TEXT: 1
  
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  Credits
  Design and Writing: Eugene Fasano
  Editing: Craig Judd
  Layout Design: Eugene Fasano
  Interior Illustrators: Krist Miha, Eugene Fasano, Jack Holliday, Bruno Balixa,
  Some artwork © 2015 Nicolas Boone, used with permission. All rights reserved.
  © 2018 Arcana Games LLC. All rights reserved.
  
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  Sellswords
  Sellswords is a small campaign, comprised
  of of three sequential adventures intended
  for four Characters levels 1-3. It should be
  played over three to five sessions. Characters
  should earn a level after each milestone at
  the end of each adventure.
  Most of the materials in this book are
  meant for the Game Master's eyes only, as
  they facilitate the Players’ journey through
  the various problems that will arise over the
  course of the Adventure.
  The information presented in the
  Adventure Background is for the Game
  Master alone.
  All italicized text is meant to be read aloud
  or paraphrased and shared with the Players
  at appropriate times.
  Adventure Background
  This adventure is set loosely in the
  Forgotten Realms but can be easily modified
  to fit the setting of your choice.
  With war gathering between the northern
  kingdoms of Damara and Narfell, much of
  the north is without the protection of the
  king’s army that they have come to rely on.
  The Players’ Characters are a group of
  sellswords seizing this opportunity. They
  have come to offer aid to the desperate and
  lawless villages, whether out of sympathy for
  their plight or a desire to squeeze what gold
  they can from the barren region.
  Their path takes them to the ill-fated town
  of Harn, a small village in the north of
  Damara. Harn is plagued by bandit attacks
  that have made the roads and surrounding
  region unsafe. These bandits are a group of
  Damaran deserters, organized and supplied,
  they have taken up in a ruined castle not far
  from Harn.
  If the village of Harn is going to be saved,
  they will need allies. The Characters must
  help the villagers make difficult decisions
  about their survival, including seeking
  outside aid. It will be up to them whether to
  enlist the support of the nearby walled town
  of Noringard at great cost, or turn to their
  uneasy neighbors, an ancient wood elf clan.
  As winter’s chill encroaches, tensions
  between the town and the bandits mount
  over scarce resources. Inevitably, the conflict
  will come to a head and the bandits will be
  forced to attack Harn. The town’s fate rides
  on the will of the Characters and the choices
  they make.
  Prologue
  With war gathering between Damara and
  Narfell, much of the north is without the
  protection of the king’s army that they have
  come to rely on. You are a group of sellswords
  seizing this opportunity. You have come to offer
  aid to the desperate and lawless villages,
  whether out of sympathy for their plight or a
  desire to squeeze what gold you can from the
  barren region.
  The Players are welcome to create their own
  mercenary troop with the help of the Game
  Master, such as the remnants of a larger, once-
  famed mercenary company, now decimated
  and disbanded.
  When the Characters first come north, they
  are seeking employment by small towns and
  villages. Winter is approaching and with it will
  surely come orc raids or wood elf encoursion,
  from which they will be welcome protection.
  The Characters do not have to take on the
  roll of a mercenary company and may have
  other reasons for traveling north to aid the
  people of this village but they should work
  with the Game Master to create a collective
  backstory more compelling than a simple band
  of adventurers.
  The Characters must want to help the
  Damaran villagers of the north, be it for gold or
  out of genuine concern. Perhaps they will begin
  with greedy intentions, only to grow to care
  about the villagers they will come to protect.
  
  5
  Chapter I: The Village
  in the North
  The North Road
  It is early autumn as you travel north. The
  green leaves of Damaran summer give way to
  oranges and golds, and dark pines. You have
  long since left the last high road and taken to
  the small ways of common folk. Dry leaves
  rustle beneath your feet on the hard packed
  earth of the road.
  The foliage gives way to a dark old oak,
  marking a fork in the roadway. From its
  branches hangs a rusted iron cage. Your
  approach disturbs a raven, that caws and beats
  its wings. Suspended inside the gibbet are a pair
  of decayed corpses. Their skeletal arms and legs
  hang between the bars, their lips rotted away in
  unending grins beneath the sunken holes of
  their eyes.
  A Character that inspects the corpses will
  notice they are are wearing the red remains
  of Damaran uniforms. They are likely
  deserters.
  Ahead of you, on the road, you hear the voices
  of several men. A woman screams.
  The road is blocked by the ruins of an ox
  cart, one axle shattered. Lead ingots have
  spilled out into the dust and fallen leaves of
  the road. Pinned to the side of the cart is a
  man, his face a mask of blood from being hit,
  his hands nailed to the cart with iron spikes.
  The woman screams again. She is in the dirt
  of the roadway, her clothes are torn, and she
  is cursing and spitting at the three men
  around her. A gaunt-looking man with a
  beaky nose throws a kick at her with a heavy
  boot as a squash-nosed boy next to him
  laughs. A third man, bald, with a pockmarked
  face, idly shifts tough the contents of the
  ruined cart with his spearpoint. The men
  wear the red of Damaran soldiers.
  There are three Damaran Deserters.
  If the Characters try to go around the scene
  with a DC 13 Dexterity (Stealth) check and
  fail, the gaunt man will gesture for the boy to
  investigate the noise.
  If the the Characters try to speak with the
  deserters, they will pretend to be Damaran
  soldiers arresting a pair of thieves. They will
  tell the Characters to mind their own
  business. The woman in the roadway will
  plead for help.
  If the Characters choose to fight the
  deserters and kill two, the third will attempt
  to flee. Though the men were Damaran
  recruits, they are not skilled soldiers.
  The two cart drivers are Ala and Farron
  Helder, merchants on their way home to the
  town of Harn, not far from here. They have
  been on the road for weeks, and were
  ambushed by these three men posing as a
  road toll.
  Farron is dying from his wounds. He can be
  saved by a DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check
  if any of his hit points are restored, such by
  magic or bya potion of healing. If he is not
  healed, he will die before they reach the
  village.
  
  6
  The Village of Harn
  Characters in the Village
  Davin is the the aged leader of his village.
  He is proud and protective.
  Kara is Davin’ daughter. She is impulsive
  and compassionate.
  Luthan is Davin’ son. He is brave and
  honorable. He is currently missing.
  Marina is an acolyte of their local deity,
  Eldath. She is shrewd and intuitive. Marina is
  Kara’s lover.
  There are under six score (120) villagers
  and perhaps two score more in the outlying
  farms. Two score are children. Less than
  two score are women. Less than one score
  are men. Less than one score are elders.
  Returning the Helders
  The villagers will let the Characters
  inside the palisade gates.
  If the Characters return with Ala, the
  villagers will be less hostile, especially if
  Farron has also been saved.
  Kara and a small group of old villagers
  with spears meet them just inside the gates.
  The village is a cluster of sod-roofed huts
  on a rocky hill, built from stacked dark
  stones and muddy plaster and surrounded
  by a dilapidated palisade.
  Kara has been waiting for her brother to
  return and is eager to ask the Characters
  what news they have from the road.
  If Ala is alive, she praises the Characters’
  ability to fight.
  If Farron is alive, Kara orders that he be
  taken to Marina.
  It is not long before Davin arrives, at the
  head of a score of hollow-eyed villagers.
  Davin is against having the Characters in
  his village.
  Davin: “We are grateful for what you have
  done for us. We will share what little food we
  have, and shelter you for the night, but in the
  morning you must be on your way.”
  Kara will try to persuade her father that the
  Characters may be of help.
  Davin: “When have armed men ever done us
  any good? They can stay the night in the lodge;
  in the morning, they go. My son will be
  returning with our militia in the morning. Best
  be gone before then.”
  He exchanges a few words with one of his
  spearmen, who nods. He orders the
  villagers to return to their homes.
  After the crowd has dispersed, Kara will
  speak with the Characters. She will tell
  them that her brother was supposed to
  have returned by now. She will reveal that
  he set out with a militia of a dozen men to
  frighten off the bandits that have been
  plaguing the roads.
  Reactions to Appearance
  Human: The villagers are wary around
  outsiders, but quicker to warm up to them,
  especially if they are perceived as common
  folk.
  Elf: They are a rare sight, and will be met
  with mingled fear and respect. Some may be
  superstitious of their reputation.
  Dwarf: The villagers are friendly to
  dwarves, though jealous of displays of wealth.
  Kara and her family are reminded of their
  guilt (see Kara’s Gold).
  Half-orc: The villagers harbor a deep
  hatred of orcs and half orcs and see them as
  savages.
  
  7
  Chapel
  The village chapel to the Eldath is a
  stacked stone structure with a shingled
  belltower. Inside, a bronze basin blackened
  with soot holds a fire that is kept lit at all
  times.
  The acolyte Marina will use do her best
  to tend to wounds. She possess the Healer
  feat.
  If Farron is alive and has already been
  brought to her, she will already have
  tended to his wounds.
  She is suspicious of the Characters and
  will not want to deplete her resources on
  them. She may claim to be unable to heal
  them due to lack of herbs from healing
  Farron, or she may claim that she can only
  only has a few more poultices prepared. A
  DC 13 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that
  she is holding back out of mistrust.
  Marina will, however, heal any Character
  who is grievously wounded or near death
  — even a bandit.
  Lodge
  The Lodge is a long smoky building, set in
  the hillside for warmth. Dice is played at its
  long rough tables, and villagers huddle in
  groups around greasy fires or on the long
  wooden benches. The Characters will be
  given bunks and offered a meager stew.
  Villagers will tell tales of woe and hardship.
  Use these tales to create sympathy for the
  villagers and highlight the misdeeds of the
  bandits.
  Most of the village’s men have been taken by
  the Damaran army to fight at the border with
  Narfell.
  Much of the town’s grain was taken by the
  Damaran army marching through. This
  winter will be hard.
  Bandits on the roads have stopped trade, and
  merchants no longer pass through.
  The town is plagued by bandit attacks. They
  destroy as many crops as they steal, burning
  the houses and fields of those who do not
  turn over their harvest.
  The bandits are likely Damaran deserters.
  They are holed up in a ruined fortress.
  Luthan, Davin’s son, led some men to scare
  off the bandits, but hasn't returned.
  There is no hope of aid from the city of
  Helgabal or nearby towns, due to fear of
  winter and war.
  
  8
  Grey Morning
  A messenger is sent to summon the
  Characters to Davin’ house, where he is
  arguing with Kara.
  Kara is pragmatic. The village needs food,
  and their need grows more dire by the day.
  She feels they must go ask Noringard for aid.
  Davin is against the plan. He claims it is
  folly going to the other town while the
  bandits hold the roads.
  Kara argues that he is being prideful, and
  would rather die than ask Noringard for aid.
  Kara: “We have the means to barter — let us use
  them.”
  Davin: “There is no honor in this.”
  The arguing has clearly taxed his strength, as
  he begins to cough. She ladles him water from a
  wooden bowl.
  Kara will offer to pay the Characters to bring
  wool to Noringard and return with grain. She
  adds, if they are sceptical about her payment,
  that there is gold aplenty. She tells them they
  will be paid on their return with the grain.
  With a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion or
  Intimidation) check, she will show them the
  promised gold. She removes a pouch from the
  cord around her neck, revealing a small pile of
  golden coins, glinting dully in the candlelight.
  Davin: “What if they run off with our wool,
  what will we be left with then?”
  Kara: “Father, I trust them. They hardly look
  like wool merchants to me, what would they do
  with it? Besides, we cannot eat the wool in any
  case. We must trade, and this is our best and
  only chance.”
  Davin: “If Luthan were here—”
  Kara: “He isn’t, father. For all we know he is
  dead—”
  Davin: “Enough of this. Do as you will, child,
  but know that many lives follow in your blind
  trust.” Davin storms out of the room.
  Kara gives the Characters a scroll and seals
  the wax with a silver ram’s-head ring. It is a
  plea to the lord of Noringard to trade for food
  and supplies, and also asks for men to be sent to
  help defend the town.
  Kara’s Gold
  Kara will not reveal that the gold is from a
  dwarf merchant the town killed. Sanzor, a
  travelling merchant, wished to trade grain for
  Kara as a slave. Drunk, Sanzor fought with
  Luthan. Luthan accidently killed the merchant,
  burying the body in a cairn of stones outside
  the village. Hidden beneath the floorboards of
  the house is a stout chest, half filled with square
  and octagonal dwarvish coins — a large sum of
  wealth.
  
  9
  Chapter II: Oaths of
  our Fathers
  Dark Pines
  The dirt road is soon swallowed by mist and
  dark pines. The lowest boughs of the old trees
  begin well above your heads, their trunks
  stained black from rain and splashed with moss.
  The horses and the cart moves grudgingly along
  the sodden path. You can hear soft rain on the
  branches above you, and the world smells of wet
  earth.
  Finding the Militia
  You find what is left of the militia scattered by
  the muddy road. A cluster of broken spear shafts
  mark the roadside, crowned with a single, slack-
  jawed head. Dark shapes lie unmoving amid the
  ferns and trampled moss, sprouting dark arrow
  shafts.
  A Character who wishes to examine the
  corpses should be drawn toward one
  slumped against a nearby pine trunk, his
  chest sprouting several shafts. This body is a
  Zombie, left by Gravus, the bandits’
  necromancer. The Zombie will attack when a
  Character draws near.
  You approach a body, slumped against a dark
  pine trunk. He rests, head bowed, a cluster of
  arrows grow from his chest…
  Investigation of the grisly scene reveals that
  it was an ambush. There are only ten corpses,
  suggesting that one or two may be missing.
  The Game Master should nudge the players
  to continue towards Noringard rather than
  returning to Harn. If they do not decide to
  press on, you can use the smoke in the
  beginning of the next section to entice them
  further. You may also add that they are
  nearly to Noringard, and they would have to
  spend the night in the woods if they turned
  back now.
  
  10
  Road Block
  Either read the following to the entire
  group, or tell it to the Character with the
  highest Passive Perception Skill if it serves
  to build character.
  You smell the faint scent of woodsmoke. A
  thin, greasy column of grey smoke rises from
  among the pines farther down the road.
  If the Characters approach cautiously
  they are unnoticed.
  If the Characters approach openly, the
  bandits will pretend to be an official road
  toll.
  There are eight Damaran Deserters
  encamped here.
  If the Characters let any of the bandits
  escape from their first encounter, they will
  be among the company here.
  On a wide stretch of road there is a makeshift
  camp. Beyond a pair of barricades made from
  bound stakes are a cluster of small tents, their
  canvas sodden from the rain. The largest
  bears the faded crimson insignia of the
  Damaran Army.
  A DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check will
  reveal that the arrows in these soldiers’
  quivers match those found at the ambush
  site.
  During the ensuing skirmish, have one of
  the bandits mention their leader, Mercer,
  to establish a name behind the Characters’
  enemies.
  Looting the Camp
  Should the Characters defeat the bandits,
  the small camp has some supplies.
  Most of the bandits were wearing leather
  armor.Eachcarriedaswordandashortbow.
  Wrapped in oilskins in one of the small
  tents are several days’ worth of rations in the
  form of dried, salted meat and hard bread.
  The other small tent contains a low
  makeshift cot. On it lies a dead man, half clad
  in Damaran armor, half bandaged. His face is
  a mask of blood, and bloody rags lie about
  the floor of the tent. His body is scored with
  long, deep gashes that stain red lines through
  his bandages. A DC 13 Wisdom (Survival)
  check reveals that he was mauled by a bear.
  From a tentpole in this small tent hang
  several bundles of drying herbs. Nearby is
  wineskin, containing a blood-colored potion.
  It is a potion of healing.
  The large tent is somewhat furnished, with
  a low rough cot, wooden stool, and camp
  table.
  On the table is a rolled-up scroll and a
  small wooden box with iron bindings. It is
  locked with a rusted dwarven lock. It may be
  opened with a DC 13 Dexterity (Sleight of
  Hand) or DC 18 Strength check.
  The box contains a scattering of copper
  coins, as well as a small silver signet ring, the
  seal shaped like a ram. It is Luthan’s ring.
  The scroll is a crude map of the
  surrounding woodlands.
  
  11
  Noringard
  The forest opens onto a rocky heath. At its
  center sits a town, ringed by squat stone walls.
  Above them rise plastered buildings and
  shingled roofs. An impressive oaken gate is set
  in the thick walls. On either side hang faded
  green banners, each bearing a single black oak
  tree.
  Characters in the Town
  Lord Fel is the leader of Noringard. He is
  young and sheltered. He is clearly controlled
  by his advisors.
  Roth is a retired Damaran soldier who
  captains the town guard and advises the lord.
  He is power-hungry and opportunistic.
  Igan is a priest of Ilmater who also advises
  the young lord. He is spineless and
  manipulative.
  Noringard has a trade contract with the
  city of Helgabal, supplying it with lumber.
  Historically, they have done so for
  generations, but the war has increased the
  city’s demand for timber. Noringard has
  taken to logging the old forest, after clear-
  cutting its usual plots. A wood elf clan is
  attacking the encroaching lumber camps at
  the border of their territory. They are
  protective of their forest and the Waystone
  at its heart.
  Long ago, Lord Fel’s grandfather had
  struck a deal with the druid Erdan of the
  wood elf clan, Clan Bryn. He had agreed to
  leave their section of the forest untouched,
  if they did not raid his farms and attack his
  people. A peace was struck and upheld by
  his son, Lord Fel’s father. However, when
  he died, the young Lord Fel was kept
  ignorant of this agreement by the cleric
  Igan who saw an opportunity to increase
  his wealth and power.
  Audience with the Lord
  Upon arrival at the town gate, the
  Characters will soon be ushered in by the
  guards, each clad in a green tabard bearing a
  black oak. They will be escorted to a broad
  stone tower where they will be met by Roth,
  who will ask to see their trade agreement —
  he will recognize the seal. He will have a
  guard see to the cart and horses and bid the
  Characters leave their weapons in the guard
  room on the tower’s lower floor.
  You are escorted up a wide wooden stair,
  worn smooth from the passage of many
  boots. The stair opens to a single round room
  that encompases the tower’s entire level. A
  long oaken table sits, set for a feast. Behind it,
  silhouetted by the fire in a large stone hearth,
  are three chairs. Seated in the center is a
  young boy, sullen and bored-looking. To his
  right sits an old bald Cleric with a sharp nose,
  clad in the white of his order. Roth takes the
  seat to his left.
  The cleric rises. “I am Igan, advisor to the young
  Lord Fel. Please, join us for dinner.”
  Once the scroll has been presented or the
  offer is otherwise made, discussion of the
  deal will begin. Make clear that the young
  lord is being handled by his advisors. The
  entire affair should be punctuated by Igan
  whispering in the boy’s ear.
  Igan speaks against aid. “Unfortunately we
  cannot sacrifice any supplies to your cause.
  Should our farms be attacked by wood elf
  raiders and the fields burn, what then? We
  would be without the final yield of our harvest.
  To that end, we cannot send men to your aid.
  They are spread thin enough as it is protecting
  our new logging camps, and their presence is
  doubly necessary if what you claim about these
  bandits is true.”
  Roth: “I have the town’s defenses well in hand.
  Surely we can spare a few men to help escort
  you safely home with the grain, with the lord’s
  blessing, of course.”
  
  12
  Igan leans down and whispers to the lord
  behind a pale, cupped hand. The young boy
  nods.
  Lord Fel: “I will agree to keep your shipment of
  wool in exchange for grain, and further agree to
  uphold any future transactions under similar
  terms, to ensure Harn with food throughout the
  winter — but only after the elf threat has been
  eliminated. Deal with that, and I’ll send you
  what men I can spare. But be warned, my
  people say they’ve disturbed an ancient spirit
  that sometimes appears as a great bear, and
  sometimes as a man.”
  Roth: “Don’t mind the boy — begging your
  pardon, my lord — but it’s raiders. Same as
  always. Orcs or elves, pointy eared bastards
  trying to take what we have.”
  Lord Fel: “Whatever it may be, man or beast,
  bring me the creature's head and we have a
  bargain.”
  Logging Camp
  Roth will direct the Characters to a logging
  camp, abandoned only days ago after an
  attack by the elven spirit.
  A small wooden mill sits at the edge of the wood,
  its door hanging loosely off its hinges. Huge
  claw gouges score the oaken beams of the door
  frame. The smell of rot wells out from inside
  and you hear the buzzing of flies.
  The townsfolk were clearly too afraid of
  the elven spirit to recover the bodies and set
  them to the pyre. If a Character enters the
  mill to examine the corpses, they will find
  them destroyed, utterly mauled by some huge
  beast.
  Around the mill are the prints of an
  enormous bear. A DC 13 Wisdom (Survival)
  check reveals that, strangely, some of the
  prints seem to suggest the bear walked
  upright, like a man.
  The prints lead into the darkness of the
  forest.
  
  13
  The Wood Elves
  As you travel deeper into the wood, the canopy
  blocks all but a few of the sun’s rays, leaving
  you in dappled twilight. The trees grow old and
  thick, their bases blanketed in moss. On one
  such oak, you see a shape, half obscured behind
  the growth…
  You peel away the moss to reveal a face — a
  man, as if screaming in anguish, frozen in
  wood. You look up at the trunk rising before you
  and see that it is a wall of faces, carved like
  masks in the ancient trunk. Above you, from the
  branches, a flock of ravens caw and take to their
  dark beating wings.
  Behind you, you hear a low, guttural growl. You
  turn and see a huge mountain of a beast. The
  bear rears on its hind legs and roars. Tusks
  protrude from the sides of its mouth, and its
  head is crowned in antlers.
  A huge, bearded man with wild, tawny eyes
  emerges from the foliage. He gestures at you
  with a fist sprouting long, white claws. “ Give
  me a reason why I should spare your lives, you
  who walk in my sacred wood.”
  If any of the Characters are visibly elven he
  asks this in their tongue. He also looks at
  them and asks:
  “Why do you stand with these clanless cattle?”
  Through Erdan, the Game Master must
  reveal there is more to the story than the
  Characters have been led to believe. Use
  Erdan’s rage to allude to the bargain
  Noringard once held with the elves.
  Erdan: “I should have known they'd send
  mercenaries to hunt me, traitors and
  oathbreakers, all. You're no different from those
  who sent you, driven to my forest by greed. How
  much gold was promised for my head?”
  Erdan Bryn is a wood elf druid who has
  guarded this forest for generations. He is
  strong and wise.
  Erdan is a druid followed by a brown bear.
  If the Characters express desire to
  negotiate, Erdan will offer to take them to
  meet Caelynn, the leader of his clan. He will
  guide them to his clan’s hidden village, deep
  in the forest.
  Hidden Village
  You walk behind the druid and his monstrous
  companion until the trail opens before you into
  a large clearing. In its center, rising from the
  moss, looms a monolithic black standing stone.
  Around it are clustered small hill-like dwellings
  made of sod and stone.
  As you step over a ring of stones that mark the
  village’s edge, you hear a rustle of leaves and
  turn to see a woman step from the foliage
  behind you, clad in green and brown leathers
  that make her almost invisible among the
  undergrowth. Her eyes are fiercely blue under a
  streak of black paint, above her pointed ear sher
  hair is a bundle of plaited coils ending in wicked
  talons that clack as she moves. She gestures at
  you with a jaw-bone hatchet and says a few
  lilting words. Erdan grunts a reply.
  Characters that understand elvish know
  she was asking about you, to which Erdan
  replied they had guests.
  The woman whistles like a bird, and suddenly
  you see several shapes behind her lowering their
  bows. Men and women, clad in the same colors,
  step from the shadows. She spits at Erdan, and
  says in slow, deliberate common tongue, “You
  should not have brought them here, Erdan.”
  Caelynn is the warrior-chieftain of her
  clan. She is fierce and pragmatic.
  Erdan asks the Characters to forgive
  Caelynn; she is young and headstrong. He
  tells them this is a sacred place and no harm
  will befall them here.
  
  14
  Caelynn and her warriors were returning
  from a hunt. They lay two young deer and a
  small boar by the Waystone and begin to
  prepare them for a feast. A great bonfire is lit
  in the lee of the stone as night begins to fall.
  Erdan reveals that long ago, his people had
  a truce with old Lord Fel, the grandfather of
  the boy the Characters know. They had a
  bargain: that Noringard would log only
  young trees and stay out of the old forest. In
  exchange, Clan Bryn would keep to the
  woods and not attack the farms at their
  borders or the roads through their wood.
  Caelynn is initially angry at Erdan for
  bringing the Characters to the village. She is
  concerned they will reveal its location to
  outsiders. Eventually, she sees the wisdom in
  Erdan’s counsel for peace.
  Erdan: “No peace last forever, but this one
  lasted for a generation. Would you not see your
  children live in these sacred woods as you
  have?”
  Caelynn: “What of the harm done to our forest?
  There must be a price, Erdan.”
  Erdan: “They have already paid for that harm
  with blood. I will sow new trees, and they will
  birth more sons.”
  Caelynn will mention to the Characters that a
  pair of her scouts went missing by the ruins of
  the old castle in the woods.
  If the Characters have offered information
  about the plight of Harn, Caelynn says that if
  their scouts — or their bodies — are returned
  to them as a show of good faith, they can
  offer bows, arrows, and food for trade.
  However the price she names is high — a
  large amount of gold, half of what Kara has
  promised the Characters.
  Before the Characters leave, Caelynn nods
  at animal hides stretching by the fire and
  warns them that if they reveal the location of
  her village, they'll be next.
  Return to Noringard
  If the Characters reveal the ancient
  agreement to Lord Fel, make it clear that
  the cleric Igan is the one responsible for
  breaking the truce, and knowledge of the
  pact was kept from young Lord Fel. Upon
  finding out the truth, the young lord should
  be angry and stand up for himself. He can
  be persuaded to uphold the old agreement.
  Lord Fel: “What bargain is this?”
  Igan: “My lord, let me explain—”
  Lord Fel waves his hand, “Silence, cleric.” He
  gestures to the Characters, “You, go on.”
  If the elves are bargained with, Lord Fel
  will agree to trade food for the wool. He
  will not send men, however, as the evlen
  monster still exists.
  If the Characters killed Erdan and his
  bear instead of speaking with Caelynn and
  her clan, Lord Fel will agree to uphold his
  word, giving them food in trade and
  promising the support of his men when the
  time comes. He will also pay the Characters
  a small bounty for the beast’s head.
  The Characters’ cart is now filled with
  sacks of grain. The horses are harnessed,
  brushed, and well fed.
  After the Characters meet with the lord
  but before they leave, Roth will approach
  them discreetly. He offers men and arms
  for a high price: he wishes to be lord over
  Harn by marrying Kara.
  “Davin’ daughter — she was a girl last time I
  set foot in Harn, but she should be a woman
  now, or close enough to it. Think on it. If you
  accept my offer and can secure her hand in
  marriage to me, you will have your swords.”
  
  15
  If Kara is told of this plan, she will accept his
  offer.
  Kara: “Marrying that man would be sacrificing
  my life, but I would gladly do so to save my
  people.”
  However, if Luthan hears of this plan —
  and she will tell him of it if they meet — he
  will be entirely against it.
  Luthan: “You would have us fight for our home
  only to hand it over to some soldier?”
  The Road
  If the Characters killed the men blocking
  the road through the wood, the bandits will
  have dispatched a large force. Over a dozen
  men in Damaran cloth are garrisoned at the
  camp, now barricaded by hacked-down trees,
  their branches hewn into spikes.
  The Characters may to abandon the wagon
  and most of their food if they wish to skirt
  the camp on foot. A DC 16 Wisdom
  (Survival) check allows them to load the
  horses with more grain and lead them safely
  through the forest.
  
  16
  Chapter III: Wolves in
  the Walls
  Escaped Prisoner
  A weak man, half dead from hunger and
  exposure, stumbles to the gate of Harn. He’s
  identified as Fino, one of the town’s militia who
  left months ago with Luthan’s company. Kara
  has him taken to the chapel for Marina to see
  to.
  He says he escaped the castle through an old
  tunnel that leads underneath. He knows the
  following:
  The castle is built atop old ruins.
  A tunnel leads into the ruin’s foundation.
  Luthan is alive, as is another man from their
  company.
  The bandits are Damaran soldiers who have
  deserted.
  When the deserters left, they stole supplies:
  rations, weapons, and gear.
  There are more than two score of them, and
  they have some horses.
  They have a powerful necromancer among
  them.
  Their leader’s name is Mercer.
  Ruined Tunnel
  Following Fino’s directions you soon stumble upon
  the tunnel entrance — a cleft among a cluster of
  large dark stones, receding back into the damp
  earth. Through the trees you can make out the
  silhouette of the castle, its towers fallen into ruin.
  A pair of spires flanking its gateway have been
  repaired with timber and canvas as makeshift
  guard towers.
  The low-ceilinged tunnel is long, and damp, and
  dark.
  The tunnel is home to a carrion crawler
  that may be disturbed by the Character's
  passage.
  The tunnel terminates abruptly at a stone wall,
  wet with mold. According to Fino’s tale, there is a
  loose stone above your heads which can be shifted.
  Prison
  Stone grinds against stone as you carefully slide
  the block. Only darkness can be seen above.
  The secret door opens into Fino’s old cell.
  His cell, and each of the cells along this
  hallway, are simple repurposed storerooms,
  with wooden doors bound in iron. Each door
  has a small barred window at eye level. The
  door to this cell is open a crack, and beyond
  it can be seen torchlight. Low voices — the
  other prisoners — can be heard in the hall
  outside.
  The cell the Characters emerge from is
  near the back wall of this hallway. The hall is
  lit by a few low burning torches, and is lined
  with doors, some rotted and hanging from
  their hinges, some missing altogether. The
  nearest three doors contain the other
  prisoners.
  One cell holds Sarlen and Daena, a pair of
  wood elf scouts. Both seem to have recently
  taken a bad beating. If set free, they will
  honor their word, if given. Though bruised,
  they are still both capable fighters.
  Sarlen is a tall wood elf scout. His bald
  head and hands are tattooed with faded
  elvish script. He is wrathful and protective.
  Daena is a lithe wood elf scout. Her hair is
  cropped short and she bears a small vertical
  scar over the corner of her mouth. She is
  vengeful and savage.
  The other two cells hold Luthan, and
  Marius, one of his men. They are filthy and
  half-starved, but otherwise unharmed.
  Luthan carries the same dark hair and eyes
  as his sister, but his hair is long and unkempt
  and his eyes sunken, though unbroken.
  Marius is an older man, with white in his
  stubble. He is loyal and stubborn.
  A single door at the end of this hall leads to
  the guard room. Two low male voices can be
  heard talking in high spirits.
  
  17
  Guard Room
  The two Damaran Deserters are drinking
  and playing dice at a table made from a door
  atop two empty wine barrels. They are
  armored and carry swords at their sides.
  A dagger is stuck in the table by a wheel of
  cheese. By it are scattered some copper coins,
  burnished from use.
  The door opposite the jail opens into the
  cellar. There is also a stone stair leading
  upwards.
  Cellar
  This hallway is similar to the jail, lined with
  wooden doors. Behind these doors are the
  soldiers’ provisions. They have an ample
  supply of grain, root vegetables, and cured
  meat.
  Coming out of one of the doors is a serving
  boy. Clearly a lad of only eight or nine
  winters, he is no soldier. He freezes when he
  sees the Characters, dropping the sacks of
  flour he was carrying. If given the chance he
  will scream or run for help when his senses
  return to him.
  Characters may steal some food, though
  they are limited in what they can carry. If
  they spend too much time here, remind them
  of the danger of their stay with the tools in
  the section below.
  Courtyard
  The narrow stone stair leads up into the
  open air of the castle’s courtyard. One of
  the large ruined structures in the courtyard
  has been repaired with stacked stones and
  roofed in freshly hewn wooden shingles.
  Trails of smoke rise from its hearths. To
  your other side is a stable, built from crude
  pine timbers bridging old ruined walls.
  Several soldiers move across the
  courtyard, from the barracks-like building
  to a stone stair that presumably leads up to
  the ramparts.
  Soon, a group of three soldiers will leave
  the barracks and start making their way to
  the stair. They are headed for the cellar to
  get a barrel of wine. Use this encounter to
  force the Characters to hasten their work
  and place a definitive end on their stay in
  the castle. Even if these men are killed, one
  or more will raise the alarm.
  Within minutes of the alarm, the soldiers,
  led by the necromancer Gravus, will form
  an organized group and advance through
  the dungeon. They will form a shield wall,
  with archers behind. Use this encounter to
  force the Characters to leave. Do not run it
  as strict combat, but simply as a show of
  force. Advance the soldiers slowly, as the
  fewarchersprovidethemsuppressivefire.
  This can also serve to remind them of
  Gravus, the bandit’s necromancer.
  You may also wish to kill Marius or have
  him sacrifice himself for Luthan to lend
  severity and desperation to the situation.
  The Gate
  The main gate of the courtyard seems to
  be newly constructed of pine. A large bar
  cross the doors, resting on iron slats. A DC
  18 Strength check or several Characters
  together can move the bar.
  Stable
  Inside the stable are several horses. They
  are good, strong beasts. A DC 16 Wisdom
  check reveals that most are pack horses but
  a few are trained war horses. Though it
  would be difficult for a Character to steal
  one, they may try to kill or cripple the
  animals.
  The Spire
  The castle’s largest tower, a tapering
  spire, is intact, and a light emanates from
  the window at its peak. This is Mercer’
  chamber. Though a Character may be
  tempted to try to assassinate him, the
  Game Master should stress the danger in
  such a plan. The courtyard is crawling with
  men.
  
  18
  Raid
  The Characters awaken to the clang of the
  village bell. Out in the fields, they hear the
  thundering of hooves and see dark shapes
  silhouetted by fires. Farmhouses are burning.
  By the time the Characters arrive, a
  farmhouse and the granary next to it are
  engulfed in flames. The storehouse is already
  empty, its grain stolen.
  In the farmhouse, they hear screams. A man
  is trapped under a fallen roof, and a young
  child lies unconscious across from him. It takes
  a DC 20 Strength check to move the
  smoldering beam pinning the man. Should the
  Characters struggle with the beam, he will
  plead for them to save his son instead.
  War and Famine
  The raid suggests that an attack is imminent.
  The bandits are either retaliating for the
  incursion on their garrison or are running low
  on supplies. Either way, this raid was the
  prelude to a final conflict.
  Davin and Kara argue over whether or not
  they should evacuate the few outlying farms
  and bring the villagers inside the walls. Davin
  wishes to let them fend for themselves, while
  Kara feels they must be brought inside what
  meagre defenses the town has.
  Davin, whose health is decaying rapidly,
  argues from his bed for leaving the farmers
  outside the walls. He says they won’t want to
  leave their homes and abandon their farms.
  Davin: “They are like me and my fathers, they
  built their homes with their own hands,
  ploughed the rocky fields. If they abandon that...
  what is there to fight for?”
  Kara: “Father, if we leave them outside, they
  will be slaughtered. Their homes can be rebuilt,
  crops resown. But if we don’t evacuate the
  farms, and soon…”
  Luthan: “There's merit in what father says. As
  much as I don’t like the idea of leaving any of
  our people to those brutes, if it comes to a siege,
  we simply don’t have the provisions for that
  many mouths. Even if we were to winter
  without an attack, many would die.”
  Ultimately, Luthan and Kara abdicate the
  decision to the Characters, trusting them with
  the town’s defense.
  Aid
  If the Characters send a messenger to
  Noringard, Roth will come to village’s
  defense with a handful of guards and a small
  cart with swords and shields before the
  attack. If the Characters killed Erdan and his
  bear, Roth will be there on his lord’s orders.
  If not, he will insist on marrying Kara then
  and there. If Luthan has been saved, Roth will
  try to kill him during the coming battle.
  If the Characters go to the wood elves for
  aid, Caelynn says it is not her fight. Her
  people are no common mercenaries and she
  will not send them to their death for gold.
  She lets you address her warriors and honors
  each one’s choice. If the players rescued the
  elf scouts, they step forward, as well as Erdan
  and the bear.
  Defending the Town
  In uneasy calm, a day passes, and then another,
  each carrying with it the mounting silence
  before a storm.
  It will be almost a full month before the
  final attack. The Players should describe
  what their Characters do during this time
  and how they prepare, such as fortifying the
  town’s defenses and training the villagers to
  fight. There are over a score of villagers
  willing and able to fight.
  Whatever the Characters do, have them
  interact with relevant named non-player
  Characters, and develop these relationships.
  For example, they might train the villagers
  with Luthan or Leon, and one of the men
  they teach might be Helder, if they saved him
  in the first chapter. Perhaps they are tending
  to the sick and hungry with Kara or
  dalena, spending time among the wood
  elves, or even in Noringard.
  It is up to the Characters if they convince
  the villagers to fight, or if they send them
  away as refugees at the mercy of Noringard
  and keep only a small fighting force to meet
  the bandits. They may have other plans
  entirely.
  
  19
  Though it is not the supported path, the
  Characters may wish to lead their small force
  through the hidden tunnels to confront the
  bandits in their own den. If you wish to remove
  this option, the bandits have caved in the
  tunnel, having discovered it after their
  prisoners escaped.
  If the Game Master wishes to split this
  chapter into two sessions of play, this is an
  ideal time to do so.
  Before the Attack
  It is cold winter when the rider comes. You
  assemble atop the wall with the others, your
  breath frosting the air as you look out over the
  spikes of the wooden palisade. A lone horseman,
  his beast’s hooves pounding the frosted moor,
  rides up to the village.
  The lone horseman will stop a distance away
  from the gates, and will call out to speak with
  the leader of the village.
  Messenger: “I speak for my leader, Mercer.
  Surrender to our forces and we will leave your
  village untouched. My master’s wish is the same
  as yours: we only seek grain to survive the
  winter. Open your gates to us and we will only
  take half of what you have and leave your
  people unharmed.”
  Should the Characters be foolish enough to
  take the bargain, the bandits will use the
  opportunity to launch their attack.
  Whether they accept or decline the offer, the
  messenger tells them he will return the next
  day, either to collect the grain or take it by
  force, whatever they choose.
  A group of villagers wants to flee for the
  woods and make it to Noringard. The decision
  should fall to the Characters whether they let
  them flee or force them to remain.
  Kara calls for the women and children to
  barricade themselves inside the chapel, and
  Marina leads them.
  Ask the Players how their Characters plan on
  defending the town, where they will allocate
  their fighters, how they will construct last-
  minute fortifications or lay traps. It is
  important to reference their preparations in
  the coming battle.
  Luthan cautions that the bandits may
  attack during the night, and a watch is kept.
  Gold and Guilt
  If the Players have found the gold and taken
  it, Kara will confess on the eve of battle,
  saying she can’t ask them to die for nothing
  — she believes the bandits have taken the
  gold, and she releases the Characters from
  their contract.
  The Battle
  Come grey morning, it begins to snow.
  Large, slow flakes fall on the walls and roofs,
  and out on the shields and shoulders of the
  men in the field. Two dozen men have
  assembled on the heath; before their ranks
  rides a lone man on horseback.
  He calls out to the ramparts, “I am Mercer,
  leader of my company. I have given you a
  choice: surrender, or be destroyed. What say
  you?”
  If any villagers are outside the walls, either
  those left to fend for themselves or some of
  those who fled to Noringard, the bandits will
  have captured two: an old man and a young
  girl.
  If the Characters surrendered, Mercer will
  demand their grain, escorted by their leaders,
  be brought outside the walls. If the Characters
  delay in meeting his demands, or do not
  surrender, he will execute first one, then the
  other, of the hostages.
  The man on horseback gestures to his men, and
  their ranks part. They drag forward an old man
  and, by his side, a young girl, her tear-stained
  cheeks flushed from the cold. They were among
  those [who you left outside the walls] or [who
  you bid flee for Noringard]. They are forced to
  kneel. With slow deliberation, the rider
  dismounts and strides over to the captives. He
  unsheathes one of his short swords, raises it
  high, the blade glinting dully under the grey sky.
  He brings it down on the old man’s neck. Blood
  spatters the snow. He steps behind the young
  girl, and looks up at the ramparts. His eyes meet
  yours. He brings down the blade.
  
  20
  Luthan tells Kara to get to the chapel with
  the others. Kara says she has to go convince
  her father to come with her; he won't leave
  his home.
  Battle as Backdrop
  The battle should become a backdrop to the
  actions of the Characters.
  It is important to reference all the elements
  players choices have brought to bear, be they
  named Characters, defenses laid, or allies
  won.
  The Players may wish their Characters to
  pursue specific goals during the battle. It is
  possible they may have different priorities,
  and they should be encouraged to pursue
  them. If the Characters are split from one
  another, follow their actions in parallel
  rather than addressing each in its entirety,
  moving between scenes of action and lending
  inertia to the battle as a whole.
  In painting this backdrop, make the
  situation seem dire. Every turn of the battle
  should serve to escalate the tension and
  severity of the conflict.
  Battle Objectives
  Commanding and leading the armed
  villagers.
  Moving through town after the breach,
  saving who they can.
  Hunting down Gravus, a cult fanatic.
  Dueling the leader, Mercer, a bandit captain.
  Defense of the Gate
  The bandits will make an attack at the gate
  with most of their men. Though the numbers
  are roughly even on both sides, make it clear
  that these are trained and equipped soldiers.
  They charge in formation, the villagers’
  arrows glancing off their raised shields. They
  have a crude battering ram and will use it to
  break through the main gate.
  Describe the efficacy of their crossbow
  salvo. Kill a named villager, such as Farron if
  he was saved in the beginning. You could also
  choose to wound Luthan with a crossbow
  bolt to the shoulder.
  The Village Overrun
  Once the gate falls, a group of bandits will
  charge the entrance. In actuality, they are
  Zombies, created from corpses of the bandits
  the Characters have killed, still clad in their
  armor. Their charge will be followed by a
  group of cavalry, half a dozen men on
  horseback. If the horses have been killed,
  these men will scale the back wall instead.
  A group of half a dozen men charges the breach.
  Arrows find their mark as they charge blindly
  towards the shattered gate. As they draw close,
  you see their faces, and you recognize them —
  though pale and bloated, you know them. They
  are the faces of men you’ve killed...
  ...You look up at the sound of horses and yelling
  men. From the treeline burst half a dozen
  mounted soldiers bearing torches, riding hard
  for the breach in the gate. They pour through,
  throwing their burning brands onto thatched
  roofs, slashing with their swords. Men follow in
  behind them, and the wall is lost.
  Make the Characters choose to fight by
  seeing non-player Characters in peril.
  Luthan is cornered by a pair of bandits (if
  Roth has married Kara, replace the bandits
  with him and one of his men).
  A bandit is kicking down the chapel door,
  while two more tie a rope around Marina’s
  neck and throw it over a bough of the oak
  outside the chapel.
  A rider on horseback throws a torch on
  Davin’ house atop the hill. The Character
  remembers Kara is still inside, trying to get
  her father.
  The Battle’s End
  The battle should culminate in the
  Characters battling Mercer and Gravus. They
  should be together if the Characters are, or
  fought in parallel if the Characters are
  divided. Depending on the situation, the
  soldiers or zombies around them should
  either take an active role or fade into the
  background, battling villagers and other
  allies.
  
  21
  Epilogue
  Davin dies, either perishing in the fire or
  shortly after the battle, knowing that his
  village is saved. The remaining villagers
  gather around him as he proclaims Kara as
  the leader in his stead.
  Kara, and Marina, if saved, will tend to
  the wounded as best she can. A great
  bonfire will burn in the village square that
  night, too large for the chapel’s small
  pyreyard.
  Kara makes good her promise and, if it is
  still hers to give, rewards the Characters
  with all of the dwarven gold, summing to
  even more than was promised.
  If Roth was summoned to aid the village
  and survived the battle, he will either leave
  with his men, or remain if he married Kara,
  unfurling Noringard’s banners over the
  gateway.
  If Erdan and his warriors aided in the
  battle, they will pay their respects before
  vanishing into the forest.
  Continuing the Adventure
  If the Players wish to continue exploring
  the world of Blood and Bone, it is between
  them and the Game Master to see where
  the road takes them next.
  The Characters travel east, towards the
  mountains and the warfront with Narfell.
  Perhaps there is a royal bounty of Mercer’
  head. Their deeds may curry favor with the
  king’s army, earning them employment as
  an official auxiliary company.
  Lord Fel sends word that he needs a
  contingent of guards to protect his lumber
  shipment to the city of Helgabal.
  To the north lie many other small villages
  facing hardship. They are in dire need of
  hired swords willing to defend them from
  orcs’ winter raids.
  
  22
  Appendix
  Monsters
  Bandit Captain (mm 344)
  Brown bear (MM 319)
  Carrion Crawler (MM 37)
  Cult Fanatic (MM 345)
  Druid (MM 346)
  Zombie (MM 315)
  Variant Rule Options
  Gritty realism
  A Short Rest is 8 hours. A Long Rest is 7
  days.
  Slow healing
  Characters don't automatically regain hit
  points after a long rest. They may spend Hit
  Dice as with a short rest.
  Wound Care
  Hit Dice cannot be spent after a long or
  short rest until the character's wounds have
  been treated by a Healer's Kit charge or
  medicine check of 10.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Arcana Games/Arcana Games - Sellswords - A Dark and Gritty Campaign.pdf