Curse of the Dark Grove (Patreon)

The first chapter of a new four part series, The Lords of Madness!

Curse of the Dark Grove is an adventure made for a party of three to five adventurers of 5th to 6th level; it’s optimized for four adventurers with an average party level (APL) of 6. It’s been written using the Freelands campaign setting but is designed to fit into any setting with only a few changes. Feel free to use the content as is or plug-and-play with it in your own campaign! You have ultimate control of how this story will be played out so, as always, have fun with it!

Story Background

Ashenvale, a city on the outskirts of the Shimmering Forest, has had reports of travelers disappearing at an alarming rate. Those who make it to the city tell tales of strange creatures, twisted trees, and that the forest, a once bright and beautiful place, has grown dark and somber. The birds have stopped singing and small animal life has all but disappeared. 

Hunters are not able to find much game and those who enter the forest at night do not return. The town elders are concerned there is a malevolent force at work and are desperate to find answers.

A band of wizards called the Circle of Five have been trying to harness the power of the elemental plane of chaos. They are siphoning energy through a small rift they opened in their secret underground complex in the Verdant Hills on the outskirts of the Shimmering Forest. Using the local flora and fauna of the forest in their experiments, they have created horrifying creatures by infusing them with chaos. They grew greedy in their lust for power and entered the rift, unknowingly causing it to rip and tear at the very fabric of reality behind them. The chaos has been seeping into the forest, slowly corrupting everything it touches over the last few months. 

New Monster Template - The Chaos Corrupted