmares of the outer 
  planes. The story drifts into the 
  waking world on occasion, changing 
  the actors, the scenery or the 
  memories of those involved. Perhaps 
  it is a cautionary tale. Perhaps it 
  is simply cruel whimsy. Either way, 
  the Cinderwood is doomed to burn 
  over and over again for eternity.
  
  36
  adveNture suMMary
  T
  he characters arrive in 
  Cinderwood and enter the town 
  of Loggerville, where they 
  meet the villagers arguing about 
  how to deal with the burning forest 
  surrounding them. The fire is quickly 
  spreading out of control, and the 
  adventurers might choose to head 
  into the woods to seek out and calm 
  the nature spirits. If they do, they 
  have a brief opportunity to interact 
  with the murderous Splintermaw, a 
  treant gone insane, and broker a 
  terrible deal. Whether or not the 
  characters head into the forest to 
  find Splintermaw quickly enough is 
  pivotal, as the adventure quickly 
  reaches a tipping point after which 
  there is no possible conclusion but 
  fire and death.
  hooks
  Sinister Smoke. Cinderwood is a dark 
  dream that haunts the edges of the 
  world. The sinister smoke can steal 
  away a party of adventurers at any 
  time. 
  As you travel, you begin to smell 
  smoke on the wind. Black, billowing 
  smog rushes by you in a burning 
  wave, boiling up from underneath the 
  earth and drowning you in darkness. 
  When it fades, you are somewhere 
  altogether unfamiliar, though the 
  tang of smoke still hangs heavily in 
  the air. 
  Dreams of Smoke and Ash. You 
  may prefer instead to play this 
  adventure as a literal dream 
  sequence. This is advised if you are 
  particularly invested in your player 
  characters not meeting a grisly end. 
  Your dreams are disturbing. Visions 
  flash before your eyes of dark flame 
  and silver teeth. Branches laugh at 
  you, and the sound of metal on stone 
  rings in your ears. The light grows 
  bright, and you awaken with a start 
  somewhere you don’t recognize. 
  
  37
  MoNey doesN’t GroW oN 
  trees
  T
  he adventurers arrive in the 
  burning domain of Cinderwood, 
  spirited away to evil ends. 
  They will undoubtedly be confused, 
  so use Part 1 as a way to introduce 
  the characters to the nature and 
  grim severity of the region’s woes 
  before moving swiftly on to Part 2.
  Part 1: sMoke aNd 
  ashes
  T
  he smoke deposits the 
  characters within sight of 
  Loggerville, a ramshackle 
  wooden town of human lumberjacks 
  trapped inside the burning domain. 
  How the adventurers approach the 
  humans, and what they learn from 
  those to whom they speak, is likely 
  to inform how they choose to handle 
  the forest’s present crisis. Be sure 
  to keep track of time, because the 
  fires won’t wait for adventurers to 
  talk to everyone (see Cinderwood 
  Ablaze).
  Loggerville
  T
  he settlement is surrounded 
  by thousands of tree stumps, 
  which have clearly been used 
  to construct the town. Smoke clogs 
  the air, making it hard to see and 
  difficult to breathe. The town is 
  filled with miserable-looking humans 
  loudly and chaotically debating 
  their next move. 500 feet away 
  from the edge of the town in all 
  directions is a burning forest—the 
  source of the smoke and heat. 
  In the near distance, a sooty 
  palisade wall surrounds an assembly 
  of poorly wrought houses and 
  businesses. People mill about 
  dejectedly, and the sound of angry 
  voices is disquieting even from this 
  distance. Smoke is heavy in the air, 
  emanating from the burning forest 
  which seems to surround the town on 
  all sides. Between the forest and 
  the town, forming a wide ring around 
  the houses, lies a stretch of land 
  filled with grey earth and thousands 
  of tree stumps.
  Features of the Area
  Homes and Buildings. Loggerville 
  is home to many houses and shops, 
  poorly built of wood from the trees 
  around the town. 
  Feuding Lumberjacks. The citizens 
  of Loggerville are at loggerheads. 
  The greedy woodcutters are debating 
  their next move, having divided 
  into three groups unable to reach a 
  consensus on what to do. There are 
  several hundred commoners in this 
  camp (60 of them are noncombatant 
  children), and roughly 100 in each 
  faction. 
  What the lumberjacks know:
  • 
  We have been cutting wood for 
  some time. The people who lived here 
  before us said it would anger the 
  forest, but we did it anyway. 
  • 
  The native population had to be 
  chased away. We built Loggerville on 
  the ruins.
  • 
  The trees woke up and began to 
  attack us. So we started cutting 
  them down too.
  • 
  A few days ago, the forest 
  started to smoke. Now it seems 
  completely ablaze. 
  • 
  There are still shadows moving 
  in the forest. You can see them if 
  you look closely. 
  Activists. One third of the 
  lumberjacks are incredibly worried 
  by the smoke, rising heat and threat 
  of retaliation from the forest. They 
  wish to address the problem, but 
  have no idea how. They talk boldly 
  of “strong, innovative solutions” 
  and “coming together to tackle the 
  problem head on” but never actually 
  
  38
  act on these suggestions. Their 
  leader is a human noble called 
  Eloysius Funk, who spends a lot of 
  his time trying to assert order 
  over proceedings to little avail. 
  The Activists have sent scouts into 
  the forest, scouts who have been 
  brutally murdered, their burned 
  corpses hurled out from the woods by 
  the unknown assailants behind the 
  treeline. 
  Key phrases:
  • 
  “Something must be done!”
  • 
  “Won’t anyone do something?!”
  • 
  “We must take action! Soon!”
  Deniers. This group of lumberjacks 
  utterly denies that there’s a 
  problem at all, despite the smoke, 
  corpses, and other clearly present 
  dangers. They willfully ignore 
  all evidence to this effect. The 
  Deniers are led by the incumbent 
  mayor Twistimus Crump, who claims 
  any evidence that danger exists 
  is part of a calculated coup by 
  the Activists to depose him and 
  seize power. Characters who side 
  with the Activists are accused of 
  collaboration, conspiracy, and 
  anything else Crump can think of to 
  discredit them. 
  Crump is a foolish man determined to 
  delay and frustrate the characters 
  by any means possible, first by 
  pretending to be deliberately 
  obtuse, and later by whipping up the 
  deniers into a violent, frenzied 
  mob. He has made his riches from 
  the wood Loggerville produces, and 
  would rather die than pass up an 
  opportunity for profit. 
  Key phrases:
  • 
  “But what if the fire is fake?”
  • 
  “They just want all the logs 
  for themselves!”
  • 
  “Forest fires happen all the 
  time, it doesn’t mean a disaster”
  Apathetics. The final group doesn’t 
  really mind much either way. They 
  just want to get back to their 
  normal lives, and are intractable 
  in this. They accept the easiest 
  answer to any question which allows 
  them to keep acting as they always 
  have, which means the majority of 
  the time they abstain from making 
  any real decisions at all. They are 
  led by no-one in particular and 
  become either anxious or defensive 
  when questioned about their lack of 
  action. 
  Key phrases:
  • 
  “Look, I’m just trying to get 
  by here.”
  • 
  “I can’t afford to leave. I have 
  kids! And there’s no money.”
  • 
  “I’m tired, okay? It’s been a 
  long day. Stop harassing me.”
  Development
  The lumberjacks are arguing in the 
  streets, with the Activists vainly 
  attempting to raise some (as yet 
  undecided) action from the rest of 
  their cohort. Allow the adventurers 
  to engage with the lumberjacks and 
  ascertain the stalemate the town 
  finds itself in. 
  Cinderwood Ablaze.  For every 5 
  minutes of game time that pass after 
  the characters arrive in Loggertown, 
  take a moment to describe the state 
  of the advancing fires. Use these 
  moments to impress upon the players 
  the dire gravity of the disaster, 
  and the speed with which the fires 
  are advancing. 
  5 minutes in. The smoke seems to 
  be getting worse, and people are 
  sputtering. 
  10 minutes in. The smoke is thick 
  and noxious. It is hard to breathe 
  properly.
  15 minutes in. You can smell the 
  burning wood from here. It reeks of 
  death.
  
  39
  20 minutes in. The creaking of 
  distant, burning trees is ever 
  present now, like the rumbling of a 
  thundercloud.
  25 minutes in. The heat is stifling. 
  Smog pours down the streets, you can 
  barely see thirty feet ahead of you. 
  30 minutes in. A deep, rumbling 
  laugh echoes through the air, as 
  heat shimmers dance around. Embers 
  float in the smoke. The ground 
  shudders. 
  If the adventures head towards the 
  Woods at any point before 30 minutes 
  pass, proceed to part 2a.
  If 30 minutes pass and the 
  adventurers have yet to head into 
  the woods, proceed to Part 2b.
  Part 2a: iNto the 
  Woods
  I
  f the adventurers quickly see 
  that Loggerville is incapable of 
  organizing to save itself, they 
  may choose to head into the forest 
  and see if they can help douse the 
  fire in any way. As the characters 
  enter the woods, they must make 
  their way through the burning forest 
  in search of a way to fix it.
  The trees are filled with ominous 
  shadows, and smoke drifts around 
  them in coils. The heat is 
  sweltering. Before you have walked 
  far, a rasping, hollow voice echoes 
  through the trees as if from all 
  around. DEATH it cries. BURN. BURN 
  WITH ME. CUTTING, SLASHING, YOUR 
  NAMES I’LL BITE AND CUT WITH BURNING 
  BURNING BURNING FIRE AND SILVER 
  NAMES WE’LL BURN YOUR NAMES AND BURN 
  AGAIN TOGETHER.
  the burNiNG Woods
  The following features are present 
  throughout the woods.
  Lighting. The area is dimly lit, 
  thanks to the smoke obscuring any 
  light from above.
  Vision. The smoke lightly obscures 
  the area, and grants creatures 
  disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) 
  checks based on sight, taste, or 
  smell. 
  Heat. The heat is uncomfortable and 
  sweltering, seeming to radiate from 
  all sides. 
  When you are ready, run the 
  following Complex Trap. 
  Burning Woods
  Complex trap, (level 4, deadly 
  threat)
  Initiative. The trap acts on 
  initiative counts 20 and 10.
  Active Elements. The burning woods 
  are filled with evil burning blights, 
  and frequent blasts of fire. 
  Burning Blight (Initiative 20). 
  A burning blight (see Appendix) 
  appears within 10 feet of a 
  character.
  Explosion (Initiative 10). Fire and 
  earth run rampant in the woods. 
  Choose one of the following spells, 
  and resolve it at its lowest level 
  (DC 8) targeting a random character 
  - burning hands, entangle, heat 
  metal.
  Dynamic Elements. The threat this 
  trap poses increases depending on 
  how much time has passed - see 
  Cinderwood Ablaze.
  Shrieking Fires. For each 5 
  minutes that has passed since the 
  
  40
  adventurers arrived in Loggerville, 
  an additional burning blight appears 
  each turn. 
  Increasing Despair.  For each 5 
  minutes that has passed since the 
  adventurers arrived in Loggerville, 
  increase the DCs of this trap by 1.
  Constant Elements. The forest is 
  filled with choking smoke. The heat 
  is unbearable. 
  Smoke. Creatures can see out to 
  10 feet, in which the area is 
  lightly obscured. Beyond that is 
  heavily obscured by the smoke. At 
  the start of their turn, creatures 
  that breathe must succeed on a DC 8 
  Constitution saving throw or lose 
  their action to sputtering and 
  hacking. 
  Heat. The heat of the fire is 
  draining and wearisome. At the 
  end of their turn, creatures that 
  breathe must succeed on a DC 8 
  Constitution saving throw or gain 
  a level of exhaustion. Creatures 
  resistant to fire damage are immune 
  to this effect.
  Countermeasures. The forest is 
  angry, and needs to be placated. 
  Druidic. Characters who can speak 
  Druidic may draw Splintermaw’s 
  curiosity. A call to parley from a 
  character speaking Druidic draws 
  the treant’s attention—proceed to 
  “Splintermaw,” below.
  Dousing the Flame. Casting a spell 
  that creates water or frost to douse 
  some of the flame shocks Splintermaw 
  into a degree of sanity, and causes 
  him to investigate. 
  Splintermaw, who can speak 
  throughout the forest, occasionally 
  interjects with mad nonsense. He 
  constantly uses the following 
  words SILVER - BITE - NAME - BURN 
  - TOGETHER over and over again in 
  different iterations. This should 
  hopefully imply to the characters 
  that a driving force behind the 
  malevolence of the forest is 
  watching. 
  Splintermaw
  Splintermaw eventually investigates 
  at the end of the 5th round, which 
  ends the trap if it has not come to 
  a conclusion already. 
  A lumbering, blackened tree with 
  eyes of flame and rows of silver 
  needles for teeth stalks towards you 
  through the flame and smoke, which 
  swirls around it like a funeral 
  shroud. NAMES it cries, in the voice 
  of all the small and quiet things 
  ever slain by greed and ugliness. I 
  SHALL TAKE YOUR NAMES AND BITE YOUR 
  SILVER EYES OUT
  The treant is curious at the strange 
  intruders, and hears what they have 
  to say. If they express sympathy 
  with Loggerville, the treant 
  slays them, but any offers of help 
  or similar olive branches cause 
  Splintermaw to give the characters 
  once last chance. 
  KILL THE BURNING, TAKING, KILLING 
  NAMES, the spirit of fire cries out. 
  TAKE THEM TO THE BURNING GRAVE, OR 
  MY EYES WILL TAKE THEIR SPLINTERED 
  MAWS TO EARTH IN BURNING ASH WITH 
  ME AND WE WILL TAKE THEIR MAW AND 
  SILVER MAWS AND I WILL BURN AND THE 
  WORLD ABLAZE WILL SEE. REGROW MY 
  MAWS AND SEEDS AND BARK FROM THEIR 
  ASHES AND NEW EYES WILL SEE YOU 
  AGAIN. YOU HAVE MY SPLINTER MAW. 
  Splintermaw, in his madness, wants 
  the worst offending citizens of 
  Loggerville dead, and the forest 
  regrown from their ashes. Treat 
  Splintermaw as a treant, with the 
  following additional changes:
  • 
  He regenerates 10 hit points at 
  the start of every round.
  
  41
  • 
  He is immune to fire damage, and 
  cannot be set ablaze.
  • 
  His teeth are silver needles. 
  This has no mechanical effect, it 
  just looks cool.
  • 
  He has the Legendary Resistance 
  feature, which he can use three 
  times a day
  Destroying Splintermaw. A lucky 
  party might manage to destroy 
  Splintermaw. The forest fire, in this 
  case, spreads throughout the domain. 
  Nothing is spared, and the town 
  burns to the ground. Eventually, the 
  domain falls into smoke.
  Negotiating with Splintermaw. 
  Splintermaw is not in a rational 
  state of mind. The treant has 
  been brutalized, and his friends 
  murdered. His burning of the forest 
  is a final act of desperation—an act 
  of mutual destruction driven by 
  grief. The treant cannot be saved 
  from his own doom at this point; too 
  many have died already at the hands 
  of the fire, and he was long ago 
  claimed by forces beyond our ken to 
  relive these events over and over. 
  The treant barks seemingly 
  meaningless sentences at the 
  characters, but characters who 
  succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) 
  check might be able to discern his 
  meaning. 
  Splintermaw dictates the following 
  terms to the characters:
  • 
  Splintermaw will spare any 
  child of Loggerville who displays 
  a woven band of bark around their 
  wrist. No adult will be spared. 
  • 
  The children will remain in the 
  forest as his wards, and regrow the 
  forest under his tutelage.
  • 
  The other residents of 
  Loggerville will be sacrificed to the 
  flames as penance for their sins. 
  Developments
  Whether or not the characters manage 
  to keep Splintermaw from killing 
  them, the choice he offers them is a 
  grim one. 
  If the characters refuse 
  Splintermaw’s offer, he attempts to 
  slay them. 
  If the characters agree, he 
  allows them to safely return to 
  Loggerville, and the forest fires ebb 
  to a slow burn, leaving the forest 
  wreathed in smoke. 
  Part 2b: the eNd
  This part of the adventure 
  deals with the consequences of 
  Splintermaw’s offer in Part 2a. If 
  the characters have been directed 
  here from Part 1, proceed straight 
  to Last March of the Treants. 
  Reactions to Splintermaw’s Bargain
  The townspeople react in horror to 
  Splintermaw’s request. None of the 
  factions are willing to sacrifice 
  their lives for their children 
  without any hope of escape for 
  themselves, and very few individuals 
  desire to risk leaving the safety 
  of the herd. The characters may be 
  able to persuade certain factions 
  to allow them to secure the wrists 
  of children with the protective 
  bands as directed by the treant (see 
  Barkwoven Band) in Appendix B. 
  Deniers. The Deniers (and Twistimus 
  Crump) do everything within their 
  power to frustrate and bedevil the 
  characters’ efforts to prepare in 
  time or make any changes, accusing 
  them of trying to start a panic for 
  no reason whatsoever. As time goes 
  on, have the accusations levelled 
  at the characters become even more 
  ludicrous, from “they want to steal 
  our roofs” to “I heard they asked a 
  witch to ensorcel the forest so we’d 
  give them money.”
  Apathetics. If any of the apathetic 
  townsfolk agree to prepare for 
  battle, or to make any preparations 
  at all, they ask for payment. The 
  lumberjack families are extremely 
  
  42
  resistant to any arguments of good 
  faith or common sense, insisting 
  on financial recompense for their 
  hardships. They are unswayed by the 
  logic that if they are dead there is 
  nothing to spend money on. 
  Activists. The activists are keen 
  to do as Splintermaw asks, and 
  immediately begin to round up 
  children, much to the anger and 
  dismay of the other factions. 
  Arguments soon devolve into brawls 
  and fistfights, and unless encouraged 
  into implementing an organized 
  system of some kind, the actions of 
  the Activists soon cause the entire 
  town to descend into child-grabbing 
  chaos.
  Last March of the Treants
  This part of the adventure occurs 
  at different times of day depending 
  on the previous sections. If you 
  come here straight from Part 1 
  (after the 30 minute expiration), 
  it occurs in the late afternoon. 
  If the characters negotiated with 
  Splintermaw in Part 2, it occurs at 
  sundown instead. 
  Disquieting rumbles are your first 
  warning. Then the row of trees 
  closest to the town move apart, 
  revealing wooden monsters of 
  withered black bark. The stalking, 
  wretched figures begin to emerge 
  from the treelines, spindly black 
  branches withered by flames that 
  crackle along their length. They 
  hum a song, a song of mutual 
  destruction. The walking trees 
  each stand as tall as a house, and 
  begin to move purposefully for 
  Loggerville.
  The attack on Loggerville has been 
  orchestrated by Splintermaw, who is 
  not in attendance. Instead, he has 
  sent his legion of fell treants to 
  attack the down and burn anything 
  they find to ashes. Thirteen fell 
  treants converge on the town, using 
  the stat block for a treant with the 
  following additional ability:
  Fire and Death. The treant is on 
  fire, and takes 2 (1d4) fire damage at 
  the start of each of its turns. It 
  also deals an additional 7 (2d6) fire 
  damage when it hits with a weapon 
  attack. 
  Reaction of the Lumberjacks
  Activists. The Activists move 
  quickly to defend the town, though 
  their clubs and axes are of little 
  use against the burning boulders 
  and murderous rage the treants 
  employ. They are disorganized, and 
  unless they are marshalled somehow 
  to order, they are likely to meet a 
  grisly end. They can be convinced 
  easily to turn on the Deniers and 
  turn them over to the Treants as per 
  Splintermaw’s demands in Part 2a.
  Deniers. The Deniers flat out refuse 
  to acknowledge the attack, and 
  continue to accuse anyone who tries 
  to warn or help them of perfidy. 
  Whether this is genuine ignorance or 
  mere stubbornness is unclear in many 
  cases, but the point is rather moot. 
  Apathetics. It begins to dawn on the 
  apathetics at this point that there 
  is no going back to their old lives. 
  Some of them despair and try to 
  leave town, wandering straight into 
  the burning woods. Others pick up 
  weapons. Some even try to hide. Many 
  blame the characters for bringing 
  bad luck to Loggerville,
  
  43
  CoNCludiNG the adveNture
  i
  f Splintermaw can be reached 
  in time and his terms met, the 
  children are allowed to continue 
  to live in the forest under the care 
  of the evil treant. 
  In any event, the treants murder 
  every adult they can find, during 
  which process the lumberjacks 
  bicker, argue, and jostle for power. 
  Some spend their last moments 
  attempting to save their valuables, 
  and many of them are killed whilst 
  attempting to rob each other. 
  Should by some miracle the treants 
  be defeated in part 2b, Splintermaw 
  stokes the forest fire once more and 
  the wooden town soon burns to the 
  ground due to the plentiful ashes 
  carried on the wind from the burning 
  wood. There are no survivors. 
  CoNtiNuiNG the adveNture
  i
  t is very difficult to continue 
  doing anything when you are a 
  pile of ashes and fertilizer. 
  Consider perhaps providing nutrition 
  for any number of plants and weeds 
  that might care to grow on your 
  grave. Your bones might make a good 
  climbing frame for a vine someday, 
  and perhaps in the far distant 
  future when strangers come once 
  more to Cinderwood, they will take 
  your lifeless, scorched skull as a 
  warning not to exploit things they 
  have no hope of controlling. 
  aPPeNdix a: MoNsters & 
  NPCs
  aPPeNdix b: iteMs
  Barkwoven Band
  Wondrous item, uncommon
  This small band is sized for the 
  wrist of a human child. While you 
  wear it, you’re invisible to plant 
  creatures and elementals.
  BURNING BLIGHT
  Small plant, chaotic evil 
  Armor Class 
  13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 
  4 (1d6 + 1)
  Speed 
   
  20 ft.
  Condition immunities Blinded, Deafened
  Senses   
  blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond  
   
   
   
  this), passive Perception 9
  Challenge   
  1/8 (25 XP)
  FALSE appearance. While the blight remains 
  motionless, it is indistinguishable 
  from a burning shrub.
  set alight. The burning blight is on 
  fire, and deals an extra 1d4 fire 
  damage on a hit (included in the 
  Claw attack). In addition, it takes 
  1d4 fire damage at the start of each 
  of its turns.
  CON
  13 
  (+1)
  DEX
  13 
  (+1)
  STR
  6 
  (-2)
  INT
  4 
  (-3)
  WIS
  8 
  (-1)
  CHA
  3 
  (-4)
  Actions
  claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 
  3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage and 2 
  (1d4) fire damage.
  
  44
  Missy Weir
  
  45
  The Beasts 
  Within
  Level 10
  Vlad ‘Noa’ Giulvezan
  Vlad ‘Noa’ Giulvezan is a West Australia based freelance writer and TTRPG 
  player, having travelled there all the way from Romania. He can be found 
  cooking, plotting stories and adventures for the fun of it, and juggling 
  between all sorts of books, comics, and movies in an ever growing 
  backlog.
  The Beasts Within is his first published adventure and marks a return to 
  creative pursuits after a few years spent in the corporate mires. You can 
  find him on Twitter at @quilleps.
  O
  ut in the forest, someone—or 
  something—is taking a stand against 
  the greed of profit seeking merchants 
  and it’s up to the adventuring party to 
  discover their goals.
  This adventure is designed for 3–4 
  characters level 10–15, and is 
  optimized for four characters with 
  an average party level (APL) of 10.
  adveNture baCkGrouNd
  C
  edarvale, once a simple fort 
  on the edge of civilization, 
  has become the scene of a 
  brewing conflict between those who 
  have always called the land their 
  home and the policies sent forth 
  from the distant halls of the rich 
  and mighty. With the new mayor’s 
  arrival, the townsfolk were faced 
  with a choice between the old ways 
  and bending beneath the weight of 
  new taxes and rules vigilantly 
  enforced by the City Guard. In a 
  matter of months the prosperous, 
  thriving community has been cowed 
  into submission, thanks to the 
  mayor’s enforcers and whispered 
  rumors of strange creatures drawing 
  ever closer to the town walls.
  Deep within the ancient forests, 
  those few followers of the old ways 
  who remain have sought sanctuary in 
  forgotten groves and hidden shrines, 
  hunted by the guards whenever they 
  attempt to warn of what is coming. 
  An ancient dryad has awoken, angered 
  by dwindling offerings and the 
  destruction wrought upon the forest 
  and its wildlife in the name of 
  industry. As townsfolk turned on 
  those who have sought to warn them 
  of the knowledge gained through 
  lost groves and eldritch whispers, 
  they brought forth their own doom: 
  the dryad has cast a curse upon the 
  forest’s enemies and a boon to those 
  it considers friends.
  
  46
  With the forests turned wild, the 
  mayor has turned her attention to 
  tomes of knowledge, seeking to 
  confront those forces set in the 
  path of progress. And far beyond the 
  town walls, a party of adventurers 
  has made its way along the forest 
  roads, unaware of the curse 
  threatening to smother Cedarvale and 
  return the region to the wilds once 
  the confrontation between an ancient 
  dryad and an ambitious mayor draws 
  to an end.
  adveNture suMMary
  T
  he adventure plays out events 
  taking place over the course of 
  a single day built around the 
  adventuring party’s journey towards 
  and arrival at the frontier trade 
  town of Cedarvale.
  Part 1: The Old Forest Road – 
  Journey to town. Abandoned travel 
  coach. Guard encounter at the town’s 
  gate. Interview with the Guard 
  Captain.
  Part 2: Cracking the Keg – Arrival 
  at a local tavern. Investigation 
  of odd events. Pursuit of mystery 
  halfling.
  Part 3: The Smithy – Confrontation 
  with Ada Greenleaf. The dryad’s 
  curse. Potential arrest and 
  confrontation.
  Part 4: Old Tree’s Shadow – The 
  dryad’s attack. Confrontation at 
  the Old Tree by the mayoral estate 
  and securing aid against the curse. 
  Pursuit into the woods.
  Part 5: The Ancient Grove – 
  Navigating the forest to the dryad’s 
  grove. Random encounters depending 
  on the party’s choices. Final 
  confrontation with the new mayor and 
  dryad.
  hooks
  H
  orrendous Crash. On the road to 
  town, the party finds a wrecked 
  stagecoach on an overgrown 
  portion of road. Inside, they find 
  a messenger’s remains and a sealed 
  lockbox meant for the town’s mayor. 
  An accompanying note promises 
  payment upon delivery.
  Nice Work - Here’s More. If the 
  party delivers the box to the Guard 
  Captain, they are offered a job as 
  investigators for her. Their first 
  task is to investigate what happened 
  at the Keg.
  Close the Windows and Lock the 
  Doors. If the party decides to keep 
  the box or not work for the Guard 
  Captain, they are directed towards 
  the Keg and advised to spend the 
  night behind the town walls for 
  their own safety. Here they learn of 
  three mercenaries pursuing a halfling 
  who turned them into unnatural 
  things in the yard out back.
  
  47
  the beasts WithiN
  Part 1: doWN the old 
  forest road
  A
  fter several days spent 
  on the road, the party is 
  drawing close to the town of 
  Cedarvale. They have grown familiar 
  with their surroundings. Ever since 
  taking the Old Forest Road, they 
  have experienced unease whenever 
  venturing off the road to forage or 
  make camp. With only a half-day’s 
  travel between them and the safety 
  of the city walls, the adventurers 
  are looking forward to a warm bed 
  and a hot meal.
  The Ruined Stagecoach
  U
  p ahead, the path grows 
  more challenging, despite 
  being frequently used by 
  trade caravans heading towards the 
  mountain passes. Roots and fallen 
  branches have taken over parts of 
  the path. As the party arrives at 
  a bend in the road, they find a 
  ruined stagecoach next to a small 
  waystation by the roadside. The area 
  is littered with bodies.
  By the side of the road, a 
  stagecoach lies tilted on its side, 
  its wheels broken by a tangle of 
  roots and ivy. Though the overgrowth 
  appears to have been there a while, 
  the nearby battle scene tells a 
  different story.
  Features of the Area
  The Ruined Coach. Under the heavy 
  layer of ivy, the coach is clean, 
  freshly lacquered. Its size (and 
  the five dead guards spread out in 
  a defensive formation) hint at the 
  owner’s prosperity. To investigate 
  the inside of the stagecoach, a 
  creature must succeed on a DC 15 
  Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or get 
  tangled in the ivy.
  Five guards wearing matching armor 
  are spread out in a defensive 
  perimeter. Each shows a different 
  cause of death, ranging from deep 
  claw marks to fragments of wooden 
  spears. Two of them lie covered in 
  roots, crushed in their armor.
  Development
  A successful DC 15 Wisdom 
  (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) 
  check reveals that no animals are 
  near the site and any animal tracks 
  appear to be a couple of days old. 
  Inside the coach, a desiccated 
  body is pinned to its seat by a 
  short spear. Next to the body is a 
  coin purse, a message case, and a 
  lockbox.
  If the corpse is touched or the 
  spear disturbed, the corpse gasps 
  and spasms as if alive. This is the 
  result of roots rapidly spreading 
  and growing from the spear through 
  the body and carriage, forming into 
  a tree. Creatures inside the coach 
  must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity 
  saving throw or be trapped in the 
  roots. 
  Moments later, the coach shatters! 
  Creatures within 20 feet of the 
  body must succeed on a DC 16 
  Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 
  (8d6) piercing damage on a failed 
  save or half as much damage on a 
  success. Creatures trapped in the 
  roots automatically fail this saving 
  throw.
  The message case contains a set of 
  letters from the mayor of Cedarvale, 
  Ailene Baycrest (CN human - Appendix 
  B), promising full payment of 400 
  gp upon receipt of the maps and 
  journals—from the time of the 
  initial settlement of Cedarvale—in a 
  sealed lockbox. The lockbox contains 
  the maps and journals, which show 
  ancient ruins and paths through the 
  woods.
  
  48
  As the party departs towards the 
  town, the forest seems to darken, the 
  branches leaning heavier over the 
  road, the foliage growing thicker. 
  Behind them, a loud groan and crack 
  draws their attention back to the 
  coach’s remains in time to see the 
  debris and bodies being dragged into 
  the forest by the roots.
  Rewards
  The messenger’s coin purse contains 
  120 gp. Five serviceable shortswords 
  can be salvaged from the guards.
  At the Gates
  A
  t the end of the road lies 
  Cedarvale, a town surrounded 
  by stone walls with its 
  gates large enough to allow for a 
  single wagon to pass at a time. As 
  they approach, the adventurers are 
  signaled to the side of the road by 
  a group of guards. Above the gate is 
  the Guard Captain’s office.
  On a balcony above the gates, a 
  figure looks out over the road, then 
  goes inside as they notice your 
  party. Up ahead, heavily armed 
  guards signal you to stop for 
  inspection.
  Features of the Area
  The Town Gates. Massive wooden doors 
  are open during the day with guards 
  checking travelers going in and out 
  of Cedarvale. The guards are tense, 
  ready to fight over the smallest 
  slight. Having seen the forest 
  move, they are suspicious of any 
  druids, rangers, or nature clerics 
  until assured that they are simple 
  travelers. If necessary, the guards 
  are convinced with a successful DC 
  10 Charisma (Persuasion) check. 
  On a failure, the guards warn the 
  party that news travels fast in 
  town and there is no tolerance for 
  troublemakers. 
  The Captain’s Office. Overlooking the 
  road, the captain’s office is accessed 
  from a staircase built into the 
  gate tower. Inside, the setting is 
  spartan—only a desk, a small bar, 
  and weapon maintenance station. 
  The sole concession to its owner’s 
  comfort is a large plush armchair by 
  the fireplace. 
  Creatures
  Six guards (treat as knights) and 
  Guard Captain Guyenne (CN human - 
  see Appendix B)
  Tactics
  If provoked, four guards engage 
  in melee while two stay at range, 
  focusing their crossbow attacks on 
  obvious spellcasters while raising 
  the alarm. Guyenne uses her heavy 
  crossbow from her office balcony.
  Development
  The guards ask if the party has 
  met any couriers on the road to 
  town. If the party surrenders the 
  lockbox, they are promptly taken 
  to Guyenne. She asks the party if 
  they met any obstacles on their way 
  to town, offering a summary version 
  of the challenges that her guards 
  have been dealing with: sudden 
  animal attacks, well kept paths 
  becoming overgrown in a single 
  night, hunters disappearing. As new 
  arrivals to town, Guyenne offers 
  the party the job of seeking out 
  leads around town and investigating 
  strange happenings. She notes the 
  townsfolk are much likelier to talk 
  to outsiders, but doesn’t offer 
  details on why this is the case. She 
  provides payment for the lockbox 
  regardless of whether the party 
  accepts her offer.
  
  49
  If the party denies finding the 
  courier through a DC 18 Charisma 
  (Deception) check or refuses future 
  employment, they are advised to 
  spend the night at the Keg and 
  resume travels during daytime. On a 
  failed check, Guyenne shares that 
  she finds it suspicious that the 
  party would miss a coach on the 
  sole road to town but that she has 
  more pressing matters to deal with. 
  However, her door remains open for 
  anyone looking to make an honest 
  wage, if the party recalls anything 
  useful.
  Rewards
  Lockbox delivery reward (400 gp) 
  and compensation for surrendering 
  equipment taken from the stagecoach 
  guards (100 gp). Guard tokens, if 
  accepting Guyenne’s commission.
  Part 2: CraCkiNG the 
  keG
  The party’s arrival at the local 
  tavern does not go unnoticed with 
  all conversation pausing once they 
  step inside the Keg. Bertrand (CG 
  dwarf berserker), the innkeeper, 
  scolds his regulars and invites the 
  party inside, keen for their custom.
  The Keg
  In the cozy tavern, conversations 
  dry up whenever you pass a table. 
  While Bertrand leads you to the bar, 
  a young half-orc palms some coppers 
  then helps two children sneak out 
  the back of the tavern.
  Features of the Area
  The Keg Common Room. A central fire 
  pit keeps the Keg warm with regulars 
  drinking and eating while they swap 
  rumors on what happened in the 
  tavern’s storage yard out back.
  The Backyard. Accessible either by 
  paying the young half-orc his fee or 
  asking for access as part of a Guard 
  investigation. If the party did not 
  accept Guyenne’s offer, a successful 
  DC 15 Charisma (Deception) check can 
  convince him that the party deserves 
  free access.
  Development
  Bertrand is an elderly dwarf, long 
  past his prime. He admits that with 
  caravans disappearing on their way 
  through the woods, he doesn’t see 
  a future for Cedarvale, and the 
  mayor’s ambition means complaints 
  fall on deaf ears. He shares that he 
  was not surprised when mercenaries 
  were charged with hunting alleged 
  occultists, the moniker officially 
  used for all druids. Offhandedly, he 
  mentions the outcome of a scuffle that 
  took place in the alleyway behind 
  the Keg between some mercenaries and 
  a halfling occultist—the mercenaries 
  were turned into trees.
  Out back, a successful DC 15 
  Intelligence (Investigation) check 
  reveals that bricks have crumbled to 
  clay and wooden planks have sprouted 
  small branches. The gate blocking 
  the alley doesn’t look forced; was 
  it inside help? 
  Getting Bertrand to Talk. A 
  successful DC 18 Charisma 
  (Persuasion or Deception) check 
  persuades Bertrand that the party 
  is not working for the guards. 
  Alternately, a successful DC 15 
  Charisma (Intimidation) check 
  frightens Bertrand. Either way, he 
  reveals the halfling’s identity as 
  Ada Greenleaf and her destination, 
  as well as his part in her escape, 
  in a bid to avoid trouble for his 
  inn and patrons. Bertrand assures 
  the party that he has known Ada from 
  childhood and she loves Cedarvale as 
  much as any other settler. He urges 
  the party to consider that there 
  could be more at play than what the 
  mayor or Guyenne may have shared.
  
  50
  Part 3: the sMithy
  The smithy is a large walled-in 
  yard near the mayor’s estate that 
  doubles as living and trade space 
  for Kenneth Greenleaf (CG halfling 
  noble). Around the property, several 
  out of season trees appear to be 
  in bloom. There are more warped 
  buildings and items, the wood 
  appearing to bloom despite having 
  been processed.
  Features of the Area
  The Smithy Yard. The yard is mostly 
  dark with a few smiths still 
  working in the cooler evening. If 
  the smiths are convinced that the 
  party is there to help Kenneth and 
  his daughter Ada (CN halfling druid 
  - see appendix B) instead of simply 
  enforcing Guyenne’s will, they lead 
  the adventurers to the old mayor. If 
  you must use a check, a successful 
  DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion or 
  Deception) check sees the party 
  through. Otherwise, the smiths 
  attempt to buy time for Ada to flee. 
  Development
  W
  hen faced with the party, Ada 
  and Kenneth share her plan and 
  attempt to convince the party 
  of her intentions. 
  The new mayor’s efforts to further 
  tame the forest have caused unrest 
  and broken the agreements that led 
  to Cedarvale’s past prosperity. 
  Without the counsel of her older 
  peers, Dreama, the lone dryad acting 
  as Keeper of the Forest, has decided 
  that she must take extreme actions 
  to protect her charge. 
  Ada intends to awaken the dormant 
  dryad bound to the Old Silver Tree 
  and obtain her aid in preventing 
  Dreama from completing her curse-
  empowered attack on Cedarvale.
  Creatures
  S
  ix smiths (treat as guards), one 
  halfling noble, and Ada Greenleaf 
  (see Appendix)
  Tactics
  If attacked, the smiths and 
  Kenneth engage the party in combat 
  to buy time for Ada to escape. 
  Ada shapeshifts and leaves by 
  the fastest route possible. Once 
  she is gone; Kenneth calls the 
  surrender. If cornered, Ada will 
  fight by casting shillelagh on her 
  quarterstaff. 
  Rewards
  Kenneth offers, or surrenders, four 
  potions of healing and 400 gp.
  Part 4: old tree’s 
  shadoW
  Depending on the outcome of Part 
  3, the party is either escorting 
  or pursuing Ada to the Old Tree a 
  few streets away from her father’s 
  estate. Ahead, a shriveled silver 
  tree trunk stands in front of the 
  mayor’s manor—the dormant dryad’s 
  tree.
  The night does not prove peaceful. 
  Following a thundering sound, whole 
  sections of the town walls collapse, 
  their stone no match for the roots 
  breaching them. As wild attackers 
  storm the streets and guards rush 
  to meet them, your party moves 
  unnoticed through the chaos.
  
  51
  Features of the Area
  T
  he Old Tree. Found in the 
  open plaza before the mayor’s 
  manor, the tree is not 
  unguarded. Guyenne is at the site 
  with several messengers and guards 
  as she marshals the town’s defenses 
  to hold off the onslaught. The Guard 
  captain is distrustful of druids 
  (considering recent events) and is 
  fully intent on stopping any scheme 
  that might contradict the mayor’s 
  orders. Ada rushes to the tree to 
  commune with it.
  Creatures
  F
  our guards, Guyenne (CN numan - 
  Appendix B), and Ada (CN halfling 
  - Appendix B)
  Negotiating Peace
  A 
  successful DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion or Deception) 
  check convinces Guyenne that 
  Ada means well and is looking to 
  save the town, just like her and the 
  guards. The tree offers an acorn to 
  act as a message to Dreama, a call 
  for a truce. 
  Failing to convince Guyenne to stand 
  down or to deceive her into allowing 
  Ada to reach the tree with a DC 18 
  Charisma (Deception) check causes 
  Guyenne to use a flask of alchemist’s 
  fire to set the tree ablaze.
  If the party intends to prevent Ada 
  from communing with the dormant 
  dryad’s tree and warns Guyenne 
  of the druid’s intention without 
  attempting to deescalate the 
  situation, Guyenne will torch the 
  tree. If the tree is set ablaze, 
  Ada sacrifices herself to secure the 
  acorn. The tree is consumed by the 
  fire, a strong gust of wind scatters 
  the ashes and reveals a translucent 
  silver acorn containing a small 
  wisp. Anyone succeeding a DC 16 
  Wisdom (Perception) check hears the 
  wisp urge them to take it to the 
  dryad’s grove so they may calm her.
  If the party sides with Guyenne, she 
  tasks them with joining the mayor in 
  the attack on Dreama’s grove. If the 
  party sides with Ada and they kill 
  Guyenne, they learn from a letter 
  retrieved from Guyenne that the 
  mayor led an expedition to torch the 
  grove earlier that evening. Ada begs 
  the party for their help.
  Tactics
  I
  f combat breaks out, Ada stays 
  out of combat to commune with 
  the tree. If Guyenne can’t be 
  persuaded to aid, the guards engage 
  the party while Guyenne first sets 
  the tree alight, then engages the 
  rest of the party in melee.
  Rewards
  T
  he guards have a total of 
  120 gp. Guyenne has 100 pp, 
  two potions of healing, a +2 
  greatsword , a +2 shortbow , a ring 
  of protection, and two flasks of 
  alchemist’s fire.
  diffiCulty adJustMeNts
  For a more challenging combat 
  encounter, add one veteran guard 
  - gladiator. For a party of level 
  12+, consider adding one mage. For 
  easier combat, the guards can be 
  replaced by one knight.
  
  52
  Part 5: the aNCieNt 
  Grove
  The final area allows the party 
  to choose different paths based 
  on their previous choices. A few 
  options are charted below in the 
  development section.
  Features of the Area
  F
  orest Paths. Traversing the 
  forest is done by either 
  following Ada’s guidance, 
  trying to use Guyenne’s map, or the 
  retrieved acorn’s strange compass-
  like glow. 
  While the adventurers travel, trees 
  shift to block their progress. A 
  successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) 
  check ensures the party successfully 
  navigates the forest. On a failure, 
  the party is turned around by the 
  shifting woods; each party member 
  must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution 
  saving throw or take a level of 
  exhaustion.
  Dreama’s Grove. The grove is located 
  in a clearing, a space built around 
  a massive tree that has grown 
  through the remains of an ancient 
  temple. Nearby trees and the charred 
  remains of a treant show traces of 
  damage from alchemist’s fire.
  The grove is littered with burned 
  trees and the remains of druids and 
  guards, some still locked in combat 
  where they fell. On the steps of 
  an ancient temple’s ruin, the two 
  rulers confront each other.
  Creatures
  D
  reama (CN dryad - Appendix B), 
  Ailene Baycrest (CN human - 
  Appendix B), 2 fire elementals, 
  and 1 treant
  Tactics
  T
  here are many possible combat 
  variants based on the party’s 
  choices. If the party has 
  sided with Dreama, Ailene sends 
  the elementals to fight them while 
  focusing on the dryad. If the party 
  sides with Ailene, they are faced 
  with a treant that the dryad uses as 
  a distraction.
  Development
  G
  uyenne Favored. This option is 
  open if the party has previously 
  sided with Guyenne, and the party 
  is engaging in combat on behalf of 
  Ailene. The goal is to finish off the 
  dryad threat.
  Ada Favored. This option is open 
  if the party has sided with Ada 
  and allows for the best outcome if 
  Guyenne was persuaded to assist 
  Ada after the attack on the town. 
  A successful DC 15 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check convinces Ailene 
  and Dreama to make peace. If Guyenne 
  won’t vouch for the party or Ada has 
  died without the acorn being brought 
  to the grove, the DC increases to 
  20. If all checks fail and combat 
  begins, Guyenne sides with Ada and 
  the party.
  Neutral. If Guyenne and Ada have 
  both been killed, it’s still 
  possible to broker a truce with 
  a successful DC 18 Charisma 
  (Persuasion) check. Dreama retreats 
  deeper into the woods to tend to the 
  acorn passed on by the Old Tree and 
  Ailene goes back to rebuild what she 
  can from the burnt forest and ruined 
  town.
  
  53
  Rewards
  T
  he mayor’s reward consists of 
  500 pp, a brazier of commanding 
  fire elementals, gems worth a 
  total of 500 gp, a +2 rapier , a +2 
  shortbow.
  The dryad’s reward consists of 
  ancient coins worth 1500 gp, gems 
  worth 250 gp, a staff of healing, 
  a ring of free action, a ring of 
  protection, and a ring of the ram 
  diffiCulty adJustMeNts
  Adjust the quantity of fire 
  elementals or replace the treant 
  with a minimum of four awakened 
  trees.
  CoNCludiNG the adveNture
  G
  uyenne Favored. In a scenario 
  where the party fully supported 
  the guards against the forest, 
  Dreama and her forces are killed. 
  The dryad’s curse overwhelms 
  the city, which collapses, most 
  townsfolk transformed into forest 
  creatures. Without dryads or 
  druids to keep Cedarvale and the 
  woods in check, Ailene uses her 
  remaining forces to expand into the 
  wilderness, despite frequent attacks 
  from previously dormant creatures.
  Ada Favored. In the most positive 
  outcome, a new balance is reached. 
  Ailene takes Guyenne’s advice and 
  takes a stand against merchant 
  interests. If both Persuasion checks 
  fail, the party must slay either 
  Ailene or Dreama with the survivor 
  taking over the fallen leader’s 
  role.
  Neutral Outcome. Based on the 
  party’s choices and who is left 
  standing, it’s possible to reach 
  a neutral result in which the 
  flora and fauna around Cedarvale 
  becomes unwelcoming, rapid growth 
  frustrating efforts to continue 
  settlement. This is dependent on 
  at least the acorn being delivered 
  successfully to Dreama.
  CoNtiNuiNG the adveNture
  P
  ossible complications depend 
  on the outcome obtained by the 
  party. The party can assist 
  with resolving those consequences 
  enduring beyond the battle between 
  the mayor and the dryad, such as 
  the recovery of an idol or item 
  from treasure hunters (as a gesture 
  of good will) or putting down an 
  ancient cursed creature or ghost 
  that can no longer be controlled. A 
  final option could be for the party 
  to leave the area, seeking their 
  fortune elsewhere or to distance 
  themselves from the ruined town’s 
  cautionary tale.
  
  54
  aPPeNdix a: draMatis 
  PersoNae
  D
  reama. Youngest of three 
  sisters, Dreama has acted as 
  the forest’s keeper and voice 
  in dealings with the druids and 
  settlers of Cedarvale. Bound to her 
  heart tree within a hidden grove, 
  Dreama was awoken from her sleep 
  by the pain of those who sought 
  sanctuary in the wilds and the 
  cries of those she had once sworn 
  to protect. Her fury increased when 
  she could not reach her sister’s 
  heart tree in Cedarvale. With her 
  sister’s fate uncertain, and shown 
  that the people of Cedarvale cannot 
  be trusted to respect the old pacts, 
  Dreama has taken steps to ensure all 
  debts inflicted upon the forest are 
  repaid.
  Kenneth Greenleaf. In the wake of 
  his replacement, Cedarvale’s former 
  mayor has managed to retain some 
  of his influence, given his status 
  as a prosperous blacksmith. Since 
  his forced retirement, Kenneth 
  has retreated to his workshop, 
  seen only by his apprentices and 
  fellow tradesfolk. The gates to 
  his small compound are open to 
  all those seeking aid or shelter 
  from the mayor’s hunts for suspect 
  occultists. While he cannot impede 
  the guards’ efforts, Kenneth and his 
  crew do their best to help people 
  escape the confines of the city and 
  aid those being crushed by the new 
  levies.
  Ada Greenleaf. Since childhood, Ada 
  has known that the life of a mayor’s 
  daughter was not what she wanted for 
  herself. Faced with the prospect 
  of a dreary existence surrounded 
  by merchants and high society, Ada 
  stole away in the night and followed 
  her mother’s footsteps, choosing to 
  join a druid circle. Thanks to her 
  cheery personality, along with her 
  love of stories and the wilds, Ada 
  quickly rose through the circle’s 
  ranks, becoming a member of the 
  grove guardians.
  Bertrand Stonecrag. An original 
  settler of Cedarvale and retired 
  adventurer, Bertrand has kept 
  himself out of the settlement’s 
  politics in the years since founding 
  The Keg. Recently, the kindly 
  innkeeper has taken to speaking out 
  against the mayor’s edicts, both out 
  of fondness for the Greenleaf family 
  and because he sees the increased 
  disregard for nature as no good.
  Guyenne. Guyenne found herself 
  drawn to the sea until her path met 
  that of Ailene Baycrest. The former 
  mercenary has followed her once-
  captain across the seas and through 
  the halls of politics, all the way 
  to Ailene’s new post as Cedarvale’s 
  mayor. Now, Guyenne finds herself 
  torn between her duties as Guard 
  Captain and her dislike of the 
  changes she has seen sweep through 
  Cedarvale—and its new mayor.
  Ailene Baycrest. A former privateer 
  can always count on the disdain of 
  merchants and nobles alike, yet this 
  did not prove an obstacle to Ailene. 
  Having secured her appointment as 
  mayor, she turned her determination 
  and focus towards increasing the 
  profits brought in from the far-
  flung outpost, as expected by her 
  patrons. Hindered by the townsfolk’s 
  superstitions and rumors of strange 
  omens and disappearances, Ailene 
  turned her attention towards 
  silencing the dryad spoken of in 
  hushed whispers, proving that 
  progress cannot be delayed.
  
  55
  aPPeNdix b: MoNsters 
  & NPCs
  Ada Greenleaf, forest druid
  Small humanoid (halfling), chaotic neutral 
  Armor Class 
  16 (hide armour +2)
  Hit Points 
  98 (13d6 + 52)
  Speed 
   
  30 ft.
  saving throws 
  Int +4, Wis +9
  Skills  
  Animal Handling +9, Medicine  
   
   
   
  +9, Nature +4, Perception +9,  
   
   
   
  Persuasion +6
  Senses   
  passive Perception 19
  Challenge   
  10 (5900 XP)
  languages   
  Common, Druidic, Elvish
  Spellcasting. Ada is a 10th level spell-
  caster. Her spellcasting ability is 
  Wisdom (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit 
  with spell attacks). Ada has the 
  following druid spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, 
  mending, poison spray, shillelagh
  1st Level (4 Slots): animal 
  friendship, cure wounds, entan-
  gle, healing word, thunderwave
  2nd Level (3 slots): heat metal, 
  hold person, lesser restoration, 
  moonbeam
  3rd Level (3 slot): call light-
  ning, dispel  magic, meld into 
  stone
  4th Level (3 slot): hallucinatory 
  terrain, polymorph, stoneskin
  5th Level (2 slot): greater res-
  toration, mass cure wounds
  CON
  18 
  (+4)
  DEX
  14 
  (+2)
  STR
  10 
  (+0)
  INT
  10 
  (+0)
  WIS
  20 
  (+5)
  CHA
  14 
  (+2)
  Actions
  Staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 
  (1d6) bludgeoning damage.
  Staff (Shillelagh). Melee Weapon Attack: 
  +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 8 (1d6 +5) bludgeoning dam-
  age.
  Change Shape (2/day). Ada polymorphs into a 
  beast or elemental with a challenge 
  rating of 6 or less, and can remain 
  in this form for up to 9 hours. Ada 
  can choose whether her equipment 
  falls to the ground, melds with her 
  new form, or is worn by her new 
  form. Ada reverts to her true form 
  if she dies or falls unconscious, 
  or by using a bonus action on her 
  turn.
  In the new form, Ada retains her 
  ability to speak, but her AC, 
  movement modes, Strength, and 
  Dexterity are replaced by those 
  of her new form, and it gains any 
  special senses, proficiencies, 
  traits, actions, and reactions 
  (except class features, legendary 
  actions, and lair actions), that 
  the new form has but Ada lacks. Ada 
  can cast her spells with verbal or 
  somatic components in her new form. 
  The new form’s attacks count 
  as magical for the purpose of 
  overcoming resistances and immunity 
  to non-magical attacks. 
  
  56
  Dreama, keeper of the forest
  Medium fey (dryad), chaotic neutral 
  Armor Class 
  16 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 
  141 (20d8 + 40)
  Speed 
   
  30 ft.
  saving throws 
  Con +6, Int +8, Wis +9
  Skills  
  Animal Handling +9, Arcana +8,  
   
   
   
  Nature +8, Perception +9
  Senses   
  passive Perception 19
  languages   
  Common, Sylvan 
  Challenge   
  9 (5000 XP)
  Innate Spellcasting. Dreama’s innate spell-
  casting ability is Wisdom (spell 
  save DC 17). She can innately cast 
  the following spells, without mate-
  rial components:
  At will: druidcraft
  4/day: dispel magic, entangle, 
  plant growth, spike growth
  2/day: moonbeam, call lightning, 
  blight
  Magic Resistance. Dreama has advantage on 
  saving throws against spells and 
  other magical effects.
  CON
  14 
  (+2)
  DEX
  19 
  (+4)
  STR
  12 
  (+1)
  INT
  19 
  (+4)
  WIS
  20 
  (+5)
  CHA
  21 
  (+5)
  Actions
  Multiattack. Dreama makes three attacks 
  using her poison ivy staff, her 
  longbow, or a combination both.
  Poison ivy staff. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 
  to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 
  Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) bludgeoning dam-
  age. If the target is a creature, 
  they must succeed a DC 15 Consti-
  tution save or suffer an extra 7 
  (2d6) poison damage.
  Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to 
  hit, range 150/600, one target. 
  Hit: 8 (1d8 +4) piercing damage. 
  If the target is a creature, they 
  must succeed a DC 15 Constitution 
  save or suffer an extra 7 (2d6) 
  poison damage.
  Forest Kin (1/day). Dreama is linked to 
  the forest, able to communicate 
  with plants and animals. She can 
  ask for aid in the form of two 
  Awakened trees or a forest creature 
  CR 6 or less to intervene in her 
  favour.
  
  57
  Guyenne, guard captain
  Medium humanoid (human), chaotic neutral 
  Armor Class 
  18 (chainmail, shield)
  Hit Points 
  128 (18d8 + 36)
  Speed 
   
  30 ft.
  saving throws 
  Str +8, Con +6
  Skills  
  Athletics +8, Perception +6
  Senses   
  passive Perception 16
  Challenge   
  9 (5000 XP)
  languages   
  Common
  SECOND WIND (recharges after short or long rest). Guy-
  enne can regain 20 hit points as a 
  bonus action.
  indomitable (2/day). Guyenne rerolls a sav-
  ing throw that she fails. She must 
  use the new roll. 
  CON
  14 
  (+2)
  DEX
  14 
  (+2)
  STR
  18 
  (+4)
  INT
  10 
  (+0)
  WIS
  10 
  (+0)
  CHA
  12 
  (+1)
  Actions
  Multiattack. Guyenne makes three attacks 
  with her greatsword or her cross-
  bow. 
  Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 
  11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 
  7 (2d6) slashing damage if Guyenne 
  has more than half her hit points 
  remaining.
  crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to 
  hit, range 100/400, one target. 
  Hit: 8 (1d10 +3) piercing damage 
  plus 7 (2d6) piercing damage if 
  Guyenne has more than half her hit 
  points remaining.
  Disarm. As a bonus action, Guyenne 
  locks her opponent’s weapon in her 
  grip and attempts to disarm them. The 
  target needs to pass a DC 16 Strength 
  (Athletics) check to free themselves 
  and keep hold of their weapon. On a 
  failure, they must give up control of 
  their weapon or be grappled.
  Ailene Baycrest, Town Mayor
  Medium humanoid (human), chaotic neutral 
  Armor Class 
  18 (chainmail +2)
  Hit Points 
  128 (18d8 + 36)
  Speed 
   
  30 ft.
  saving throws 
  Str +7, Dex +9, Con +6
  Skills  
  Intimidation +6, Persuasion +6,  
   
   
   
  Perception +4
  Senses   
  passive Perception 14
  Challenge   
  9 (5000 XP)
  languages   
  Common, Elvish
  SECOND WIND (recharges after short or long rest). 
  Ailene regains 20 hit points as a 
  bonus action.
  indomitable (2/day). Guyenne rerolls a sav-
  ing throw that she fails. She must 
  use the new roll. 
  Ablaze. Ailene prepares for fights by 
  igniting her weapons and utilizing 
  special amunition for her crossbow. 
  CON
  14 
  (+2)
  DEX
  20 
  (+5)
  STR
  16 
  (+3)
  INT
  10 
  (+0)
  WIS
  10 
  (+0)
  CHA
  14 
  (+2)
  Actions
  Multiattack. Ailene makes three attacks 
  with her greatsword or her crossbow. 
  She ignores the crossbow’s Loading 
  property. 
  Blazing Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 
  9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage plus 7 
  (2d6) fire damage.
  Firebolt crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 
  to hit, range 100/400, one target. 
  Hit: 10 (1d10 +5) piercing damage 
  plus 7 (2d6) fire damage.
  Vicious Strike (3/day). When Ailene hits an 
  opponent with a rapier attack, she can 
  deal an additional 9 (2d8) necrotic 
  damage and regain that many hit points.
  
  58
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  Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James 
  Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce 
  R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve 
  Townshend, based on original 
  material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave 
  Arneson. END OF LICENSE
  
  The 
  End
  Come back next month for 4 
  adventures about how capitalism 
  manipulates...
   
  HEALTH & BEAUTY
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Eat the Rich Environment.pdf