Introduction - The Adventure begins!

576CY

Wealsun 1 

Brigands plague the Gnarley Forest. The tracks through the forest are perilous enough in normal times, but now brigandry in the forest has markedly increased, and the brigands themselves show an unusually high level of organization and coordination. Not even the Rangers of the Gnarley seem able to stem the upsurge in brigandry in their domain.

So it is that the leading merchants of the town of Narwell on the Wild Coast have commissioned you to look into the rise in brigandry and stop the attacks. You are offered 500 g.p. for the successful completion of your mission, plus whatever booty you can obtain from the brigands. The merchants will also outfit your expedition with riding horses and other supplies (but not arms or armor).

The merchants have arranged for you to accompany a small caravan scheduled to go into the forest in two days’ time. It is carrying cloth from Almor and wine from Onnwal, and will meet up with a much larger caravan once it reaches the village of Hommlet on the far side of the forest.

Once the caravan is safely seen to that point, your mission is over, assuming you have managed to retrieve intelligence about the bandits, or even managed to inflict a serious blow to them. You should give a complete report to Burne, the Most Worshipful Mage of Hommlet, who will pay you for your service.

In Narwell

The PCs have a full day to purchase any supplies they wish. Assume that any equipment on the standard equipment list (including mounts) is available in Narwell.

The caravan consists of four ox-drawn carts, each with a driver; two hold wine and two hold cloth. Two merchants (not the ones who hired the PCs, but aware of their mission and happy to have the protection) on horseback accompany the carts. The small caravan’s wares are worth a total of 4,000 g.p., and the trip should take slightly less than two weeks to reach Hommlet, a small village in the Kron Hills. The PCs are expected to provide their own food.

Two Merchants accompany the group:

Evard Luthwin

Ewin Rasgor

Player Characters:

The Elven Thief

The Fighter

Cleric of St. Cuthbert

Day 1

The caravan leaves Narwell heading due west towards the Jewel River and the Gnarley Forest. It makes camp on the trail, and the night is uneventful.

Day 2

The caravan continues due west, arriving at a ford across the Jewel river in late afternoon. The caravan stays in the small village of Redpatch, on the east bank of the river. The village does not have an inn, and the caravan must overnight in a field nearby.

Day 3

The caravan passes through the village of Dunmarsh on the edge of the forest, and enters the Gnarley near dusk, making camp only a mile or so within its boundaries. The caravan lead drover points out that their pace will slow considerably once they enter the forest, so every mile is precious.

Day 4

The caravan spends its day entirely beneath the canopy of the forest. Towards the end of the day, the trail gets noticeably rougher as it enters more hilly terrain, and thus the caravan moves more slowly.

At the end of the day, two brigands stand in in plain sight in the cart-path, bidding the caravan to halt and demanding its surrender. 

The leader of  the group says: "My name is Heavy Snej from the bandits of the Abbey, Surrender your goods or die!"

The fighter charges in joined by the cleric of St. Cuthbert screaming for Law and Order.

A battle ensues with the good guys victorious, licking wounds. Alive to fight another day.