WH8.3 – The Missing Ore

Cragford

The clang of picks is drowned out by shouts of anger as you arrive at the Cragford yard. Ore carts stand half-loaded, miners are arguing with Flan farmers, and Izgil Halstayyn’s booming voice cuts through it all:

“Another cart gone! And this one on the Duke’s road to Hodnet. If we don’t find it, they’ll claim we’re skimming off the top — and the Duke will shut us down!”

A Flan farmer spits: “Maybe you are skimming. You dwarves think every stone is yours.”

Izgil slams his axe into the ground: “Find me those carts or by Moradin’s beard I’ll see this whole hamlet turned upside-down!”

Quest Giver (NPC)

Izgil Halstayyn (Mountain Dwarf Foreman): Furious but desperate. Offers coin and a keg of ale if the PCs retrieve the ore and find the real culprits.

Obstacle & Objective

The PCs follow the cart trail:

• Broken Tracks: Deep gouges in the road show where the wagon was forced off-course.
• False Evidence: Staged dwarven bootprints and spilled ore meant to frame miners.
• Bandit Camp: Hidden in a copse near the river — the ore is already being broken down for smuggling.

Breadcrumb: PCs find a bandit wearing a Grosskopf rune token or with a letter of sale to Narleon smugglers, foreshadowing barbarian involvement.

Careful inspection will reveal it to be a decent forgery. The Bandits are not Grosskopf. If there are survivors this can be gleaned fairly quickly by their behavior.

Scaling Encounters

• Lv 2: 4 Bandits.
• Lv 3: 2 Scouts + 3 Bandits.
• Lv 4: Bandit Captain + 4 Bandits + 1 Scout (who flees to warn the smugglers if not stopped).

Stat Blocks (Condensed)

Bandit – AC 12, HP 11, Scimitar +3 (1d6+1), Light Crossbow +3 (1d8+1).
Scout – AC 13, HP 16, Shortsword +4 (1d6+2), Longbow +4 (1d8+2).
Bandit Captain – AC 15, HP 65, Multiattack (Scimitar +5, 1d6+3).

Rewards

• Base: 25–40 gp in recovered ore.
• Bonus: PCs may gain advantage on Persuasion checks with miners if they present the rune token publicly, proving this was outside sabotage.

DM Notes & Flavor

• Drop clues that the theft was staged — muddy “dwarven” prints are actually kobold-sized feet stretched with false soles (Investigation DC 12).
• A captured bandit might reveal that they’re working with barbarian smugglers, tying this into Westwatch’s quest chain or your eventual Grosskopf Warlord arc.
• Use this quest as a pivot point: if the PCs succeed, tensions ease (for now). If they fail, Cragford becomes a powder keg, making WH8.4 even harder.