Greywolf Comics & Media

Tag: fiction

  • WH9.2 – Ashes of Trust

    The air in Highmere hangs heavy with smoke, not only from the mountains but from smoldering tempers. After the riot between Flan farmers and the miners, fear has twisted into suspicion. At dawn, Mara Tannell pulls you aside, her hands shaking as she clutches a piece of charred parchment.

    “This was on my door this morning,” she whispers. Scrawled in soot and dried blood, a symbol has been carved into the wood — it looks like a dwarven rune, but wrong somehow, stretched into something jagged and cruel. “They say the dwarves are marking us. If that’s true… none of us are safe.”

    But as the mark is studied, it bears more resemblance to an occult glyph than any dwarven rune — a sign meant to stir hatred, not truth. Someone is framing the miners, and if the culprit isn’t stopped, the village will tear itself apart before winter.

    After a pause, he eye well with tears and she begs you to act. “If this keeps up, someone will get hurt. Please — find who is behind this before the whole village turns on itself.”

    Later, as you step outside the tavern, a broad-shouldered dwarf in soot-streaked leathers approaches you quietly. He strokes his beard, lowering his voice: “Name’s Brokkar Stonevein, foreman o’ the quarry. We’re no rune-daubers. That scrawl looks dwarfish at a glance, aye, but it ain’t. Any beard worth his salt can tell. The tallfolk don’t see it — to them, dwarf, gnome, it’s all the same.”

    He glances around, then adds: “Do me a favor. Make like you’re leavin’ town, headin’ for Reedwatch or Hodnet. That’ll put the bastards at ease. Then, double back and keep watch at the homes they’ve marked. Catch ‘em in the act, clear our names, and I’ll see you get thanked proper. Quiet-like.”

    Quest Givers

    • Mara Tannell (Flan farmer): publicly asks the PCs to stop the nightly marking.
    • Brokkar Stonevein (dwarf foreman): privately approaches the PCs, stressing the marks are not dwarvish and offering a strategy to catch the culprits.

    Objective & Obstacles

    • Patrol at night: Pretend to leave town, then double back and stake out marked homes.
    • Investigate the marks: DC 12 Arcana/Religion shows they are cult glyphs, not dwarven runes. DC 14 Investigation finds faint bootprints → lighter, smaller than a dwarf’s.
    • Confront the culprits: A Tenha merchant’s hired hands + cult allies planting runes to frame the miners.

    Scaling Encounters (APL 2–4)

    • Level 2: 2 Cultists.
    • Level 3: 2 Cultists + 1 Thug (merchant’s hired enforcer).
    • Level 4: 2 Cult Fanatics + 1 Thug.

    Condensed Stat Blocks

    • Cultist (CR 1/8): AC 12, HP 9, Scimitar +3 (1d6+1).
    • Thug (CR 1/2): AC 11, HP 32, Multiattack (Mace +4, 1d6+2).
    • Cult Fanatic (CR 2): AC 13, HP 33, Dagger +4 (1d4+2), Spellcasting (Command, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon).

    Rewards & Arc Impact

    • Reward (basic): Farmers pool supplies worth up to 25 gp (grain, cider, smoked meat). PCs gain gratitude and advantage on Persuasion checks with Flan villagers for 1 week.
    • Reward (if Brokkar’s name cleared): A pair of Gnomish Darklens — spectacles that:
      • Grant 20 ft. darkvision to a wearer without it.
      • Extend existing darkvision from 60 ft. to 90 ft.
    • Breadcrumb: Merchant’s letters reference “the ever watchful Eye looks for progress; with many distractions the land will not know where to look – V,” tying unrest back to the Caverns of Chaos.

    Arc Impact

    • If the PCs catch the culprits, dwarves and gnomes regain some trust locally, though suspicion lingers among hardliners.
    • If the PCs fail or ignore the matter, tensions worsen — the baron may order troops to “keep the peace,” deepening Flan resentment as they will suspect ‘the dwarves’ had something to do with it..
    • PCs who take Brokkar’s counsel and succeed gain a potential dwarven ally for later threads of the arc.

  • Duuthmere (Duthmere)

    Nestled some 30 miles west of the Tenh and just south of the Bluff Hills lies Duuthmere, or ‘Good Home’ in Halfling. It lies among three gracehull hills and a large old tree that has, so far, stood the test of time. The halflings dwell on the north hill on a few terraced slopes and their homes are veritable fortresses built into the rock. Local legend says the Grosskopf came to pillage and the quick thinking of one of the locals, Shila Quickfoot, brought a pair of smoked pork shoulders and a flagon of ale as a gesture of respect to the warlord. Quickfoot was not only fast on his feet but equally fast with his wits and won the adoration of the tribe who proclaimed Duuthmere under his family’s protection and has remained so by tradition for a hundred years.

    The town has kept it’s size, both for it’s precarious location among the barbarians but has seemed to be in the eye of the hurricane when it comes to wars and skirmishes being just out of the way for most to ignore it.

    Duuthmere has about 75 souls mostly halflings and a few humans farming the land quietly. The Quickfoot family continues it’s tradition of smoked meats and cheeses and trading services for meat and other goods to continue their craft, although they do raise some pigs west and north of the town. Several plots of small crops ring the north hill beside Maera Wintleaf’s Remedies and Roots Herbalist shop and below the Halfling Pub, which can acommodate tallfolk in an added room. The tallfolk have a pub and hostel on the east end of town and the beer is considered to be quite palatable in these parts. Every fall, the two inns have a celebration to see who’s brew is the best.

    While it’s quiet charm seems to be idyllic, the Rustjaw Circle has operations that run through Duuthmere now and then. Maerna also has a small trade in some herbs that can be stimulating but slightly addictive and many a thief has picked up a habit from her goods for a little edge in dexterity and focus.

    Places to Go

    Wintleaf’s Remedies & Roots

    Location: Terraced hillside on the western side of Duthmere
    Owner: Maera Wintleaf, halfling herbalist & discreet supplier

    Exterior Description:

    Nestled into the slope of a low hill, the shop’s rounded front blends seamlessly into the earth, with flowering herbs (lavender, marigold, feverfew) spilling from wooden boxes beneath round glass windows. A weathered sign swings overhead: “Remedies & Roots: What Doesn’t Kill You, Makes You Stronger! – Est. 547CY” in flowing script. A faint but pleasant scent of dried herbs and pipe smoke lingers outside.

    A set of moss-covered stone steps leads down to a split round door carved with vine motifs. The iron knocker is shaped like a small curled leaf.

    Interior Description:

    The inside smells of cinnamon, cloves, and cut grass. Shelves curve with the shape of the hill, each lined with bundled herbs, dried mushrooms, clay jars, amber vials, and wrapped roots. A low, warm fire always crackles in the corner under a cast-iron kettle. Dozens of colored glass bottles catch light from a small skylight above.

    Maera moves quietly, wearing a patched shawl and wire-rimmed spectacles. Her ferret, Flicker, watches silently from atop a scale.

    A small counter with an iron bell separates customers from the locked backroom — the source of her more “exclusive” stock.

    Adventuring Stock List

    These items are openly available to friendly adventurers or regulars:

    ItemPriceNotes
    Basic Healing Salve25 gpHeals 1d6+2 HP; takes 1 minute to apply
    Antitoxin Infusion40 gpGrants advantage on poison saves for 1 hour
    Smoked Emberroot (mild)2 sp/dosePipeweed mix; no stat effects, relaxing
    Traveler’s Tonic10 gp#ERROR!
    Glowmoss Paste15 gpGlows dimly for 1 hour; used like chalk or warpaint
    Field Stitcher Kit30 gpFunctions like a healer’s kit but with 6 uses
    Poultice of Alertness35 gpAdvantage on Initiative for 1 hour, once per long rest

    Guild-Only or “Quiet Stock”

    These are hidden in the backroom and offered to Thieves Guild members or those with the right phrase (e.g., “the lantern’s always lit”).

    ItemPriceNotes
    Concentrated Emberroot15 gpAs per detailed mechanics (+1 Dex, escalating penalty)
    Hush Draught25 gpMutes sound from wearer’s footsteps for 10 minutes
    Ghost’s Hand Balm60 gpApply to gloves: +1 to Sleight of Hand for 1 hour
    Forget-Me-Not Elixir75 gpDC 13 Wis save or forget last 10 minutes (1 target)
    Dust of Darkvision100 gpGrants darkvision 60 ft. for 1 hour (non-magical)
    Binding Oil50 gpApplied to manacles or ropes; DC 17 to escape them for 1 hour
    Truethistle Syrup120 gpTruth serum: DC 13 Cha save or compelled to answer 3 questions honestly (lasts 10 mins)

    People to See

    Maera Wintleaf

    Medium humanoid (halfling), neutral
    Class/Level Equivalent: Rogue 2 / Artificer (Alchemist) 3
    Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
    Background: Herbalist / Smuggler
    Role: Apothecary, local contact, secret supplier of Emberroot concentrate

    Stats
    Armor Class: 13 (leather apron + Dex)
    Hit Points: 45 (6d8 + 12)
    Speed: 25 ft.

    STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
    8 (-1)14 (+2)14 (+2)16 (+3)15 (+2)12 (+1)

    Skills & Proficiencies

    • Saving Throws: Int +5, Dex +4
    • Skills: Medicine +4, Nature +5, Insight +4, Sleight of Hand +4, Deception +3
    • Tools: Herbalism kit, alchemist’s supplies, poisoner’s kit, thieves’ tools
    • Languages: Common, Halfling, Druidic (secret legacy), Thieves’ Cant
    • Senses: Passive Perception 12, Passive Insight 14

    Features

    Halfling Nimbleness. Can move through the space of larger creatures.
    Lucky. Can reroll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw once per roll.
    Alchemical Savant (Artificer). Adds INT modifier (+3) to healing potion effectiveness.
    Experimental Elixir (1/day). Maera can brew a minor potion such as:

    • Healing (1d4+3)
    • Boldness (+1d4 to attacks and saves for 1 min)
    • Resistance (1 type, 10 min)

    Under-the-Table Dealer. Can identify and appraise any herbal or poison compound. When dealing with criminal or rogue-adjacent contacts, gains advantage on Charisma (Deception or Persuasion).

    Retired, Not Rusty. Maera can cast one of the following spells 1/day each:

    • Detect Poison and Disease
    • Cure Wounds (2nd level)
    • Fog Cloud

    Actions

    Dagger (Rusty Bone Knife).
    Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
    Hit: 1d4 + 2 piercing damage. On crit: target must succeed DC 12 Con save or be poisoned for 1 minute (concentrated Emberroot extract).

    Throwing Flask: Maera throws a sticky elixir bottle up to 20 ft.

    • Choose either blinding mist, sticky entangle, or pungent burst
    • DC 13 save or suffer:
      • Blind (1 rnd)
      • Restrained (1 rnd)
      • Disadvantage on attacks (coughing)

    Tactics and Use in Play

    • Primarily a non-combat NPC; avoids direct violence
    • Uses cleverness, charm, or potions to escape or delay foes
    • May assist PCs secretly with illicit substances… for a price
    • Could broker smuggler deals or offer rare concoctions

    Sample Dialogue

    “The tallfolk think I’m just good with tea. That’s adorable.”
    “I don’t sell trouble, dear — but I bottle what helps you survive it.”
    “It’s not illegal unless the constable knows what to smell for.”

  • WH4.7 – Reeds of Destiny

    Suggested Level: 3–5
    Quest Giver(s): Cerris Fenwild (Druidess of Beory)
    Optional Catalyst: Players disturbed the Reed Maze, studied the Whispering Stones, or invoked Beory’s Harmony

    Summary

    After recent disruptions in the marsh—the Juniper’s wreck, the Reed Maze’s stirrings, and whispers from the bog—Beory stirs. Cerris calls it a “rippling of the Threads.” Something ancient and dreaming has shifted in the weave of nature’s memory.

    She invites the party to a secluded part of the shrine known only as The Mirror Reedbank: a stillwater bend where reeds grow in eight symmetrical patterns like runes on a giant’s hand. It is a place of fate—used by Flan seers to seek glimpses of the future.

    There, players may receive visions, warnings, or fragmented truths—reflections not of who they are, but who they might become. Each sees a possible self, or a choice yet to be made, tied to the Unraveling Threads of Chaos.

    Hook Flavor Text

    Cerris kneels by the water’s edge, head bowed. The reeds here bend without wind, tracing arcs in perfect circles.

    “Eight paths twist through time,” she whispers. “But none are fixed.”

    She touches the water. It stills. A perfect mirror.

    “You may see yourselves… or you may see the world watching you.”

    Objectives

    • Accept Cerris’ invitation to the Mirror Reedbank.
    • Step into the stillwater circle and receive a personal vision.
    • Optionally: Seek to understand, resist, or alter the glimpse.
    • Interpret the visions (Insight, Arcana, or Religion DC 13–16) for lore benefit or inspiration.

    Vision Mechanics (Optional System)

    Each PC experiences one of the following, or a custom vision tailored to them:

    Roll d8 – Vision Threads

    d8Vision Fragment
    1You see the horizon to the north change as the mountains grow larger and larger and a great rumbling becomes almost deafening like a stampede – an avalanche falls as the mountains grow almost touching the clouds and buries the lands of the north duchy
    2You see a vision of the verdant east grasslands and as the sun sets a fire burns and moves across the hills to the west leaving ash and cinders
    3You stand at the edge of a deep chasm, its walls formed of cracked bone and root. At its center, an immense horn — severed, hollow, and steaming — pulses like a heartbeat. With each beat, a golden thread unravels from your chest, drawn toward the void. As it touches the horn, you feel part of yourself vanish — memory, voice, or name. You scream to stop it, but nothing comes out.
    4You walk among stars and stones. A woman of green light hands you a single reed wrapped in red silk.
    5You hold a blade of living water. When you strike, eight vines wither. One grows stronger.
    6A female elf archer with ebony black skin fights with a hideous shambling creature with one great eye. She buries her blade in the beast and reaches for her last arrows when they are knocked from her hand towards you feet. With desperation in her eyes you hear her call your name when the vision ends.
    7A great eye opens in a starry sky, its iris a fire as it glances across the land it starts to focus on you when the vision ends.
    8You see yourself placed in a great web, not as a fly but consuming your enemies, yet as they shrivel you see their dried shells are actually familiar faces, friends, allies.

    Players may roll Insight, Arcana, or Religion (DC 13–16) to gain:

    • Advantage on one future check tied to their vision (DM’s call).
    • A permanent boon or divine favor tag from Beory (see Rewards).
    • A cryptic line of true prophecy (DM may customize this).

    Rewards

    • Inspiration (all PCs who engage in good-faith roleplay/reflection)
    • Reed of Destiny (Wondrous Item, uncommon): A slim reed hardened like bone. May be planted to grow a single-use 10×10 ft patch of difficult terrain in marsh/swamp, or may be consumed to reroll a failed save vs a Chaos effect.
    • Beory’s Whisper: Once per long rest, the bearer may ask, “Is this action in balance?” and receive a vague answer through natural signs.
    • Foreshadow Unlock: Vision fragments unlock key lines when facing Zargon, Lareth, or the Threads of Chaos.

  • WH4.5 – Bog of Whispering Stones

    • Suggested Level: 2–4
    • Quest Giver(s): Cerris Fenwild, druidess of Reedwatch

    Summary

    South of Reedwatch lies a fetid bog where ancient standing stones, half-submerged in muck, form a ring. In recent weeks, villagers have reported whispers drifting on the wind—mocking, eerie voices that taunt, threaten, or speak in riddles. Most dismiss it as swamp gas or nerves… but Cerris Fenwild believes something older is at work.

    In truth, a crack beneath the bog has opened, allowing Mud Mephits to slip through. These minor elemental beings are drawn to the chaotic seepage leaking from below—a faint, buried pulse of Zargon’s ancient corruption. The mephits echo its madness without understanding it, twisting elemental mockery into prophetic fragments.

    Reaching the Bog…

    The bog yawns wide, silent but for the bubbling of stagnant pools. Green slime clings to the edges of ancient stones like rot to bone.

    Then, faintly, a whisper:
    “A god forgotten… hungers still…”

    A ripple breaks the water’s surface. Something giggles… and sinks.

    Objectives

    • Investigate the source of the whispers in the bog.
    • Defeat or banish the Mud Mephits causing the disturbance.
    • Optionally: Consecrate the stone ring (DC 14 Religion or Nature).
    • Study the whispers (DC 15 Arcana or History) to uncover fragments of primordial prophecy.

    Scaling Combat Encounters

    Party LevelEnemies
    1–21 Mud Mephit
    32 Mud Mephits
    42 Mud Mephits + 1 Quasit (chaos-warped minion)

    Condensed Stat Blocks

    Mud Mephit

    Small elemental, CR ¼

    • AC: 11 HP: 27 Speed: 20 ft., fly 30 ft.
    • Claws: +3 to hit, 1d4+1 slashing
    • Mud Breath (Recharge 6): DC 11 Dex save or blinded 1 round
    • Death Burst: DC 11 Dex save, 2d4 bludgeoning (mud splash)

    Quasit (Chaos-Aligned)

    Tiny fiend, CR 1

    • AC: 13 HP: 7 Speed: 40 ft.
    • Claws: +4 to hit, 1d4+3 slashing
    • Shapechanger: Turns into bat, centipede, or toad
    • Scare (Recharge 4–6): DC 10 Wis save or frightened 1 min

    Rewards

    • If banished (not slain):
      Beory’s Harmony — Each party member gains advantage on one Nature or Survival check per day for 1 week.
    • If prophecy is studied:
      Players learn cryptic fragments tied to Zargon’s resurgence and the Unraveling Threads of Chaos. May grant inspiration or future insight.
    • Optional Treasure:
      One of the stones has a small petrified charm embedded in its roots:
      • Stone-Tethered Fetish: When dropped in water, points toward Reedwatch like a compass. Once per long rest, grants advantage on saves vs fear in swamp terrain.

    Prophecy Fragment Table (Roll d6)

    d6Whispered Fragment
    1“The Horn stirs beneath the stone… broken, yet never silenced.”
    2“Roots wither, waters curdle, balance shatters when veins run red.”
    3“A god forgotten hungers still. Feed it fear, and it wakes.”
    4“When stone splits and silver bleeds, blood will follow in its wake.”
    5“Eight veins unravel, threads of chaos through earth and soul.”
    6“The river carries more than water… it carries whispers, waiting.”

    Lore Payoffs

    ❖ Flan Faith Connection:

    “The earth remembers,” Cerris tells the party. “And it grieves when the veins of the world are split. We do not dig into the root unless we ask permission first.”
    This reflects the Flan reverence for balance and stewardship, and stands in contrast to the miners of Cragford/Highmere.

    ❖ Zargon / EEG Foreshadowing:

    The whispered phrases from the mephits can be recalled much later during cult encounters or visions:

    “You remember what they said in the bog… the Horn stirs… the veins run red…”

    ❖ Political Intrigue:

    • Rumors may be twisted by anti-mining agitators or EEG cultists masquerading as druids.
    • Cragford merchants might try to use this as proof that “the land curses us for digging,” furthering paranoia until the truth is uncovered.