TEXT:  
   
  
  Introduction 
  Doorway to Darkness is a Dungeons & Dragons 
  adventure designed to be completed in about 3-
  4 hours of play. The combat encounters have 
  been calculated to present a tough challenge to 
  four 2nd level characters. They will present a less 
  difficult, though still enjoyable, challenge to 
  higher level characters or larger parties.  
  Not every loose end is tied up in the following 
  text, nor every possible action accounted for. Be 
  ready to improvise, and do so with confidence!  
  Unless stated otherwise, assume NPCs have the 
  stats of a commoner.  
   
  Long Odds 
  Read or paraphrase the following - 
  You have spent a couple of days resting and 
  recuperating in the village of Longsaddle. This 
  evening you're warming benches in The 
  Gambling Golem, one of the inns that serve 
  travelers on the Long Road. The Gambling Golem 
  is aptly named and the flick of cards, roll of dice, 
  banter and occasional argument make it all the 
  more interesting. 
  As you contemplate returning to the road, your 
  games and drinks are interrupted. A flustered, 
  middle-aged woman approaches your table. She 
  is tall and sinewy with flaxen hair, and wears a 
  thick leather apron, grey with rock dust. She 
  rubs her calloused hands together anxiously as 
  she says, “Could I trouble you for a moment?” 
  The woman is Katethra Frostlight, though 
  she'll introduce herself as Kat. She would prefer 
  to speak in private back at her home, but will 
  talk to the party here if they insist. If they do go 
  back with her, she'll lead them to a big wooden 
  shack with a cot, table and chairs on one side, 
  and a fenced area with several sacks of silver ore 
  on the other.  
  At present there are only a few sacks of ore in 
  storage there. To the untrained eye, silver ore 
  looks like glittering, grey rock. It is worth about 
  1gp per 5 pounds on average. 
  Kat invites the PCs to take a seat, and then 
  explains her problem -  
  “I’m a miner by trade, and have been my whole 
  life. It’s the only work I know. I’m with a group 
  that has been mining up and down the Long 
  Road for years.  
  “A couple of months back we reopened an old 
  mine in the Starmetal Hills – it’s about a day’s 
  travel from here. We are mining silver,” she 
  swallows and wrings her hands together. “The 
  last few weeks it’s been my turn to look after the 
  storeroom here. Someone from the camp brings 
  back the ore, I sort and store it, then sell it to 
  merchants that pass through Longsaddle. I also 
  buy supplies for the site, repair the tools, and do 
  about a million other things too. 
  “The problem is, I usually hear from the site 
  every two or three days, but it has been more 
  than a week now and I’ve… I’ve had no word at 
  all. I'm sure something must have happened to 
  them - and I need you to find out what.” 
  She is obviously desperate for the PCs to help, 
  and is willing to offer them 200gp to investigate. 
  She can’t go any higher than this as she simply 
  lacks the funds.  
  If the PCs question her she can tell them there 
  were roughly 30 miners at the camp. This 
  includes her husband (Gedd) and son (Brand), 
  which is one of the reasons she is so distressed.  
  
  Kat can give the PCs directions and a rough map 
  that will show them how to get to the mine, but 
  she won’t accompany them. If asked why, she 
  will unconvincingly say it’s because she has to 
  see a merchant who will be in town the next 
  day. If pressed, she will admit the real reason is 
  because she is pregnant. 
   
  Death's a Drag 
  It takes about a day of travel to reach the mines, 
  which lie south-west of Longsaddle. As they get 
  closer to the mine, anyone with Nature 
  proficiency will notice it has become unnaturally 
  quiet and still, with no signs of animal or bird 
  life. 
  As the PCs reach the edge of the tree-covered 
  hills, they'll run into a disturbing scene... 
  Just ahead, amongst the dry and twisted trees 
  that barely cling to life in the rugged foothills, 
  you catch sight of movement. For a moment you 
  only see shadows, lurching stiffly across your 
  field of view, but then one moves into the light 
  and all becomes apparent. Ahead of you is a 
  cluster of the walking dead - some 'juicy', some 
  little more than bones. They appear to be 
  dragging a still body between them.  
  With yellowed shrunken eyes they stare at you 
  from the trees. A gleaming silver symbol on each 
  undead forehead catches the scattered sunlight 
  and reflects it across the ground, flickering like 
  a butterfly made of tinsel. 
  There are 6 zombies here. They vary in their 
  state of rot. Three are very fresh, another 
  bloated and clotted, the next old, dusty, 
  festooned with cobwebs and the last one little 
  more than a skeleton covered in ancient leathery 
  strips of flesh. A moment after they spy the 
  party, they will move forward to attack. 
  Tactics. These zombies fight with great 
  intelligence, not acting with the customary 
  stupidity of their kind. They will gang up on 
  single targets, use cover, and stand in loose 
  formation if the party begin using area effect 
  magic.  
  In addition, future zombies that the party 
  encounter will appear to have learned tactical 
  lessons from these early fights. 
  The Survivor. Between them they were dragging 
  the unconscious body of a dark-haired man. 
  Once the PCs dispose of the zombies they will be 
  able to revive him - 
  “Thank you... thank you,” he leans over and 
  coughs, rubbing the bruises on his head. 
  “Please… do you have water?” He looks to be in 
  poor condition, both exhausted and 
  malnourished.  
  After the PCs give him some water, he will tell 
  them his story -  
  “I’m… I'm Rohan Greysmith and I’m from the 
  mine. I was trying to sneak out of the camp and 
  get back to town for help. But they were waiting 
  for me, lying on the ground like logs. I thought I 
  was through, then they rose up in the dark and 
  took me. I don’t remember much more.  
  “These creatures have been attacking us for over 
  a week now. They come in waves, and we beat 
  them back as best we can, using shovels and 
  picks mostly. They keep fighting until one or two 
  of us go down; then – dear gods! - they drag the 
  bodies back to the mine.  
  “But that’s not the worst of it – not nearly the 
  worst. A day or two later we find our dead have 
  been raised again with one of those damned 
  silver marks on their forehead, and are now 
  fighting against us. Mercy! As we grow fewer, 
  they add to their strength. 
  “I am so very weary, and I have no hope left.” 
  
  He’s not able to provide any more real 
  information about the zombies. He tells the 
  party that the other survivors, back at the camp, 
  will be glad to get some help - even if it's just a 
  handful of adventurers. He's dizzy and weak and 
  cannot walk too well, but he'll be able to guide 
  the PCs back to the mining camp. 
  The Silver Mark. Anyone examining the silver 
  mark on the foreheads of the zombies and 
  making a DC 20 Arcana check will determine it 
  is a sigil representing the Shadowfell, a desolate 
  place of negative energy and dark necrotic 
  magic. Every zombie the PCs encounter will 
  have such a mark. 
   
  The Camp 
  Rohan leads them to a path that connects the 
  mine to the camp. It is fairly well beaten down 
  from the pit-ponies and miners who walked 
  back and forth on it daily - before the undead 
  came. All of the pit-ponies either fled or were 
  killed in the first wave of attacks. 
  As they follow the path back to the camp, the 
  party will see various signs of scuffles - blood on 
  the trees, drag marks in the dirt and disturbed 
  earth. Occasionally there's movement in the 
  distance, or a low moan carried on the wind, but 
  nothing comes close to them.  
  Eventually they'll arrive at the camp -  
  The miner's camp is a mess. Several big canvas 
  tents stand in a circle around a central fire pit, 
  though it only barely smolders at the moment 
  and there's little firewood to be seen. A few of 
  the tents are torn, little more than big wet 
  scraps clinging to their pegs.  
  An old brick wall, all that remains of some 
  ancient structure, stands on one side of the site. 
  The miners have piled up some sacks of ore and 
  wooden beams in a semi-circle before it, forming 
  a kind of half-hearted stockade. 
  As you approach, the miners themselves appear 
  from their hidey-holes around the ruined camp. 
  They are haggard and hollow-eyed, barely able 
  to lift the picks and shovels they've clearly been 
  using as weapons. They are unwashed, muddy 
  and stinking - they look little different to the 
  undead that they have been fighting.  
  Shrouded in damp blankets and shivering, they 
  stare at you silently, even disbelievingly. There 
  is only one left among them who appears to have 
  a little iron left in his spine. He tightens his grip 
  on his pick and steps forward. 
  “I'm Gedd Frostlight - are you here to help?” 
  Gedd is Kat's husband. He has been holding the 
  miners together as they defend against the 
  undead.  
  About Last Week 
  Gedd is very pleased to see the PCs. He tells 
  them that the attacks started ten days ago, and 
  that the zombies appear to come from the mine. 
  They are using 'hit and run' tactics - they retreat 
  when they suffer too much damage, or when one 
  or two of the miners are either killed or rendered 
  unconscious. When this happens, the zombies 
  always drag the bodies away to be raised again 
  as the walking dead. From what Gedd has seen, 
  they are acting in an intelligent and coordinated 
  manner. 
  A few miners have tried to sneak out on their 
  own, but no-one appears to have been able to 
  
  get through. On the third night after the attacks 
  started, the entire group tried to force their way 
  through the woods and back to Longsaddle. A 
  large number of the undead converged on them, 
  and the miners fled back to the camp.  
  Gedd is not sure why the creatures have not just 
  used their numbers to “roll through” the camp. 
  There are just eight miners left now - six 
  humans and two dwarves (the company started 
  with thirty people in total). 
  The Old Wall 
  If the PCs examine the old wall, they will find a 
  brass plaque with the following inscription –  
  This chantry is dedicated to the great god 
  Lathander in order to “keep the darkness at 
  bay”. It was sponsored by Lucien Harpell. 
  A DC 10 Religion check will reveal that 
  Lathander is the god of life, light, birth and 
  renewal. A DC 15 History check will reveal that 
  Lucien Harpell was an archmage who lived in 
  this area hundreds of years ago - he had an evil 
  reputation.   
  The miners do not realise it, but they have 
  established their camp on consecrated ground. 
  This has considerably weakened the power of 
  the undead attacks on their site. 
  What Next 
  Gedd doesn't want to leave the site now, even 
  with the help of the adventurers. His son Brand 
  Frostlight (who is sixteen) was dragged into the 
  mine that very morning. Gedd believes that 
  Brand might still be alive.  
  There may be time – if they are quick – to raid 
  the mine and rescue Brand. They may even be 
  able to stop whatever evil force is behind the 
  undead - though Gedd is doubtful of that. 
  None of the other remaining miners can be 
  persuaded to go to the mine – the mere thought 
  fills them with terror. Gedd will plead with the 
  party to go into the mine with him. If necessary, 
  he will offer them another 100gp on top of the 
  fee that Kat has already promised.  
  Gedd can lead the party to the mine easily 
  enough, and he knows the interior layout very 
  well. 
  If they refuse… 
  If the party refuse to assist Gedd, he will head 
  off to the mine himself (and presumably get 
  killed). If the party then make a run for the 
  town, the eight remaining miners will go with 
  them.  
  About half an hour after leaving the camp, they 
  will be attacked by 15 zombies who will 
  converge on them from all sides. The miners 
  will fight as commoners. At the end of every 
  round, half of the remaining miners (rounded 
  up) will flee the battle, never to be heard from 
  again.  
  The Mine 
  A map of the mine may be found on the final 
  page. 
  The mine is only about twenty minutes’ walk 
  from the camp. The twisted, low trees rapidly 
  give way to rocks, scree and gravel as the path is 
  followed, and the last few minutes are spent 
  scrambling up the foothills before reaching the 
  mine itself. While the walking dead are around, 
  lurking at long distances in the trees, they do 
  not approach the party. 
  Once they enter the mine, Gedd will wish to 
  search every side tunnel for Brand. He will be 
  very impatient at any delay, but will grudgingly 
  follow the directions of the party.  
  Gedd in battle 
  Gedd is a tough miner, but he's not really any 
  sort of fighter. He’s also exhausted after ten 
  days of constant battles. For the purpose of 
  combat, he has the statistics of a guard, 
  though with an armor class of 12. He fights 
  with a pick axe, doing 1d4 damage. The 
  undead, guided by a dark intelligence, will 
  realise he is the weakest threat and will target 
  him last in combat. 
  
  1. The Entrance 
  The entrance to the mine is a black hole in the 
  side of the mountain, almost unnaturally dark. 
  Cold air and a ripe, sweet, sweaty stink drift out 
  of that hole. A stack of old, dried up and 
  crumbling wooden boards lay in the weeds, 
  thrown aside when the mine was re-opened.  
  Entering the mine is simple enough, but the 
  unnatural darkness in there halves the range of 
  any light source.  
  There is nothing protecting the entrance – they 
  want people to enter. If the adventurers try to 
  leave without dealing with the creatures in 
  location 8, then 8 zombies will converge on 
  them, ready to fight. 
  2. The Carts 
  A chamber is carved out of the rock here, 
  broader and wider than the tunnels. On stone 
  rails cut crudely into the ground sit several mine 
  carts, full of rock fragments and glittering ore. 
  The chamber is otherwise as silent as the grave, 
  and the air has a rotten, unnatural scent about 
  it. 
  The rails run back out towards the entrance but 
  don't go all the way into the mine. There are four 
  carts, all apparently full of rock and ore. There 
  is also quite a lot of “scrap stone” scattered 
  around. The carts are made of wood and are 
  crudely hewn; their wheels are not quite true 
  and it takes some effort to move them. 
  Lurking inside the carts are 8 zombies, each 
  covered by a thin layer of rock and ore. Spotting 
  them will require a DC 20 Perception check. 
  Tactics. The zombies are ready to ambush 
  anyone who comes within 5’ of them. If the PCs 
  make a ranged assault, they will use the carts 
  as cover and push them forward in order to 
  advance. Anyone with proficiency in Arcana or 
  Religion will notice that the zombies are 
  behaving much more intelligently than such 
  creatures normally do. 
  3. Crawling Claws 
  As the party are heading up this tunnel, they 
  will hear a noise ahead like the scurrying of 
  dozens of tiny feet. They have one round to 
  react, and then 14 crawling claws will swarm 
  down the tunnel and attack.  
  Tactics. If the party flee before combat 
  commences, they may be able to escape. The 
  claws will follow them if they run, but will not 
  pass through the mine entrance. If the party do 
  escape, the claws will return to their original 
  resting place near location 3. 
  Treasure. One of the claws is wearing an 
  electrum ring set with tiny emeralds, which is 
  worth 30gp. 
   
  4. The Raw Head 
  This is, apparently, one end of a vein the miners 
  were working. There are abandoned tools and 
  sacks on a sloping pile of rubble along the north 
  wall.  
  The ceiling, floors and walls seem to be 
  throbbing and shifting. A moment later you 
  realise they are covered with thousands upon 
  thousands of crawling bugs. 
  There are 3 swarms of caterpillars in this large 
  cavern, covering just about every surface.  
  Tactics. If the party enter the cavern, the 
  swarms will attack. If the party stay at the 
  cavern entrance and have lights, the swarms 
  will begin moving toward them after a few 
  rounds and will attack. 
  Treasure. There are several nuggets of silver 
  amongst the rubble, worth about 50gp. It will 
  take half an hour to locate all of them. 
  
  5. The Broken Beams 
  Ahead, you can see signs of fighting. There are 
  scraps of flesh and broken bone on the ground, 
  rusty brown bloodstains on the walls and 
  scratches and splintered wood on the support 
  beams. A pile of rocks and broken beams block 
  the tunnel - too large to move, though it would 
  be easy enough to scramble over the top.  
  A fight between some miners and the zombies 
  caused a minor cave-in here. Many of the 
  support beams have been knocked out, and 
  those that remain are loose - the roof is ready to 
  give way again at any moment. A dwarf or PC 
  with a mining background will spot the 
  weakness automatically. Gedd will not notice, 
  partly due to fatigue and partly due to his 
  eagerness to search for Brand.  
  Any other PC will only spot the danger if they 
  specifically look at the beams and make a DC 20 
  Survival check.  
  If anyone of medium size or larger tries to climb 
  over the pile of rocks and wood, a 20’ section of 
  the tunnel roof will collapse. Everyone within 20’ 
  of the pile must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving 
  throw or suffer 2d8 bludgeoning damage.  
  Anyone struck by the rocks will then be trapped 
  beneath them. Freeing them from beneath the 
  rubble will require a DC 15 Strength check. 
  Following the collapse, the area becomes difficult 
  terrain, but can be passed over without fear of 
  further cave-ins. 
   
  Treasure. On the far side of the pile are the 
  remains of an ancient corpse, trapped under the 
  mess. Around its wrist is a silver bracelet worth 
  50gp. If the party take the trouble to excavate 
  the whole body, they will find a longsword +1 in 
  an old scabbard attached to the body. 
  6. The Pit 
  Ahead of you is a dark pit from which arises a 
  nauseating smell. On the opposite side the 
  tunnel terminates in a pile of rubble. There is 
  nothing of interest there aside from a large, old, 
  rusty toolbox.  
  This pit was created when a section of the 
  tunnel floor subsided under the weight of 
  several passing zombies.  
  The pit is 15’ across and 40’ deep. The bottom of 
  the pit is a small natural cavern with water 3’ 
  deep. Anyone falling into the water must make a 
  DC 15 Dexterity save or take 2d6 bludgeoning 
  damage. In addition, there are 2 zombies 
  lurking beneath the water, bloated and 
  grotesque.  
  The far side of the pit is difficult terrain due to 
  the rubble, therefore any PC jumping over will 
  have to make a DC 10 Acrobatics check or fall 
  backward into the pit when they land. A check 
  will also be required on the return jump. 
  There are wooden support beams in the ceiling – 
  it’s possible the PCs may figure out a way to 
  attach a rope to one of them and swing across. 
  Climbing across the pit using the side wall will 
  require a DC 15 Acrobatics check both ways. 
  Tactics. If a PC falls into the water, the zombies 
  will rise up and attack.  
  Treasure. The old toolbox has been in the mine 
  for many years, and contains rusty hammers, 
  pick heads, wedges, shovels and crowbars. 
  There is also a small leather pouch near the 
  bottom, containing two rough diamonds worth 
  80gp each.  
  
  7. The Crack 
  You come close to a crack in the wall and briefly 
  see through to a parallel tunnel. There is very 
  little light, but you do see several shadowy 
  figures and hear the call of a loud voice - “Stand 
  fast! Hold together!” 
  Gedd's face lights up. “That's Brand! My son! We 
  have to get there, right now! Follow me!”  
  He hefts his pick with renewed vigor and rushes 
  ahead of you down the tunnel as the sound of 
  clashing arms and the groans of the dead issue 
  through the crack. 
  The crack is too small for any of the PCs to pass 
  through, though smaller creatures or familiars 
  could pass. If this happens, they will see two 
  young miners battling against several zombies 
  with a shadowy presence nearby. 
   
  8. The Shadow Portal 
  As you emerge from the tight tunnel, the 
  darkness seems to intensify. The cavern you 
  have entered is large and circular, with the 
  ceiling supported by numerous beams and 
  freestanding struts.  
  Continued in the next column… 
  One brave miner stands before you, surrounded 
  by the walking dead. His pick drips with the 
  congealed ichor of his foes, while he himself 
  spits blood defiantly towards a black 'thing' that 
  lurks at the threshold of shadowy emptiness. 
  “Brand!” gasps Gedd, struggling toward him.  
  The shadowy creature is painful to the eyes, the 
  darkness seeming to suck at your very sight. Its 
  silent cry of anger at your presence is felt more 
  than heard. Behind the creature, faintly, you 
  can make out a silver door set into the far wall. 
  The door is open. 
  The shambling zombies around Brand turn their 
  attention towards you, raising their arms and 
  snarling in shared anger. Time to fight. 
  The dark creature is known as a shadow welt.  
  It stands at the threshold of a dark portal 
  leading to the Shadowfell. It is the shadow welt 
  that has raised the dead and is trying to spread 
  its evil influence beyond the cave. It is this 
  creature that provides the guiding intelligence 
  behind the zombies. 
  The shadow welt is accompanied by 8 zombies. 
  There are also 4 dead miners near Brand 
  Frostlight. 
  Tactics. The zombies will attack using the 
  intelligent tactics that have marked their 
  behaviour so far. Brand has the same fighting 
  statistics as his father. Both Brand and Gedd 
  will throw themselves into the battle without 
  hesitation. 
  The shadow welt has the same statistics as a 
  shadow, though with triple the hit points. It also 
  has the power to animate zombies. The creature 
  will not fight directly – rather, each round it will 
  hover over the body of a dead miner and trace a 
  silver sigil upon their forehead with a shadowy 
  finger. The miner will then rise up as a zombie.  
  If the shadow welt runs out of corpses to 
  animate, it will instead hover over the body of a 
  
  destroyed zombie. The zombie will then be re-
  animated with just 1 hit point.  
  If all of the zombies are killed, or the shadow 
  welt itself has lost at least half of its hit points, 
  it will retreat through the silver door into the 
  inky blackness. Any creature following it 
  through the door will find themselves in the 
  Shadowfell, and will be quickly destroyed. 
  Treasure. Amongst the detritus in the room are 
  the remnants of an old magical lab. It's mostly 
  broken trash, but there are enough surviving 
  vials of reagents and rare materials to fetch 
  150gp from the right buyer. There's also an old 
  magical tome - the pages have rotted away but 
  the cover remains and is marked with the 
  personal sigil (decipherable by a Wizard or 
  Sorcerer) of 'Lucien Harpell'. 
   
  Brand’s Story 
  Brand and his companion were both struck 
  unconscious during a recent raid on the camp 
  site. They awoke in the large cavern with the 
  shadow welt hovering over them. They picked 
  up a pick each (left there by the miners who 
  most recently uncovered the cavern), and 
  began fighting. 
  Closing the door. If the silver door remains 
  open, the shadow welt will return from the 
  Shadowfell within 1d6 days. Closing the door 
  requires a DC 15 Strength check. This will seal 
  the portal to the Shadowfell and prevent dark 
  creatures from coming through. However, the 
  door can be re-opened at any time.  
  The only way to truly seal the portal is to bring 
  down the roof of the cavern. Knocking over one 
  of the struts requires a sledgehammer (easily 
  found in location 7) and a DC 15 Strength 
  check.  
  Once six struts have been knocked over the 
  cavern roof will buckle and collapse, sealing the 
  silver door and the dark portal forever. Anyone 
  in the cavern when it collapses must make a DC 
  15 Athletics check or be caught by falling rock 
  and take 3d6 bludgeoning damage. They will 
  also be trapped and must be dug out – it’s at 
  your discretion to decide how much effort that 
  requires, or if it is even possible. 
  Clever PCs will look to use a rope or a fire to 
  remove the struts and collapse the tunnel roof 
  safely. 
  Filling in the gaps 
  Your players will have formed a rough idea of 
  the backstory from the clues provided. You can 
  decide if (and how) they learn any of the 
  following additional detail. 
  Hundreds of years ago, a young mage named 
  Lucien Harpell was tracking necromantic ley 
  lines through the Starmetal Hills. He followed 
  one of the lines into the old silver mine, and 
  caused his servants to dig a tunnel to a natural 
  cavern where a nexus of the ley lines had 
  formed.  
  Lucien set up a simple laboratory in the cavern 
  and used the nexus to perform dark and 
  obscure research. One of his experiments went 
  terribly wrong, however, and caused a rip to 
  open between the natural world and the 
  Shadowfell. Through this rip entered the 
  shadow welt.  
  It took all of the young mage’s power to force 
  the shadow welt to retreat back through the 
  portal, and many of his servants were killed in 
  the process. Lucien temporarily closed the rip, 
  then fashioned the silver door to seal it more 
  
  permanently. He then collapsed the entrance of 
  the narrow tunnel leading to the cavern, and 
  later funded a chantry dedicated to Lathander 
  to discourage the dark creature from ever 
  emerging again.  
  For many years the silver door and the dark 
  portal beyond lay undisturbed. But then Gedd’s 
  company began working the mine again and 
  after a few months a pair of miners excavated 
  out the entrance to the troublesome cavern. To 
  their astonishment, they discovered a silver 
  door set into the rock, and one of them reached 
  out to open it… 
   
  The Journey Home 
  As the party leave the mine, read the following - 
  Emerging from the tunnels and back out into 
  the light is exhilarating. You only realise how 
  cloying, choking, suffocating the darkness was 
  after you step out into the light. It reinvigorates 
  you and returns hope to your hearts.  
  If Gedd and Brand survive, read this -  
  Gedd and his son whoop and holler with joy to 
  breathe clean air and bask in the sunlight. 
  “We're alive! We're free!” 
  Presumably the party will go to the mining camp 
  to retrieve the surviving miners before returning 
  to Longsaddle. On the trip back they will notice 
  that the animals, birds and other creatures have 
  slowly begun to return to the area. There are a 
  number of zombies still roaming the woods, but 
  they are no longer guided by the shadow welt, 
  and so are much less of a threat.  
  As they approach the village they'll be greeted by 
  Kat. If Gedd and Brand survive, read this -  
  Ahead of you, running out of the village, comes 
  Kat. Her hair streams behind her and tears run 
  down her cheeks. She flies into the weary arms 
  of her husband, kissing him over and over again 
  before she drags her son and her husband 
  together into a rib-cracking crush.  
  She raises her tear-streaked face towards you. 
  “Thank you, thank you so much! Anything we 
  can help you with, ever - you just ask. We owe 
  you our lives.” 
  She will happily pay them the agreed fee. If 
  Gedd promised them additional money, she will 
  honor his commitment, though it may take some 
  months to do so.  
  If Gedd or Brand were killed, the meeting with 
  Kat will be much more difficult. She will be 
  extremely distraught, but will still pay what she 
  promised. 
  The Frostlight family (whoever survives) elect to 
  stay in Longsaddle. They give up mining 
  altogether and become metal merchants instead. 
  In due course, Kat gives birth to a new child and 
  names it after one of the PCs. And from that day 
  onwards, the party will always have a friendly 
  hearth in Longsaddle. 
   
  
  Credits & Legals 
  Design: James Desborough and M.T. Black. 
  Acknowledgement: This adventure is loosely 
  based on an idea by Patrick Benson.   
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  Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon 
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  Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D 
  Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the 
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  are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the 
  USA and other countries. All characters and 
  their distinctive likenesses are property of 
  Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected 
  under the copyright laws of the United States of 
  America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use 
  of the material or artwork contained herein is 
  prohibited without the express written 
  permission of Wizards of the Coast. 
   
   
   
  
   
   
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/M.T. Black/Lvl 2-Doorway_to_Darkness.pdf