WH4.1 – Lights on the Water (Mystery / Exploration)
Hook: Locals whisper of strange lights dancing over the reeds at night. Fisher Talric claims they lure boats to wreck.
- Quest Giver: Talric Fenmoor (fisher).
- Truth: The lights are will-o’-wisps, feeding on drowned prey. PCs may fight or try to ward them off.
- Scaling Encounters:
- Lv 1–2: 1 Will-o’-Wisp.
- Lv 3: 2 Will-o’-Wisps.
- Lv 4: 2 Will-o’-Wisps + 1 Cultist necromancer trying to “bind them.”
- Lv 1–2: 1 Will-o’-Wisp.
- Reward: Reedwatch nets treated with druidic oils (+2 to Survival checks for fishing/foraging).
Stat Blocks (Condensed):
Will-o’-Wisp – AC 19, HP 22, Lightning +4 (2d8).
Cultist (necromancer reskin) – AC 12, HP 13, Ray of Sickness.
WH4.2 – The Sunken Ferry (Exploration / Puzzle / Combat)
Hook: A half-submerged ferry lies in the reeds; villagers fear it is cursed.
- Quest Giver: Cerris Fenwild (druidess).
- Truth: The ferry was sabotaged by smugglers who use a secret cache in the hull. PCs can dive into the wreck, dealing with traps and river creatures.
- Scaling Encounters:
- Lv 1–2: 3 Giant Frogs.
- Lv 3: 2 Giant Frogs + 1 Swarm of Quippers.
- Lv 4: 2 Giant Toads + Smuggler Captain.
- Lv 1–2: 3 Giant Frogs.
- Puzzle: Cache is locked by weighted crate; requires clever lifting or strength.
- Reward: Stash of 50–100 gp + a potion of water breathing (hidden in smuggler cargo).
Stat Blocks (Condensed):
Giant Frog – AC 11, HP 18, Bite +3 (1d6+1, grapple).
Giant Toad – AC 11, HP 39, Bite +4 (1d10+2, swallow Small).
Swarm of Quippers – AC 13, HP 28, Bite +5 (4d6).
Smuggler Captain – AC 14, HP 32, Multiattack.
WH4.3 – Marsh Stalkers
(Combat / Survival)
Hook: Fishers return claiming that “scaled folk” rise from the marsh at dusk, stealing nets and dragging livestock under.
- Quest Giver: Talric Fenmoor (fisherman).
- Truth: A small band of lizardfolk are expanding their hunting territory. They believe humans are “stealing their river.”
- Scaling Encounters:
- Lv 1–2: 2 Lizardfolk.
- Lv 3: 3 Lizardfolk + 1 Giant Lizard.
- Lv 4: Lizardfolk Shaman + 3 Lizardfolk + 1 Giant Lizard.
- Lv 1–2: 2 Lizardfolk.
- RP Option: PCs can parley. Lizardfolk may be appeased with a share of fish/tolls, or by clearing a rival predator.
- Reward: A set of lizardfolk-crafted bone totems (advantage vs. fear effects once).
Stat Blocks (Condensed):
Lizardfolk – AC 15, HP 22, Multiattack (Bite +4 1d6+2, Club +4 1d6+2).
Giant Lizard – AC 12, HP 19, Bite +4 (1d8+2).
Lizardfolk Shaman (CR 2) – AC 13, HP 27, Spells: Entangle, Hold Person.
WH4.4 – The Reed Maze
(Puzzle / Exploration)
Hook: A child wanders into the marsh chasing fireflies and disappears.
- Quest Giver: Pella Greenwhistle (halfling weaver).
- Obstacle: PCs must navigate a reed-choked bog where paths shift like a maze.
- Skill Challenge: 3 successes before 2 failures. Survival (DC 13) to track, Nature (DC 12) to recognize reed markers, Perception (DC 12) to spot safe footing.
- Complication: 1–2 Swarms of Insects harry them during the search.
- Reward: Gratitude of halfling family; gifted a finely woven reed cloak (functions as a Cloak of Protection for 1d4 days, then frays).
Stat Blocks (Condensed):
Swarm of Insects – AC 12, HP 22, Bite +3 (4d4 piercing).
WH4.5 – Bog of Whispering Stones
(Roleplay / Mystery)
Hook: Cerris Fenwild (druidess) sends PCs to investigate strange “voices” coming from standing stones sunk in a bog pool.
- Truth: A trapped Mud Mephit is causing the whispers, mocking villagers and sowing fear.
- RP Option: PCs can release it, banish it, or strike a bargain.
- Scaling Encounters:
- Lv 1–2: 1 Mud Mephit.
- Lv 3: 2 Mud Mephits.
- Lv 4: 2 Mud Mephits + 1 Quasit ally.
- Lv 1–2: 1 Mud Mephit.
- Reward: A pouch of glimmering bog quartz (worth 25–50 gp).
Stat Blocks (Condensed):
Mud Mephit – AC 11, HP 27, Claws +3 (1d4+1), Mud Breath (recharge 6).
Quasit – AC 13, HP 7, Claws +4 (1d4+3), Shapechanger.
WH4.5 – Bog of Whispering Stones (Expanded)
Hook:
Cerris Fenwild (druidess) tells the party of an ancient bog pool where standing stones half-sink into the muck. For weeks, villagers claim to hear whispers from the stones at night — eerie voices that mock and threaten. Superstitious fishers say it’s “Beory’s warning.”
Truth:
The whispers come from Mud Mephits, minor elemental beings drawn up through fissures beneath the bog. The fissures connect to deeper veins of chaos — subtle seepage of Zargon’s distant corruption, amplified by the wetlands.
- The mephits don’t fully understand what they echo. Their whispers occasionally slip into eerie phrases such as:
- “The Horn stirs beneath the stone…”
- “Veins break, roots wither, waters curdle…”
- “A god forgotten hungers still…”
- “The Horn stirs beneath the stone…”
- Cerris interprets these as signs of imbalance. Some villagers see proof that dwarves and miners “dig too deep.” Others whisper of Beory’s displeasure with all mortals.
Objectives
- PCs can fight the mephits, dispersing them and quieting the whispers.
- PCs can banish or consecrate the stones (Religion or Nature DC 14) to sever the fissures’ influence.
- PCs can study the whispers (Arcana/History DC 15) to glimpse that these echoes may not be mere trickery, but the faint pulse of something far older and deeper.
Scaling Encounters
- Lv 1–2: 1 Mud Mephit.
- Lv 3: 2 Mud Mephits.
- Lv 4: 2 Mud Mephits + 1 Quasit (chaos ally).
Stat Blocks (Condensed)
Mud Mephit – AC 11, HP 27, Claws +3 (1d4+1), Mud Breath (DC 11, recharge 6). Death Burst (mud spray, DC 11 Dex save, 2d4).
Quasit – AC 13, HP 7, Claws +4 (1d4+3), Shapechanger, Scare (DC 10 Wis).
Rewards
- PCs who banish instead of destroy may gain a blessing: Beory’s Harmony — advantage on one Wisdom (Nature or Survival) check daily for 1 week.
- PCs who study the whispers learn fragments of prophecy about Zargon, though cryptic.
Lore Payoff
- Flan Faith Connection: Cerris tells PCs that the earth itself remembers — and balance must be respected. She warns that “when mortals take too much, the veins split open.” This underscores the Flan worldview of harmony vs. exploitation.
- Zargon/EEG Foreshadowing: The whispers can be used later as breadcrumbs. When PCs face Zargon or EEG cultists, you can drop callbacks like: “The mephits spoke of this… the Horn stirring, roots withering.”
- Political Tie: Miners from Highmere/Cragford could hear rumors of this quest and twist it — “See? Even Reedwatch admits Beory warns against digging.” → reinforcing prejudice until PCs expose the true cause.
Great! Here’s a Prophecy Fragment Table you can use for the Bog of Whispering Stones (WH4.5) — cryptic whispers carried by the Mud Mephits and fissures. Each line can be rolled (d6) or chosen, depending on what mood or foreshadowing you want to drop at the table. They’re written so they work early (mystery) but also make sense later (reveal) when the PCs uncover more of the Zargon/EEG threads.
Whispers from the Stones
(d6 prophecy fragments from the fissures in Reedwatch)
- “The Horn stirs beneath the stone… broken, yet never silenced.”
👉 Foreshadows Zargon’s shattered horn and lingering survival. - “Roots wither, waters curdle, balance shatters when veins run red.”
👉 Flan interpretation: Beory’s anger at exploitation. Cultist interpretation: prophecy of chaos veins. - “A god forgotten hungers still. Feed it fear, and it wakes.”
👉 Zargon/EEG cults thrive on fear, paranoia, and discord. - “When stone splits and silver bleeds, blood will follow in its wake.”
👉 Ties directly to Cragford/Highmere’s mining disputes → silver ore foreshadow. - “Eight veins unravel, threads of chaos through earth and soul.”
👉 Direct nod to your Unraveling Threads of Chaos lore (8 veins). - “The river carries more than water… it carries whispers, waiting.”
👉 The Zumker/Zumend rivers as channels of both trade and corruption. Foreshadows smugglers + deeper seepage of chaos.
DM Usage Notes
- At Reedwatch: delivered through eerie, half-taunting mephit voices. Villagers misinterpret them as Beory’s displeasure.
- At Cragford/Highmere: PCs recognize echoes of these lines in cult runes or Duergar Mage ramblings.
- At Zargon’s arc: prophetic callbacks (“You remember the whisper at Reedwatch: eight veins unravel…”) reward attentive players.
WH4.6 – Reedwatch Errand: The Brewer’s Bargain
(Errand / RP)
Hook: Thane Alris (innkeeper) wants wild bog herbs for his Bramblebrew.
- Objective: PCs must gather herbs in marshy terrain, avoiding hazards.
- Challenge: 2 Survival checks (DC 12–13). On a fail, they blunder into 2 Giant Frogs.
- Reward: A small keg of Bramblebrew (restores 1d4 HP and grants advantage on next saving throw vs. poison after drinking).
Stat Blocks (Condensed):
Giant Frog – AC 11, HP 18, Bite +3 (1d6+1, grapple).
WH4.7 – Reeds of Destiny
(Puzzle / Roleplay Ritual)
Hook: During the solstice, Cerris invites PCs to help with the weaving of a reed effigy offered to Beory/Obad-Hai.
- Skill Challenge: Weaving reeds (Dexterity DC 12), chanting the rite (Performance DC 12), drumming/dancing (Athletics/Performance DC 13).
- Success: PCs earn Beory’s favor → each regains 1 spent spell slot (up to 2nd level) or gains +1 Inspiration.
- Failure: Ceremony falters; locals whisper the gods disapprove.
WH4.8 – Marsh Predator
(Combat)
Hook: Several oxen from Oxenford (driven here for trade) go missing; tracks vanish into a bog.
- Truth: A Giant Constrictor Snake has made a lair among half-sunken logs.
- Scaling Encounters:
- Lv 1–2: 1 Giant Constrictor Snake (CR 2, but toned down HP).
- Lv 3–4: Snake + 2 Giant Frogs.
- Lv 1–2: 1 Giant Constrictor Snake (CR 2, but toned down HP).
- Reward: Hide can be used to make waterproof cloaks (worth 50 gp).
Stat Blocks (Condensed):
Giant Constrictor Snake – AC 12, HP 60, Constrict +6 (2d8+4, grapple/restrain).
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