Pathfinder - Module - TC1 - Into the Haunted Forest.pdf

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A 3.5/OGL ADVENTURE FOR LEVEL 1

TC1

Arthfell Forest Encounters

Into the haunted Forest

Gamemastery module tC

treasure Chest adventure

CREDITS

Design:

Greg A. Vaughan

Development and Editing:

Jason Bulmahn, Mike McArtor, Jeremy Walker

Art Director:

Drew Pocza

Managing Art Director:

James Davis

Director of Operations:

Jeff Alvarez

Brand Manager:

Jason Bulmahn

Director of Sales & Marketing:

Joshua J. Frost

Cover Artist:

Andrew Arconti

Interior Artists:

Vincent Dutrait, Drew Pocza, James Zhang, Wayne Reynolds

Cartographer:

Corey Macourek

Paizo CEO:

Lisa Stevens

Corporate Accountant:

Dave Erickson

Staff Accountant:

Chris Self

Technical Director:

Vic Wertz

Publisher:

Erik Mona

Into the Haunted Forest

is a GameMastery Module designed for four 1st-level characters. This module is designed for

play in the Pathfinder Chronicles

campaign setting, but can be easily adapted to any world. This adventure

incorporates several GameMastery RPG accessories included in the

GameMastery Treasure Chest

(or sold separately)

to help you maximize your play experience. By the end of this module, characters should reach 2nd level. This mod-

ule is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the world’s most popular fantasy

roleplaying game. The OGL can be found on page 15 of this product.

Paizo Publishing, LLC

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Product Identity:

The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a,

Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, artifacts, places, etc.),

artwork, and trade dress.

Open Content:

Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the contents of this Paizo Publishing game product are

Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material

designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Game

License and the d20 System License, please visit

wizards.com/d20.

Printed in China.

into the haunted forest

he Travelers Stop Inn stands just off the main trade route on the fringe of

the Arthfell Forest. While it does not lie within any particular community,

it often becomes a small settlement in its own right when large caravans

Treasure ChesT

In addition to this adventure,

the

GameMastery Treasure

Chest

includes

GameMastery Item Cards:

Elements of Power, GameMastery Flip-Mat:

Woodlands,

and

GameMastery Map Pack:

Inns.

These products are also sold sepa-

rately. You can hand out the Item Cards to

the players when they obtain magic items,

giving them an easy way to keep track

of who has which items. Specific item

cards are designated as the magic items

in this adventure, and they are referred to

in the text by their number as shown on

the upper right hand corner on the card’s

reverse side (e.g., 10/54). Additionally, you

can use

GameMastery Flip-Mat: Woodlands

and

GameMastery Map Pack: Inns

as the

maps for the encounter locations in this

adventure. Specific instructions for how

to use each of the components in the

Treasure Chest are provided in sidebars

like this one throughout this adventure.

stop by and attract locals from the surrounding area to view the available wares. As such

an important trade site, it falls within the jurisdiction of the nearby Shire of Elberwick and

is policed by that district’s sheriff to ensure the peace is maintained and taxes are collected.

Despite the Travelers Stop Inn’s long tenure in the area, locals tell of an even older inn

deeper in the Arthfell Forest that once served a now-abandoned trade route from the north.

Nothing has been heard of that inn or its occupants for several years.

Adventure Background

The Forest King Narven ruled over the

Arthfell more than two centuries ago.

Devoted to a druidic faith, this arboreal

kingdom left few traces upon the land

when it collapsed in a bloody coup led by

the peoples of the southern moors, who

sought to embrace the civilization of the

surrounding lands. The only survivor of the

forest king’s family fled to the depths of

the primeval forest after Narven was slain

on the field of battle. Generations later, the

last descendant of the forest king’s line, a

druid named Willowroot, sought out the

ancient battlefield where his ancestor

fell. He hoped to recover five unique

items that once belonged to Narven—the

regalia carried into battle by the last forest

king, crafted by his druid advisors and

supposedly imbued with the elements of

nature. These legendary elemental regalia

of the king were known collectively as the

Panoply of Narven. The panoply consisted

of the

breastplate of the sacred fire,

the

wand of

earth’s ire,

the

codex of the firmament,

the

vial

of pure water,

and the

spirit-staff of Narven.

Five years ago, Willowroot succeeded in his

quest and unearthed the panoply and chose

to re-consecrate it back to the elements

from which the items were formed, marking

their locations on the monument he raised

in remembrance of his ancestor.

After placing the other four items in

appropriate shrines, Willowroot carried

the

spirit-staff

to a small inn standing at the

center of the Arthfell. The inn, called Spirit

of the Wood, was originally founded by a

half-satyr as a way to control the encroach-

ment of civilization into the domain of the

fey in the wake of the forest kingdom’s col-

lapse, while maintaining friendly relations

with the races who sought to pass through

the wood. Unfortunately, when Willowroot

arrived at the inn he found a band of gob-

lin brigands attacking it. Willowroot called

forth the powers of nature to defeat the

attackers, summoning a wooden protector,

but even its mighty power was insufficient

to the task, and the goblins slaughtered the

druid and his fey allies. Their sacrifice was

not entirely in vain, however, and they man-

aged to destroy all of the goblin raiders save

one. This last goblin fled from the inn, ter-

rified of the power of nature unleashed. For

years he maintained a low profile and honed

his latent magical ability. Along the way, he

joined up with a group of mercenaries that

he slowly manipulated into trusting him.

Now, he is finally ready to return to the lost

inn and reclaim the loot he was forced to

leave behind.

Adventure Summary

After recovering a magical dagger on the

roadside, the PCs arrive at the Travelers

Stop Inn and quickly become embroiled

in a brawl with another party of adventur-

ers who claim the dagger is theirs. During

the course of the brawl, an expensive relic

belonging to Professor Phineus Krane is

destroyed and the local sheriff places both

parties of adventurers under house arrest

within the inn. The sheriff also confiscates

the magic dagger until he can sort out its

ownership. During the night, however, the

dagger is stolen from the sheriff’s room

and both groups become suspects the next

morning. A short investigation to find the

thief follows.

After the dagger is recovered and the per-

petrator brought to justice, the sheriff and

Doctor Krane task the PCs to recover the

Panoply of Narven from a local druid so the

professor can create a new relic to replace

that which was destroyed in the brawl. Unbe-

knownst to the PCs, the rival adventuring

party receives the same mission and the two

groups find themselves in a race through the

forest to recover all of the pieces. This race

ultimately leads to a three-way showdown

against both the rival adventuring party and

a terrible spirit of nature within a haunted

inn, where the final piece lies.

IntroductIon (EL 1)

The dark mass of the Arthfell Forest looms just

to the north of the trade route, an ominous

wall of unbroken green and shadow. Not far

ahead is the famous Travelers Stop Inn, the

only safe refuge in the area. Rounding a bend in

module tci

the road, you see a trio of mangy dogs playing

a gruesome tug-of-war with some sort of

humanoid corpse. Their snarls and barks break

the silence of the otherwise calm afternoon.

The adventure begins with the PCs

traveling down the trade route on the

edge of the Arthfell Forest, not far from

the Travelers Stop Inn. They might use

this fairly well-traveled route for whatever

reason fits your campaign, but just before

reaching the inn they run across the a

group of dogs fighting over the corpse of

a hobgoblin.

The corpse is a male hobgoblin bearing

several slashing and piercing wounds,

at least one of them clearly fatal. These

wounds are in addition to the chunks

ripped away by the dogs. The corpse still

wears an old-fashioned chain shirt and a

sundered longsword lies nearby. His belt

pouch has been turned inside-out and his

belt bears an empty dagger scabbard. A

DC 9 Search check reveals the tracks of

three or four humanoids in the area. Their

orientation indicates that their makers

might have fought with the hobgoblin. The

freshness of the corpse indicates that the

fight occurred within the last day.

A mercenary band calling itself the

Company of the Black Banner ambushed

this hobgoblin scout in the dark hours of

the morning. They slew and looted him,

leaving his body when spooked by sounds

in the woods they assumed came from allies

of his. No such allies existed, and his body

has lain abandoned for the past 16 hours.

Creatures:

A trio of mangy dogs has

since emerged from the nearby woods to

feed on the corpse of the hobgoblin. They

ignore the PCs entirely until they close

to within 15 feet or are attacked, at which

point the dogs turn to fight the threat to

their meal.

Dogs (3)

6; MM 271

TACTICS

A DC 12 Spot check or a DC 7 Search check

detects a glint coming from a nearby bush,

which partially conceals the hobgoblin’s

dagger. The dagger’s tang, bolster, and blade’s

center appear made of liquid flame. This

dagger

provides its bearer with cold resistance

2. The word “Brightflame” is inscribed on its

hilt in Draconic. The hobgoblin threw the

dagger at one of the mercenaries, and it was

lost in the dark.

Treasure ChesT

Feel free to let your players

use the

GameMastery

Critical Hit Deck

included in the

GameMastery Treasure Chest

box for their

characters. Using it increases slightly

the amount of damage a character deals

with a critical hit, but more importantly it

creates numerous tactical effects that can

enliven an otherwise standard combat

encounter. Only important NPCs, such as

Knu, should be allowed to draw from the

deck. Otherwise, you face a much greater

chance of killing PCs.

PArt 1: thE trAvELErS

StoP Inn

The Travelers Stop Inn is a modest public

house situated just off the main trade route.

Owned and operated by

Ostler Merinwaite

(NG male human expert 3), the inn has a small

staff of cooks, serving girls, chambermaids,

and stable boys, who all live on site or in

nearby thorps and hamlets. The inn is

located in a spot where the road runs up

almost to the edge of the Arthfell Forest

and is hidden under the shady canopy of the

dark trees, sheltered from the worst of

the weather that crosses the moors

to the south. Game is plentiful

in the area and local hunters and

trappers sell their bounty to Merinwaite to

supplement the foodstuffs bought from the

caravans that come through. The inn is a

well-built, brightly painted, two-story affair

with an attic loft, where the staff resides.

Merinwaite keeps his private room on

the first floor. The inn is sturdy and well-

insulated, with fireplaces and charcoal

braziers providing warmth in the winter

months and the shade of the forest and

many windows to capture cooling breezes

during the heat of summer.

When the PCs approach the inn, read

or paraphrase the following.

Treasure

ChesT

The dagger

Brightflame

is depicted

GameMastery Item Cards: Ele-

ments of Power

card 10/54.

Evening is drawing on as the party

arrives, and several curators are

securing the tents for the night and

locking up their wares in large trunks.

The patrons of the exhibit are either

dispersing to their homes or heading to

the taproom for dinner and drinks.

Cr 1/3

During Combat

The dogs move to attack the

nearest foe each round, changing only to

attack foes who harm them.

Morale

The dogs flee if reduced to 2 or fewer

hit points.

Treasure:

The Black Banners looted the

hobgoblin but left behind one valuable item.

A well-built inn painted in cheerful colors is

tucked beneath the eaves of the forest. A stable

stands nearby. A hitching post at the front of the

inn has several mounts, and more than one farm

wagon sits in the yard. A large red sign above

the door proclaims in gilt letters, “Travelers Stop

Inn.” Above this sign and stretching across the

front of the building is a banner with artistic

lettering stating “The Traveling Exhibition of

Doctor Phineus Krane, Professor of Antiquities

and Master of Shroud Artistry.” A number of

colorful tents have been set up at the rear of the

inn yard, apparently for this exhibition.

Business is brisk as the long shadows

of evening slant through the taproom’s

open windows. A bald, red-faced man

wearing an apron works behind the bar

and several young girls carry platters of

food and drinks to various tables. Most of

the crowd seems to be local farmers and

traveling merchants, although clustered

around one table sits a rough-looking

group of mercenaries, one of whom is a

short, black-cloaked figure who might be a

goblin. They huddle over their drinks in quiet

conversation, occasionally raising a head to eye

the crowd. At a table nearby, a bespectacled

scholarly looking fellow discusses a piece of

decorated linen spread across the tabletop with

a small group of onlookers.

In the taproom, the PCs find a modest

crowd but can claim a table or two to pull

together for a place to sit.

Currently in the taproom are Ostler

Merinwaite, three serving girls, the

Company of the Black Banner (see

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