Something on the Wind

Main > Compendia > History > Campaigns > Something on the Wind

Details

• Status: Active (Next Session on June 22)
• Time Played: 2025-
• Historical Era: Dawn Age
• System: Dungeons & Dragons 2024
• GMs: Jason, Alex
• Players: Bianca, Charles, Erica, Kituria, Melony

Summary

An ominous wind has crossed eastern Oscillia, blowing south into Mercatia. It carries with it a mysterious doom that the party must uncover and stop. Meanwhile many other hidden schemes are unfolding within Mercatia's complex network of trade and intrigue. A time of great trouble is coming to Mercatia. Will the heroes be able to stop what is coming?

Player Characters

Acantha

• Species: Wood Elf woman
• Class: Circle of the Land Druid
• Path to Power: Fury Sorcerer
• Background: Guide
• Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/145963990

Acantha lived in the wilds of Bleakridge, Oscillia. She made a living by acting as a guide for enterprising merchants and explorers of coastal settlements who wanted to explore the northern wilderness. She was one of the first to sense the ominous wind, and could tell it was a force of Fury. Acantha sought out her friend Yemoja to discuss what might be wrong.

Daro Daivik

• Species: Lascivian man
• Class: Oath of Vengeance Paladin
• Path to Power: Bleeding Court Orison
• Background: Artisan
• Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/145966404

Daro was a promising young weaponsmith approached by agents of Lolth. They saw his potential and offered him power in exchange for his service. He has been researching exotic weapon craft ever since. One weapon that caught his eye was an ice dagger that a merchant purchased in the village of Irina's Anvil, where he met the party investigating an ominous cold wind. What will Daro learn about his new patron's involvement with the troubling events coming to Mercatia?

Gellardia

• Species: High Elf woman
• Class: Beastmaster Ranger
• Path to Power: Court of Three Orison
• Background: Merchant
• Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/145965191

Gellardia has come quite distracted from her merchant apprenticeship and requested a leave of absence from her mentor. As a last favor, her mentor requested that Gellardia investigate a missing merchant named Thorne who was working the southern routes of Oscillia near the village of Irina's Anvil. What secrets in her backstory will come to light on her adventures?

Nyxia "Nyx" Veridian

• Species: Human woman
• Class: Arcane Trickster Rogue
• Path to Power: Fingersmith Orison
• Background: Noble
• Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/145964377

Nyx is a granddaughter of the Verdant Throne of House Veridian, one of the most powerful Great Houses of Mercatia. She is not only investigating the ominous wind that has come to Mercatia, but the dark secrets of her own Great House as well.

Yemoja Littlebottom

• Species: Cakeling woman
• Class: Circle of the Moon Druid
• Path to Power: Herald of Form
• Background: Hermit
• Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/145965897

Yemoja lived in the wilderness of Bleakridge, Oscillia. As a lone Herald of Form, she was content to tend to the Telar and enjoy nature far away from civilization. That was until the Telar began to whisper about something wrong on the wind. Yemoja met up with Acantha, a fellow naturalist, to discuss what might be wrong.

Story

Adventure 1: The Icy Barrow

Session 1

The party met in the small village of Ilira's Anvil, on the southern coast of Oscillia. Yemoja and Acantha are locals who roam the wilderness of Oscillia. They came to Ilira's Anvil because they sensed something was disturbing the land. Nyx, Gellardia, and Daro all arrived by boat from Valdessa, one of the islands of the Mercatia archipelago. Daro saw a bizarre, masterwork dagger with an icy blade in a Mercatia market. Wanting to find it's smith, he learned that it came from Ilira's Anvil. Gallardia recently left the employment of her merchant mentor, who sent her on one last errand: find out what happened to the travelling merchant, Thorne, who was working the coastal routes, last seen near Ilira's Anvil. So the party met at the Laughing Stock Inn. Overhearing each other's conversations, they decided to investigate things together.

First they travelled to the local Telar, a spirit of the local lands that Heralds of Form, like Yemoja, can commune with. The Telar was extremely sick and sluggish, having a hard time staying awake. But it said that something happened, about 10 days ago, that has caused its sickness. It described animals "vanishing" from its awareness. Then it needed a nap.

Then they returned to the village and found the village elder, Elowen, trying to console a young boy. The boy explained that he came to town looking for help for his sick father.

On the way to the boy's farm the party learned that the boy's father believed that his wife and two other sons were alive, when the boy claims they are dead. Later, the party finds the cart and bodies of the merchant Thorne, confirming his fate. The bodies were growing an unnatural, cold mushroom, and two wolves protecting the bodies seemed to have the same cold mushroom growing from their fur.

After destroying the infected wolves, the party continued to Greywall Farm.

Session 2

After a conversation where the patriarch of the family, Guilford Greywall, was obviously hiding something, the party decided to investigate the property. They investigated the Greywall Farm very thoroughly, including magical and mundane inspections of multiple parts of the property while Daro distracted Guilford by helping with labor in the pumpkin patch. Acantha's magical inspections revealed that the mushroom infections were some kind of Fury disease caused by the ancient Titan God named "Pale Maw" - associated with glaciers, bone, blood, wolves, fungus, and most of all: hunger. She found that the Fury corruption was in Guilford as well, though it had a charm effect on him, and no obvious signs of mushroom growth.

First they found a gruesome scene in the barn. Signs of a fight outside suggested that one of the infested wolves was killed and then dragged into the barn. Then all of the livestock in the barn was clumsily butchered, and their corpses dragged close to the wolf. From the infested wolf grew a larger mushroom than the party had seen before, and it was releasing a thin layer of spores that was beginning to infest the corpses of the livestock, causing mushrooms to grow and muscles to twitch. The party decided to burn all signs of the mushrooms with fire, removing the infestation from the barn entirely.

Then the party moved to the farmhouse, where they spoke with young Terrick Greywall. He led them outside to where his mother and brothers were buried. The party found the graves dug up, and corrupted mushroom growth on the loose dirt. The party burned the mushrooms here as well.

Yemoja went to inform Daro what was going on, while Nyx and Acantha investigated more of the farmhouse. They went upstairs to find a padlocked door. Opening it they heard terrible noises coming from inside. Yemoja, Daro, and Guilford entered the farmhouse and called out for Nyx and Acantha. This alerted the creatures in behind the door and a combat ensued.

By the end of the combat, the infested zombie wife and twin sons of Guilford were destroyed. Guilford himself was knocked unconscious and tied up in the padlocked basement. Yemoja had goaded whatever power possessed Guilford into revealing where the infested wolves were coming from, and dared her and her friends to go there.

The party returned to town around sundown and informed the authorities what happened with Greywall Farm. The handsome captain of the guard, Darial, ensured the party that the farm would be secured and Terrick and Guilford kept safe. Elowen visited the party and asked what happened to Thorne's merchant caravan. The party lied and said they didn't find the merchant's lockbox with the village's payment, but guilt caused Nyx to give Elowen 15 GP of her own money. Elowen gave Nyx a healing potion as thanks.

Lastly in town, Daro visited the hermit sage Aspazia, an elven woman. Through her grouchy demeanor he was able to learn that the ice dagger he encountered was probably crafted by Irina, a legendary blacksmith from centuries ago who inspired the name of the town, though she is forgotten by modern villagers. Aspazia said that Irina was buried in a barrow far outside of town, and that if Daro wants to learn where the dagger came from, he should seek her tomb.

The party deliberated about whether to go to Irina's tomb first, or the place where the infested wolves came from. Ultimately they decided to go to the tomb first. After a few hours walk, they arrived at the hill barrow. Pacing at the top of the hill were three black bears, fur gone turned grey and mushrooms growing from their backs...