Spoils of Victory

Among the detritus uncovered inside the hobgoblin caves, you are able to locate several crates of goods obviously stolen from Prudence at the toll cabin. There are probably eight or nine partial crates, although most have been rummaged. The remaining goods could be packed into three of the crates, or distributed among a party of five or six with relative ease.
The hobgoblin warlord has a large battle axe. Most of the rest of their gear is nondescript. They have short swords, the hobgoblins have chain mail and shields, the captains have half plate and shields, and the warlord plate mail and shield. The goblins have short bows and spears.
I feel like there should be more here. I like this encounter as a springboard for further action. Something I mentioned early in this process was connected to being followed or targeted. The neckless is meant to attract monsters.
Its also something that has been bugging me about this adventure so far, that it is stuck on the river. If the first attack on the cult stirred some pointed animosity toward the party, coupled with an urge to recover the artifact, it would be expected that the cult leaders would gather a recovery party to send after them. They would know the mountains, and would probably use paths through and across them to cut off the bend in the river, getting to the upriver location in time to set an ambush.
That would have been an interesting detail to use as backstory for this hobgoblin location and encounter. Its possible this is an advance group, more likely an ancillary one hired to watch the toll station and pass along notice to the cult when the party arrives. Their attack and defeat has prevented the information from being passed along.
That means there is evidence of some connection inside the cave or on the body of the warlord, but what? There could be some token of affiliation with the cult in his possession, but for that to be effective, it would need to have been referenced earlier in the story, either at the outpost or shrine. Another option might be to give him a map to their location. That could work, especially if there is an accompanying note in draconic with instructions, terms, or directions to the cult's current location.
Time to think about what the cult is up to...

The Hobgoblins are Legion

The last two surviving goblinoids fled from the party's wrath, racing up the trail into a thicket of pines atop the ridge. As they run, you hear their cries of loathing and promises of revenge from the "big boys." You are able to easily pursue them due to their careless retreat and constant snarling remarks. After several hundred yards you notice the trees thinning as the path of retreat nears the edge of the thicket and a bare wall of rock looms up a hundred feet away.

At this point, the loud shrieks of escaping voices are joined by the harsh commands of several more voices. Breaking the edge of the wood, you can see that the face of the rock wall is pocked with three small cave openings, and one large one at the base of the cliff.
The two creatures you have been following can just be seen disappearing into the large cave mouth. In the "courtyard" there are 6 hulking brutes... hobgoblins. They are rising and forming ranks (History/Nature DC12 to know hobgoblins pride themselves on their martial acumen, and that some can pose a challenge for their tactics and brutality). These are led by a Hobgoblin Warlord of somewhat lesser ability.
Three of them are hobgoblins, two are hobgoblin captains, and the hobgoblin warlord. There are also six goblins inside the caves, two bugbears, and two more hobgoblins. The goblins will scurry to the three cave openings up the cliff, and the remaining hobgoblins and bugbears will move to join the battle formation in the courtyard.
The hobgoblin warlord believes he is a great general, and will line his men up and direct their actions, calling for a forward assault and a flanking operation from the captains. His insistence on discipline and holding their positions will undermine their effectiveness. The goblins will set themselves up to fire down on the party.
The cliff can be scaled by rolling a successful Athletics check (DC12), and moving at half speed. The caves are located 10, 20 and 30 feet above the ground. Another option would be to move past the ordered legion outside and directly inside the cave. Doing this will bring them face to face with the bugbears and hobgoblins inside the cave. This will give the warlord great delight as he directs his force to turn about and apply a pincer attack in consort with the others inside the cave. Once this occurs, his careful planning will come apart, and confusion will reign. Otherwise, the hobgoblins will be sluggish and uncertain about what to do without instruction.
This should be a fun battle, with the hobgoblins behaving in erratic and unpredictable fashion. Once they are defeated, a search of the caves will reveal some nice treasure, as well as some of the goods stolen from Prudence' cabin.

The Bugbears Descend

While you are with Prudence at the toll cabin, she suddenly speaks out, "we have visitors on the hillside, probably those bugbears again."
In all likelihood, the party will be taken aback at such an interruption. The reality is that part of her defense system involves alarm spells placed around the cabin to alert her to the approach of creatures from a variety of directions. She will attempt to persuade you to go outside and deal harshly with them. As you debate or move to the exit, there is a sudden explosion from somewhere outside.
It turns out that not only does she have alarms placed strategically, she has glyphs set as well. "I have a lot of time on my hands," she offers. When you reach the outside, you note that there is indeed a dead bugbear smoldering on the side of the hill, and two others trying to discreetly disappear into the hills east of the cabin along a worn strip of ground that might be a path.
Prudence feels it is indeed fortuitous that you have found her at this time, and believes fortune has indeed smiled upon her. She offers to refund you 25 gp if you will track the two bugbears into the hills and defeat them. There have been increasing raids from them over the last month, and with traffic slow on the river at this time of year, no one to send into the hills after them. She lost three weeks worth of provisions in the first raids, before she set her defenses, and is running low on supplies. She is certain she can hold out until the next delivery from Aron's Bowl arrives in a week, but not if they launch a successful raid in the meantime.
According to her, they have begun recognizing where the glyphs are placed, and approaching more cautiously. She points out that there are two rings of alarms and glyphs, and that the one that exploded a mere 50 feet from the back of the cabin was in the inner ring. She will show the location of the defenses if the party will help her, and offers them looting rights to whatever they find, other than foodstuffs, which she asks to have returned to her.
On the trail, the party can make periodic Survival checks (DC16) to follow the bugbear path. If they succeed by greater than 5, they can notice that something about the tracks seems odd. If they wish to roll an Insight check (DC15) they can learn that some of the tracks seem to have been deliberately left to be followed.
Eventually, the party reaches an area where a small stream runs down the way they came to their left, and a cliff wall rises steeply to their right. The path seems to run on past the cliff wall to a more gentle slope, then zig-zag to the top. As they start the climb, have them roll Perception checks (DC20) to notice they are surrounded by goblinoids, and in the midst of an ambush. If they all fail, the monsters launch their ambush with surprise.
The rock wall is deceptive. It is actually fractured, with an eight inch thick sliver of rock rising up a foot in front of the rest of the wall, so that the bugbears can run directly up to the top of the cliff via a narrow cleft, completely out of sight of the trail the party is following. The ambush has been set here. There are 6 goblins, 2 bugbears and a hobgoblin waiting in the cleft to swarm out behind the party as they ascend. At the same time, 2 more hobgoblins, 2 bugbears and 4 goblins attack from the path ahead of them. In both instances, the goblins fire spears at the party, while the hobgoblins charge. The bugbears stay back as much as possible to shift their targets more quickly.
If the battle goes against the monsters, the last two will flee pell-mell up and over the hill. The remaining dead can be searched to reveal slight treasure, 50 gp, 3 potions of healing, and several scimitars of usable quality (4). Anyone understanding goblin will hear the escaping creatures vowing to warn the leaders and return in strength. They should be followed and taken.

Detours

I've included a sketch of the cabin layout to show what I had in mind.
I feel like the info I laid out was sketchy, but that may be good. There is a lot to be said for including less developed elements in an adventure in order to allow for a more organic interaction. This encounter wasn't designed to really test any skills or abilities, but to offer an interesting twist for an encounter. The beauty of it is that it can be played in a very neutral way, as a pure role-play situation, or in an aggressive all out battle. Setting the encounter out as a loose collection of location, adversaries, and situation allow it to be developed in a variety of ways.
There is also a great opening for broadening the adventure while allowing opportunity for gaining further experience. I threw it out at the end of the blog yesterday, mostly as a way of wrapping things up when I couldn't concentrate on what I wanted to add any longer. But, in retrospect, it works. The other reason it feels right has to do with a flaw I've been sensing in the development of this adventure, namely that it is too linear.
The idea of traveling upriver to the mountains was meant to provide an opportunity for a wide variety of encounters of increasing difficulty to run the party up to a high enough level that they could successfully face a dragon in its lair. I didn't anticipate the majority of the travel being by boat. There have been chances to leave the river and cross the mountains directly, and that may be a very helpful option to go back and develop in greater detail at some point, but it becomes more difficult to justify with each mile.
Early on, the impetus to go overland would be to cut off the northern swing in the river. Other options would be to follow mining trails, bandit routes, or for some other rendezvous - like the original plan to gather information from a wizard. Now, having reached higher elevations, the likelihood of an overland route easing the journey in any way is slim. If the river became unnavigable, then the only choice would be to leave it and journey on foot, but to make a substantial mining community in Aron's Bowl a viable location, it is likely the river can be traversed from mouth to source. Otherwise, there would have been a major road striking out from the dock where the mephits and wolves attacked leading directly over the mountains through a pass toward the valley of mines.
In essence, the journey so far has been to posit you on the shore at this point of the adventure and now is where it starts to open into many possible avenues of action. You are basically back at the border of civilization. The attraction of civilization draws adversaries, the milder terrain and climate as you near the thermal springs is likewise more appealing for monsters to live in than the barren stretches. Naturally, there are more options for side treks, and a more pressing need to deal with them rather than move on toward safety. For the party, they are detours, but for the people of the upper valley and Aron's Bowl, they are threats to their safety and well-being. They will actively encourage hardy adventurers to protect them from the danger of the wild, and be willing to pay for the effort (in many cases).
From this point, there should be a side trek for each red dot advancement on the river. And it seems to me that each major side trek should be just that, something major - a lair, dragon caves, giant villages, etc.

Prudence

I worked on yesterday's entry, and felt good about where I was at. Then I sat down to make up the character... only to realize that Thaumaturgy is not an arcane spell. I was devastated. But I knew that our beloved Strix from Dice, Camera, Action! was a sorcerer who makes frequent use of the spell. It's how I understood the value it carries in actual gameplay! There had to be something in the character's makeup; racial bonus, a feat, etc., so I started breaking it down. Strix is a Tiefling, Thaumaturgy is a racial benefit of Tieflings. Problem solved, crisis averted, Prudence born!
Prudence is a fifth level Tiefling Wizard, sole toll keeper at this boundary location. She, perhaps somewhat oddly for her race, is lawful neutral. Whether the position appealed to her because of her alignment and personal philosophy or her alignment drifted to match her unique role and position, she prides herself on handling everything connected with her job on her own.
The chains across the river with the attached net allow her to contain ships attempting to pass through the narrow channel and demand appropriate tribute based on their cargo. She is able to communicate from a remote location to direct travelers using Thaumaturgy to be heard. She also has a crystal ball which is trained at the steps leading from the dock to cabin. She is able to see and hear anything within 10 feet of this location. She is herself located within the side of the hill. There is a passage leading from there into the upper floor of the cabin. It is possible for her to see out of "windows" cut in the side of the hill, so she is aware of movement on the river. She also moves freely through the cabin at most times, retreating to the bunker within the hill at the approach of ships in order to secure them without endangering herself. Once she has controlled the situation, she instructs the passengers to vacate the boat and await further instruction. If she feels unthreatened, she will approach in person to negotiate payment and release of the boat.
If she feels threatened, she will remain out of view, and work to turn events to her favor through use of her spells. Prudence is strict in her sense of duty, and logical in its execution. She insists on fair payment, and doesn't accept or demand more than required. She is intelligent, and understands the sense of domination her approach imposes, harboring no ill will or deep resentment toward any who resist. She will take measures as aggressive and extreme as she deems necessary to fulfill her task.
Moving upstream, the toll is more nominal. The main endeavor of the detainment is to instruct on the process, and ensure that nothing unbalancing is being smuggled upriver to the mines. Most of the trade going this direction is of goods - food stuffs, cloth, tools and weaponry. There is little gained by confiscating these items, which are eagerly awaited by the miners of Aron's Bowl.
For straight travelers like our party, the fee is slight, say 5 gp per person. Once the toll has been paid, Prudence will invite them to join her for dinner, and offer space in the cabin to spend the night if desired for 1 gp per person. She can offer information about the Long Valley and Aron's Bowl if questioned, and suggest possible locations for adventure and exploration.

High Plains

I'm postponing writing about the astral monk for now since I need to look into it more.
Continuing upstream, the journey has become less arduous for a change. Bypassing the waterfall, the party finds themselves in an upper mountain valley. The canyon walls recede to a much broader plateau, with tough scrub grassland covering the slopes on either side of the river. There are scattered low pines, but no extended forest areas. The hills rising from the river are steep, but not impossibly so.
The river widens by about a third, and has less eddying, but it is still flowing swiftly. Before long, you actually begin to notice signs of habitation, mostly in the form of cut timber. With the gentler grade and slower pace, the river has been drifting one direction, then another as it flows, in broad sweeping curves that break visibility upstream. There are also many places where spines of hard rock run down from the larger peaks above, and the river has cut its way around them.
Making one of these turns, you notice a lone cabin with two levels, one at the river's edge, partly overhanging the river. The upper level is offset, following the contour of the rising hill. At the back of the cabin, there appears to be an enclosed hallway leading directly into the hill itself. On the far side of the stream, you see a cribbed stone wall reaching out into the river. It has been constructed in such a way that the water flows through it with little constraint, but with it rising two feet above the waterline, there is no way to get the boat past without running it directly next to the cabin's dock.
The party need to make Perception checks (DC19) at this point. If successful, they notice chains anchored to the end of the wall running into the water. There are also chains rising from the river's edge to large eyelets protruding from the bank about 10 yards downstream from the cabin. Anyone with a sailor background will guess there is some underwater mechanism to trap the boat between the cabin and the cribbed wall. Everyone will understand this if they all fail their checks, or fail to halt their progress upstream. A grinding is heard, and the chains go taut with a wire mesh netting hanging from it preventing passage up or downstream from the cabin. A booming voice calls out, "Tie off at the dock, and await instruction."
Although very ominous sounding, the simple situation is that this is a toll gate on the river. The upper valley, into the vale of Aron's Bowl, is reasonably well populated, and the government, such as it is, has set up this toll station to make certain none of the miners sneak their goods downstream without proper taxation. Needless to say, the organization of "government" is an extremely loose one, so not everyone intends to follow their decrees. With a sparsely manned station, the setup is elaborate, and precautions taken to make people follow the process.
Unfortunately, there is only one individual manning the toll gate. Fortunately, she is a very capable wizard of fifth level.

Karl's Stats and stories

Here are the stats for Karl Wyrmkill. This isn't a perfect solution, but it is a start.

Not much for an entry, but to be honest, my mind is blank. Time to theorize, I guess.

Actual, one thing that has me hung up is that I meant to have put in an encounter with a wizard in his tower, or some similar cliche. Now that I've remembered I want to stop and develop that, but I don't think it fits here. With that in mind, there is no reason this needs to be done linearly... other than that fixing the level of any encounter is easier knowing roughly where the party is when they meet it.
The wizard is a good option for gathering information on the necklace, and introducing some strategy for facing the dragon or approaching it. I think it is also a great opportunity for an encounter that doesn't need to be combat-based. It would need something more to make it interesting, but I'm not sure what.
The wizard could be a prisoner of some sort, or mad, or surrounded by his undead minions, but some of those have been done here, or miscast the purpose of the encounter. I suppose if he was trapped in some magical error and needed to be rescued before he could assist the party, that might be interesting. Actually, I've never done anything extra-planar before... this might be an opportunity to try something like that. Maybe he got a component wrong, and got stuck on the astral plane. The party needs to get there and get him back. That might be interesting. The wizard could be a githzerai monk. Maybe you find a tower with a portal to the astral plane and some sort of guardian. You need to enter the portal and cross part of the plane to locate the monk. Along the way, you have to deal with githyanki and other creatures. Or, he demands a silver sword as payment for the knowledge he imparts, and sends you on a quest to defeat a githyanki to find one.
I think there is possibility here. Time to do some research on astral travel and monsters...

Bandits and Beyond

I've debated the bandits a bit, but I think the best option here is to use the Bandit Captain stats for them all. There are 4-6 bandits, according to what the party is best suited for in level. I'd lean toward four unless the party is fourth level. As for Karl's stats, I have to work on that. What I had planned to do won't work easily on this platform, so I need to shift the format and just didn't leave myself the proper time to do that tonight.

This story had been falling into a nice flow, and I'm lost about where to take it next. After defeating the goblin den and the bandits at the portage, Karl will wish the party well and part ways. If they ask and the DM is willing, there is no reason not to have him continue with them for a while. Karl is a free spirit, and willing to go where action leads. At the same time, this is where he calls home, so he won't continue on the journey for too long.

As for defeating the bandits and freeing the portage from danger (for now), the bandits have been doing good business, and a little searching will find a cache of treasure they have stashed. As long as the party chooses to search the campsite, they will find the treasure store concealed in a hollow behind a stone at the back of the ravine with their dwelling. There are two chests and a cache of weapons wrapped in sheets of leather rolled and tied.

The chests are locked, but can be picked by someone with proficiency in Thieves' Tools on Dex DC18, otherwise DC25. If they want to break the chests open, give them AC12 and 10 hp. Smashing the chest will cause its contents to be spilled out. This should have a cost, say reducing the treasure inside by 10% for coins being sent flying into the dirt, bushes and rocks.

The wrapped bundles contain 4 short swords, a rapier, and flail. There are 180 copper pieces, 48 silver pieces, 77 gold pieces, 8 gems worth an average of 30 gp each, and 3 daggers, 1 of which is silvered. There is also a small carved figure looking like an onyx dog (Figurine of Wondrous Power). There are also 3 potions of healing inside one of the chests. If this chest was smashed to open it, roll percentile dice to see if one of the potions was shattered as well (10%).

From here, the river is again navigable for the next 50 miles according to Karl, but beyond that he hasn't traveled and can't say. You seem to be in the higher mountains now, and while the walls of the canyon retreat from either side of the river and aren't as steep, they are still mostly rock and small bushes, with sparse pine trees clinging to some of the more sheltered ledges.

Liberating the Portage

After dealing with the goblin den, Karl leads you uphill a few hundred yards to a narrow defile running along the side of the mountain. The trail he leads you on runs fairly evenly above the river far below, partly underground, partly through deep ravines, and partly across open hillside. At one of the open spots, he pauses to point down at the waterfall below, with the normal portage route visible on the far side of the river. From the far side of the stream and a higher elevation, you have a great view of the portage route as a whole. From the landing below the waterfall, there is a broad path cut into the rock rising in a series of steps to a ledge that runs around the cut of the falls. In places it has been built up to allow passage from one ledge to another, and other parts have been chiseled out to allow easier passage.
With Karl's warnings in your mind, you quickly locate a waft of smoke rising from a small ravine above the waterfall and the portage. You notice it is located above and behind a serious outcropping of rock that protects it from view from the river or the portage. Your position higher up the mountainside and across the river gives you a chance to study the bandits' camp and ambush position. The camp is well-concealed, built from carefully positioned stones covering a brickwork building beneath. From ground level, it would be almost impossible to spot.
Karl points out that the path you are on continues another mile upriver before returning to the water below. There is a lone sentry lying atop a large boulder looking down on the waterfall and the landing below. They don't appear to be paying any attention to traffic coming from upriver. There are no other people visible. Karl suggests that you might be able to continue on to the river, then cross and come at them unaware. He believes there is an old goat trail on the far side of the river that can take you to a small ledge he points out 30 feet above the bandit camp site.
It is possible to skirt the camp and approach it from upriver, avoiding the lookout and taking the building by surprise from the ledge above it. The party would have to make survival checks to locate the goat path, athletics checks to climb its steep slope, and stealth checks to avoid alerting the bandits in the hideaway. With dusk approaching quickly, they could get into position and wait for an opportune moment after dark to attack in order to surprise the bandits in their sleep. They can roll stealth checks with advantage against the passive perception of the bandits. (Tomorrow I'll need to make up a bandit gang, and get some stats for Karl.)

Goblin Den

Having met with a dwarf barbarian during an encounter with a swarm of goblins, the party is able to relax and enjoy an uninterrupted long rest with Karl Wyrmkill in his lodging. His lodging turns out to be a series of three caverns loosely connected much further up the ridge from the river than you encountered the goblins. There is a small cave entrance leading to a large cavern deeper into the hillside down a long passage. There are several small passages leading away from this cavern. Karl insists that most lead to dead ends, while some have access to a spring. There is a third cavern a few hundred yards away, well concealed from any approach to the main entrance, that is connected to the larger cavern as well. Karl refers to this bolt hole as his back door.
The night passes uneventfully within the large chamber. In the morning, he will offer to escort you overland around a waterfall that lies three hours upriver. He assures you that it is a gentle enough route to allow you to carry your boat with you, and insists that it is better than taking the usual portage around the waterfall. According to Karl, there is a strong bandit presence in that area of the river, and they have many spies informing them of possible targets. They like to stay out of sight, and wait for travelers to make their ascent over the portage, then ambush them on the way back down to the river where they can take them by surprise from caves on the downslope. They kill and ransack as much as possible, then run anything extra over the waterfall in the boats to smash them on the rocks below.
Karl's been watching them, and working out a way to deal with them, but feels the first thing to address are the goblin spies working for them. He asks for your help in attacking their den. The goblins you met at the river were spies that would have betrayed your presence to the bandits upstream, allowing you to fall victim to them during the portage. He claims they all are part of a den of goblins that live two miles up the gorge from where you left the river. He knows a back way into their hideout, and thinks that together you can overwhelm them and destroy their chief. Without a leader, they will scatter into the hills, giving an opening for dealing with the bandits unawares.

On the map accompanying, the main entrance leads into chamber 1, with secondary exits near chambers 5 and 8. Karl leads you to the entrance leading to chamber 10.
Rm 1-2 goblins, R2-Bugbear chief and 2 bugbears, R3-goblin boss and 4 goblins, R4-3 goblins, R5-8 giant rats, R6-2 goblins, R7-1 bugbear, R8-3 goblins and 1 rat swarm.
Chambers 7 and 9 are separated by a large, murky pool filled by greasy water dripping from the ceiling. There are three pools in chamber 9, cutting this section of the den off from the main part. This is how Karl hopes to defeat the goblins, by sneaking up on them from deep within their own den. The rooms are not unguarded. Room 11 has a swarm of bats, with guano covering the floor (DC17 Survival check to equate the guano with a bat cave). Room 10 has 3 giant spiders. Room 9 is the reason the goblins don't fear any approach from that direction. There is a roper in the chamber, along with three piercers, blending in with the stalactites and stalagmites in the cavern. The party can deal with the bats, spiders and roper without arousing any real interest from the goblins since they expect the monsters in room 9 to deal with intruders on a routine basis. It will amuse the goblins. However, the bugbear in room 7 will notice their presence, and unless dealt with quickly following the defeat of the other monsters, will be able to raise an alarm.

Hope Unheralded

Continuing upstream, the recent snow event spurs you to make better time. For the next day, the travel is quick, though the resistance of the current is growing. The walls of the mountains are also closing in tightly until you find yourself straining to move forward through a narrow canyon. Fortunately, the water is fairly high at this time, and you're able to glide above the rocks. Still, the day is much shorter with the steep walls closing in, and there are few places to put in along this stretch of river. You are able to find a stretch of sand along the western shore, and put in for a rest.
Taking advantage of the break to look around, you realize there is a hidden cleft against the cliffside, which stretches back from the river and rises into the hillside. Anyone exploring up the cleft can make a Perception check (DC16) to notice a small cave opening several hundred feet further up the ravine.
Given the approach of night, there is sense in checking out the cave as a potential campsite for the night. It is about 50 feet up the hill from the edge of the river, so it should be safe from any change in water level. The cave is about 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide, with a possible opening in the darkness at the back of the cave. Looking around the outside of the cave entrance shows some signs that a path might have continued up the hillside through the cleft at one time, though it is now overgrown. Survival DC20 can notice the recent passage of a dwarf, that made an effort to cover his tracks.
There are no trees in the area for firewood, but there is a lot of scrub brush around that can be gathered and used for fire. There is not enough to create a roaring blaze, but the party can build a fire in the entrance of the small cave that will give enough heat to drive off the chill of the mountain air in the secluded cleft. Inspection of the back of the cave reveals a narrow passage that seems to weave back into the mountain for 8-10 feet then end. It is very narrow at the back, and appears to go nowhere.
During the night, 4 goblins drop down into the narrow passage from a hole in its roof at the back, and slip out to steal the party's unguarded equipment. Have anyone on watch roll Perception checks against the goblins' Stealth to determine whether they are successful. If the PCs suspect activity from the passage, give them advantage on their Perception roll. The goblins will try to each slip away with a pack, back into the passage.
If the goblins are discovered, one of them will bolt for the passage squealing loudly as the others turn to fight. This will bring six additional goblins on the next turn, with three of them coming down the hill to the cave entrance.
After a few rounds of fighting (have additional goblins enter the battle if the party is killing them too quickly), a terrible howl comes echoing down through the narrow canyon walls. A wild-haired, short figure in hide armor is barreling down the overgrown pathway up past the cave with a large axe held aloft. He will charge into the battle and swing wildly at every goblins within reach. The goblins will shrink back at the sound of his approach, and after he begins attacking must make a morale save to continue fighting. If the raging dwarf kills any of them, they roll the ST with disadvantage.
Once the goblins are driven off, the dwarven barbarian comes out of his rage and introduces himself as Karl Wyrmkill. He invites you to join him further up the hillside in his lodgings, and will offer to guide them overland through the hills past an upcoming waterfall three hours upriver. If they accept his assistance, he will also provide them with a +1 shield that he has found and has no use for.
Chances are, the party will have encounters with mountain creatures while passing overland - bears, mountain lions, etc. Karl will prove a useful companion in dealing with any difficulty for the next few days as they travel by land.

Inspiration

Sometimes, you can find inspiration in the ordinary. I glanced at a wall calendar today, and was struck by the image. It is a picture of the Travertine Terraces in Pamalukke, Turkey. They are formed by the minerals in the hot springs.
This is gold! I just look at it and see potential for encounters. Seeing them in the midst of writing this adventure is perfect. With my story set in the far north around thermal springs... it is a natural fit.
They can work beautifully as stepped frozen terrain, or hot springs. The PCs arrive at the base of the terraced pools with an adversary at a cave entrance near the top or above them. They need to cross the field of pools under duress. They'd have to balance on the edges, or wade through the pools. Water and cold could make the footing more challenging. Some of the pools could be brackish or outright poisoned based on the particular minerals in them.
Another point that could be fun would be to have the minerals fed from underground as well flowing from above. That would mean underground passages, and open the encounter to a number of variables. Aquatic monsters, fragile mineral walls, deep and shallow pools, etc.
This is definitely something I'll develop into part of this adventure, but I'm not sure where to put it yet.

Stuck in the Snow

The storm raged through most of the night, wind howling as the snow piled up outside the cabin. After the incident with the ice mephits, the party is able to hunker down safely in the building for the remainder of the night. While there isn't a lot of wood, you are able to scrounge enough to keep the fire going until morning.
Stepping outside in the aftermath of the storm, you can see that over a foot of snow has blanketed the world. The river is showing signs of ice forming along the banks, though the force of the current has kept the stream open. Your boat is still tied to the dock, but riding low with all the snow in it, and threatened by the encroaching ice near the shore.
Should anyone decide to look around the building, or make an excursion up the hillside for more firewood, they will find many tracks coming down the mountain and circling around the edge of the cleared land next to the building. Survival DC15 to recognize the tracks as belonging to a pack of wolves, at least 6, with one noticeably larger than the others. It appears they lead back up the hill toward a line of trees higher on the ridge overlooking the way station. No one can recall hearing any howls during the night, but the wind from the storm covered any other noises. Perception DC20 to notice two sets of tracks leading upriver 100 feet back from the shore.
There are 5 wolves and a winter wolf that were shadowing the party during the night. They have sent two of the wolves upriver while the others withdrew. They will wait for the party to busy themselves with clearing their boat, then ambush them. When they do, the five will surround the party and close on them while the winter wolf holds back. They will try to attack when someone is isolated or separated from the others, and target them. The winter wolf will try to use its breath weapon on as many as it can at one time.

Stormy Weather

Harried by bandits for the first hundred miles upstream, the party sees relief with the river turning to run from the north. The trade off is a more difficult river to navigate. The walls have closed in on either side of the river, pinching it to a narrow channel running fast and deep. Starting north, the trees thin as the ground becomes rockier and less fertile. The steep mountainsides tower over the water. It is still possible to travel upstream by boat, but this is as far as any larger river boats can travel. The currents and waterfalls of the upper stream require travel by smaller craft that can be portaged around the worst areas. You are slightly surprised to notice a sizable dock jutting out of the eastern bank with a good sized, low wooden structure built next to it, but a successful History DC16 check let you understand this is the turning point for bigger boats, and a spot for offloading into small boats.
There is no sign of smoke or movement to indicate anyone is at the dock. Pulling in, there are no boats present, and it doesn't look like any have been in some time. Given the onset of winter, this isn't very surprising. It does look like there might be some supplies around.
If the party decides to rummage for supplies, they can find enough dry rations for three days journey. There are also 3 lengths of rope, 10 feet of chain, a block and tackle, 10 pitons, and 2 hooded lanterns with 5 flasks of oil. Perception DC20 will let someone find a wooden box tucked behind a loose board in the wall. The box is 12 inches long, 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep. Inside it there is a fishing net and a spyglass. Arcana DC15 will perceive a magical aura to the box [the box is a folding boat, with 3 command words - one to open the boat, one to open a larger ship, and one to close it back into the box].
While the party is looking through the cabin for supplies, the weather begins to deteriorate. The sky is rapidly blackening and the wind begins to howl. There is a small lodging attached to the main building where they could hold up for the storm if they wish to. The two rooms share a fireplace, although the woodpile next to the building is almost exhausted. There are about two hours before the storm opens in full force. There is time to scavenge wood from further up the hillside.
During the height of the storm, a DC12 Perception roll will notice the chattering cackle of voices on the wind. Looking outside, the players will notice 5 imp-like creatures about 100 feet upriver and inland from the cabin. They are white, and appear to be made of the snow they are cavorting in. They seem very excited, and are actively enjoying the wildness of the storm. They are ice mephits.
Roll contesting perception checks to see whether they notice the PCs. Once they do, they will swoop forward to attack.

Follow the Smoke

Yesterday I left off considering how to diversify an adventure path. Honestly, I think that once you have the encounter set up, finding a way to incorporate it is easy enough. If you're ready to play something, play it. The key is setting something up to play. Or, more importantly, setting something up to play that fits into the adventure. That is the part that can be tricky. There are many reasons for the party to leave the river and work up into the hills surrounding them, as long as you know what they'll find there.
For this adventure, the assumption was that the party started at first level. By now, they've encountered two bands of kobolds, and several small groups of bandits. They are sure to be level two by now, likely close to level three or just past it. I think they can handle some decent monsters in limited numbers - bears, orcs, goblins, bugbears, hobgoblins, maybe an owlbear or an ogre. There is reason to keep the difficulty manageable, using different options for variety. Until they hit fourth level, there is still a real tipping point for success or failure within any encounter. I like keeping the big opponents available for "boss fights."
As far as moving the party away from the river, the best option is probably the weather. It doesn't matter which season it is - the river will flood in spring, a blizzard in winter or hurricane in summer or fall would drive them to seek shelter in the caves on the hillside.
The other benefit of weather related issues is that it can draw out monsters to fit the moment. The giants might come out in the storms, lizard men might come out for the flooding, wolves will love the snow, and anyone else caught in the weather will be looking to take advantage of the same cave for shelter.

What's lurks in yonder hills...

I've set up a map with a river running from the coast into the heart of the mountains and dragon country. It is a convenient path to follow for the adventure, allowing plenty of opportunity to engage with the enemy, but it feels too much like a "yellow brick road" at times, with stations along the way to encounter monsters.
The benefit is that it gives the adventure the breathing room it needs to develop from a low level string of encounters into a full on campaign against powerful creatures leading up to the draconic climax. I think there is a place for this framework, but there need to be loops off and away from it. Finding ways to lead the party away from the river can be challenging. They can't always be kidnapped, or chasing bandits. One way is to make the river impassable - waterfalls, rapids, canyons, or cliffs. I'm bothered that these all seem like contrivances, but other options can be as simple as presenting an enticing looking path into the mountains. At some point, you can't worry about appearances, you just make up an interesting adventure and go with it.
This is a weak entry, but Monday's are difficult for me to find time to give this endeavor. I'll add some details tomorrow.

River Bandits

Ok, brief update to yesterday (I was too lazy to look this up at the time)... Chains have 10 hp and require a DC20 Strength check to break, and manacles 15 hp, DC20 Strength to break as well. Manacles can also be escaped with a successful DC20 Dexterity check, or the lock picked with thieves' tools on a DC15 Dexterity check.
On a side note, I offered the encounter yesterday with its setup and the intent of the party being taken prisoner, in the end assuming that was the outcome. It is entirely possible the party could defend themselves and not get taken prisoner, or that DM discretion would have to intercede and swarm the party with a never ending supply of bandits until they were defeated or surrendered to get the desired result. The best option would be a wand of sleep with several charges... but none exist in the DMG. Speaking of which, I thought a great option for taking the party by surprise would be tossing some dust of darkness into their fire... but nothing like that exists. Maybe its time to invent some magic items! I think there would be tiny glass balls or marbles that would have the dust inside them, smash them, and voila - darkness!
I digress. Back on track, the encounter with the bandits' ambush can end with party victory or party capture. Bandits are a basic NPC type, with bandit captains making worthy adversaries. For a first level party, the straight numbers might work fine, but if the party is second level, the bandits should probably be second level as well. Looking at their stats, just giving them an extra d8 hp might be enough to keep them a challenge.
Either way, at some point the party will be free of the bandits, but at the risk of encountering more. This section of river is perfect for them, with the easily accessible banks and gentle wooded hillsides concealing plenty of caves and secret dells for them to operate from. If the party is able to regain their boat and continue upriver afloat, they should expect repeated ambush attempts and outright assaults at other times. The bandits tend to operate in groups of 3-5, often with a bandit captain leading them.
If the party escapes and tries moving upriver on foot, the travel is slow, but it would allow them to become the hunter rather than the hunted, and let them ambush bandit groups or encounter their hideouts. This could be a nice way to gather a little coin, and the odd bit of weapon or magic. Bandit groups will have 2d4x10 gp, while a camp would have 3d6x10 gp, as well as extra swords or bows, shield, and the occasional magic item.
The bandits threaten about a 20 mile stretch of river around the first red dot on yesterday's map. Beyond this point, the river narrows and flows more rapidly, making it more difficult to travel on, and the mountain slopes are steeper and more rocky, with fewer trees and areas of cover. There are more caves, so the travel can be as dangerous or more, but the danger is that of orc and troglodyte, less of men.

Travel Time

So far, this adventure has barely gone anywhere. The first encounter was at the edge of the mountains, where the river cuts across the moor toward Pinching at the coast. From there, the party has crossed the river to the southern side and traveled a couple of miles to the shrine of the dragon cult.
Since that encounter, the only thing discussed is the generic non-combat skill checks associated with travel upriver through the valley. For the map included here, I've plotted out marks at roughly 50 miles. As stated, to this point, the party is really still at the first dot next to Pinching. It may be simplistic and impractical to do this, but if I plan some sort of encounter for each red dot... particularly combined with generic skill based movement between them... Let's just say it gives a good framework to start from.
Today, we are passing the second dot. The river through this section is fairly broad, and while swift, not impossible to navigate. There are occasional drops (mini rapids and waterfalls), but nothing requiring more than a brief pause. The river bed is cut deep into a broad flood plain on either side, but the steep banks are easily scaled, and not deep enough at this time of year to block visibility. Making camp along this stretch is easy. There are plenty of little copses of trees near the riverbank that provide cover, shelter, and firewood.
After setting up camp in one of these small groves near the first red dot up the river, the party can settle in for the night, setting their watch as desired. After several hours, have any awake sentries roll Perception checks against DC18. If they succeed, they notice movement along the edge of the river below the edge of the bank. If they succeed by 5 or greater, they notice four men spreading out along the riverbank above and below the party's position.
Unseen are two more men positioned inland from the river, taking cover behind shrubs with crossbows to cover the campsite while their allies move into position. The plan is for the four to separate along the riverbank, then have the two flankers slip up and over to surround the party. The two near the river have a large net, while the two flankers have short swords. Once in position, the archers will fire at the sentries, drawing their attention. The flankers will then advance. The two with the net will wait to snare anyone that tries heading to the river, climbing to advance after a round if no one does.
These are river bandits operating out of a cave back up the hillside. They snatch passersby to rob and sell as forced labor to mining concerns moving up the river. There are many legitimate miners in the higher peaks, but also many shady concerns that kidnap and buy anyone they can bully into the work. They pass by the river once a week. In the meantime, if the party is defeated, they are manacled and chained to an anchor bolt in the back of the bandit's cave. The bandits sleep during much of the day, and slip out to raid boaters or hunt the hillsides in the early morning and most of the early night. At these times, the prisoners are left alone (with heavy blankets across the entrance of the cave to prevent anyone hearing their cries from within). Tomorrow, we can work on their escape...

Going Upriver

Once the party has defeated the cultists and rescued the prisoners, they continue their journey up the river (with Everett) to meet the "all-knowing" wizard who can help them unlock the artifact and guide them on their way.
It feels like there is a good opportunity here to use some skill checks in play. I suppose the party can choose how they wish to continue upstream, but they should have the choice of boating or riding at least. Either one offers opportunities to have them battle nature for a change instead of monsters.
If they travel by boat, they should be able to make pretty good time, but they will certainly meet impassable sections of river, whether waterfall or rapids. Rapids, they could try to make their way up through, with skill checks based on proficiency with water vehicles, athletics, and strength. Portaging can put them in many of the same difficulties they would face traveling by land - namely, steep trails, slippery slopes (loose rocks or wet ground), narrow trails and ledges.
This is an area of play that I have difficulty with. I have tried adding elements like this into a couple of adventures, but as much sense as they make to me while creating them, I get stuck trying to use them in play. The trouble is that ultimately there is just a dice roll to resolve the conflict. "You slip on the loose gravel, make an Athletics check or slide down the hill into the river - you succeeded. Now you're moving again." It is anti-climatic. The trick seems to be in telling the story of the passage in a compelling way, pausing to roll in order to add color to the story, without relying on the roll to tell the story.
This is a part of play that has been particularly challenging for me and my group. We have fallen into the trap of playing encounters sporadically through the year whenever we can get together. As such, we pull out a map, pick some monsters, and make up some reason to fight them. In this case, we're trying to tell a particular story along a specific quest line. I see value in creating points of conflict, and giving the players the opportunity to choose how to overcome them, rolling appropriate skill checks.
It is a difficult aspect of gameplay to write up, since it relies heavily on the spontaneity of the choices made, but some things can be outlined. I've had areas that needed to be climbed. Give them a DC to overcome, then list possible adjustments that can influence the DC. "It's a steep cliff, DC18. Fail and slide down 30 feet, but if you use a rope, DC15. Use stakes to anchor the rope and you only slide 10 feet." That sort of thing.

Taking the Shrine

The shrine is guarded by 20 kobolds, 10 winged kobolds, 3 cult fanatics, and 1 dragonshield (from Volo's). The layout of the shrine is included with the positions of the kobolds marked on it.
The three guards on the hillside are marked, with 2 kobolds to the left of the opening, and 1 winged kobold concealed to the right of the cave entrance.
The scale for this sketch is mostly to show relative position. Feel free to stretch or adjust for the game you're running.
This encounter scales out at roughly 3rd level, but a weaker party should be fine going through it as a series of smaller encounters. For this, just assume the connecting corridors are longer. For a higher level starting party, have the encounter draw the attention of the rest of the shrine. Fighting everything at once is closer to 5th level as an encounter.
Ideally, the party is able to maintain some stealth in dealing with the guards outside. If so, allow them to move through the shrine from room to room making stealth rolls against the perception of the kobolds. I didn't mark the prisoners on the map, but I picture 5 survivors of the attack on the outpost being held in the half-excavated room behind the actual shrine room (1F, 2W, 1K). Once the party reaches the stairs, stealth is really no longer an option, but if they are quiet and patient and cunning, they could potentially slip around the corner near the stairs and eliminate all of the cultists in the warren of chambers before going up the stairs to the main shrine.
I think a nice twist to ramp up the encounter at the shrine would be if the necklace awoke the statues once it is within the chamber. That could be a side effect of the artifact, that it animates statues. Whether they attack or can be controlled by the user is an interesting question, and could depend on the battle and what works best to balance it. I think a better option would be to have the player with the necklace make an arcana check DC15 to control the statues, otherwise they are hostile and attack. Learning more about the artifact, or just spending more time attuning to it, could improve the threshold for success or eliminate the need for a roll, at the discretion of the DM.
The tunnels lead beyond the shrine into the mountain, leading to further investigation and exploration, if desired. The ones beyond the shrine and unfinished room look newly excavated. They are the tunnel that the kobolds rediscovered the shrine from. It looks as though they accidentally broke through into a secret room behind the shrine, and have been expanding the opening and room as an access point to the shrine.

Approaching the Shrine

Before going to visit the wizard for more information about the necklace that was being safeguarded, Everett advises you to make your way down the hill, across the river and up the far side to the location of the shrine of the cultists. They have been watching the shrine for activity without noticing any until the last week. They decided to conceal the artifact and scout the location to decide what was causing the increase in activity. Before they got their plan of action finalized, they were attacked and the outpost destroyed. Everett has no idea what happened to any of the other watchers. There is a chance that some of them were taken prisoner by the cultists, another reason to go there and assess the situation.
The trail down to the river is clear. The trail itself turns before reaching it to run out to the moor. There is a path through the forest to a small inlet. Tucked into the underbrush nearby is a small boat. Crossing the river presents a minor challenge. The boat can carry three people at a time, and someone with proficiency handling water vehicles can steer it across the river with a successful DC12 Athletics check. Without proficiency, they need a DC16 success roll.
On the far side of the river, there is no path available. Searching for signs of passage reveals a concealed path up the hillside several hundred feet further upstream. DC14 Wilderness check will reveal the recent passage of two dozen kobolds. With a DC18 check, you notice several human footprints mixed in among the others. It is impossible to determine how many people passed this way, but clearly there were more than two.
The trail is clear enough to follow up the hill. After a mile, the forest opens slightly revealing an open hillside scattered with scree and loose boulders. The path you have been following continues up across the open hillside toward an overhang above that conceals a dark opening beneath it. Passive Perception DC15 or active DC10 reveals three guards posted on the hillside, two above the opening, and one about halfway up the slope away to your right behind a boulder. None of them have noticed you just inside the protection of the forest.
If you start across the open hillside, one of the two above will drop down and enter the cave. The archer on the right will wait for you all to fully expose yourselves on the hillside before firing at you. If the party notices the posted guards, they can skirt across the edge of the forest staying concealed with Stealth checks opposed by the guards passive Perception. There doesn't appear to be a way to cross the open hillside without alerting the guards to your presence, but while concealed, the party can plan ways to deal with them in order to prevent their alerting the cultists within.
The guards will try to remain hidden until they can assess the danger level, then they will send a runner into the cave to alert the others. This gives at least one round, probably two before they leave their posts.

Decisions, decisions...

I think this adventure is beginning to take shape. Before going further, I need to decide on the magic item. My thoughts have drifted from it being a weapon necessary to defeat the dragon, to an artifact with a number of powerful effects and spells, maybe the ability to control others, etc. My concern is that introducing too powerful an item at such an early stage in any adventure is unbalancing.
One way to avoid that effect is to give the item powers that need to be activated in some way, either by a quest or something similar. You could probably give it level activators so you need to gain experience to have access to the abilities. The new system requires attuning to an item, which requires rest and time studying. It can be used to advantage in this way. It's also a nice way to put off deciding what the powers will be.
I like this dynamic to gradually discover and unlock the power of the item, but I think it will work better to know what it is. Ideally, having an item that anyone in the party can use will be best. That way, they can decide who will get it. It may even cause some discussion within the party as they understand more of what it can do. Dissension can be a dangerous game, but some groups will relish that.
My default choice would be a weapon, but that limits who can use it. The advantage is that it imparts the gravity you want for an item that powerful. I'm leaning toward a necklace at this point, or a diadem, something visible and exotic in appearance that won't interfere with any character's natural attack or defense. It also adds the danger that it may get lost or stolen, because of its small size. The mix of delicacy and power are an exciting mix. It also helps with the backstory - why the cult wanted it, how they used it, how its powers can be used against them. There is good stuff here.
I think it would be nice to have it set as an artifact with minor beneficial and detrimental powers that flip depending on who holds the item - say, one that attracts dragons and one that lets you fly, one that gives you advantage on saving throws, and one that makes you vulnerable to fire.
This adventure is geared toward fighting an adult red dragon. I think a necklace revered by the dragon cultists is the choice. It will be a necklace of spell storing, capable of holding 5 levels worth of spells. When found, it has none stored in it. The minor effects are vulnerability to fire, the ability to Fly once per day, resistance to charm or fear, attracts fire-based creatures, and it extinguishes non-magical flames within 30 feet when attuned. I'm not sure what to have for a major power, or if the spell-storing is sufficient. I'll think about that. I think having it lay a quest on the user is a good aspect in line with this adventure... something like visiting another shrine to acquire an item, then deliver it to the dragon. An interesting twist would be to have them recover a dragon-slaying weapon from another shrine and deliver it to the dragon to be destroyed. Once they arrive at the lair, the quest is lifted, and they can use the two items to fight the dragon. I like that.

Guarding the Shrine

In ancient times, there were many dragons across these mountains in the north. As little folk spread across the land, and discovered the wealth under the ground, they contested the dragons and drove most of them from the skies. In due course, cults of dragon followers arose and established shrines and strongholds to worship the dragons and train their own warriors to avenge the wrongs brought against the dragons.
One of these cults carved a shrine into the heart of the mountain across the valley from the abandoned outpost. The outpost was set up to keep watch on the valley after the cult was destroyed, specifically to guard access to the cave holding the shrine and make sure the cult doesn't rise again. Unfortunately, a kobold tribe found their way into the cave system from deeper within the mountain. They began worshipping at it, drawing in more supporters. Too late, the watchers noticed something was going on there, and they were attacked and defeated.
One man, Everett, managed to survive the initial assault, and hid in the basement. When you find him, he is unconscious and barely alive. If you stabilize his wounds or heal him and allow him to take a long rest, he will recover completely. Once he has, he can relate further information.
The watchers drove out the original cult decades ago, and have maintained a watch over its location since. One of the key elements of the shrine was a powerful magic item. When the cult was destroyed, the item was removed and safeguarded by the watchers. They concealed it, and it was not found when the building was attacked and overrun.
Everett will recover the artifact if the players haven't found it already, and request they help him take it safely to another location. He knows a powerful wizard that lives in a tower a few miles upriver, and thinks the wizard can help unlock the power of the item, and offer advice on what to do with it now.

Overview

What I have in mind is an adventure that starts at the coast somewhere and follows the river up into Aron's Bowl. My original thought was that there could be a back door into the mountain reached by crossing the Molten Hills. They are rank and foul, but offer an unexpected route to the peak. It is unguarded in an official sense, but inhabited, making it guarded in a territorial sense.
This is a good location for a clan of slaad. I think the trip up the river is one that encounters mountain creatures, bandits, lairs of kobolds and goblins and similar monsters. There are also good opportunities for remote outposts, towers and retreats of cultists and ranger types with their own secret agendas.
My plan is to build an adventure that can be started at 1st level, and gradually built up to a level that is sufficient to face a full grown dragon. This is preliminary, but I think it should be pretty easy to get a party to fifth level by the time the river turns north. This gives opportunity to face far more daunting foes whether they follow the river through the heart of the mountains, or decide to cut off the big loop and head directly across the exposed peaks. Either way, I think you're looking at one or two major lairs of orcs or something similar, and encounters with giants of whatever kind you prefer. The yellow areas are fully mountainous areas, with the brown areas representing the extreme peaks of the Iron Teeth.
In the plateau around Aron's Bowl, the main contacts are with miners. The upper part of the river leading to it is home to many mines. These are constantly tapping tunnel systems that provoke attack from underground creatures. The activity and extracted wealth is also drawing interest from everything in the area. Travel can be difficult, and include encounters with pretty much any level of monster.
The difficulty is going to be narrowing down which monsters to use, etc. Story-wise, I want to have a powerful magic item discovered early on, in the abandoned outpost at the edge of the mountains. The outpost was set up to guard and research the item, but also to keep tabs on a group of cultists in league with kobolds. The cultists have found the outpost and decided it is time to act. They attacked and ransacked the outpost without finding the item they sought. The PCs find it, but have to defend themselves against a follow up assault. This sets up the dynamic of dragon connected cultists that can follow, shadow or intercept the party at different points along their journey.
I feel like at this point I need to break the adventure up into more manageable parts, and plan them by level. I think this will work nicely. My concern is that with a partly civilized area in the middle, the adventure could flatten out too much. I think three tiers will work nicely, with the first getting the party to fifth level, the second taking them to eighth, and the third to tenth. Then the dragon lair itself as a separate encounter (or set of encounters).

Abandoned Outpost

Arriving at a small clearing high on the hillside, you have found a building with attached stable and gated yard. Unfortunately, the gate has been knocked off, as has the front door of the main building. The northern wall of the building is dominated by a towering second story with slits opening in the middle of its upper wall. From the far side of the building there is smoke rising. It doesn't appear to be on fire, but the smoke is rising from the entire length of the building, indicating recent trouble.
The whole place seems deserted, though a large fight clearly took place. There are signs of horses running off down the trail, chased by much smaller feet (Survival DC12 will recognize them as kobold prints). A thorough search of the main building will show many bodies, kobold and men, and a few goblins as well. The back half of the building is badly burned, with gaping holes in the rear wall and roof. Looking through them shows the whole river valley laid out below the clearing, clearly an advantage of this location.
In a large room to the left of the entrance, there is a staircase spiraling up into the tower. The upper floor is scattered with discarded and broken weapons. There are arrow slits in each wall giving coverage to the surrounding area. In the next room on the first floor there is a stairway leading into the basement.
Investigation DC15 will reveal that there were several potions and scrolls in the room at the back of the house, mostly consumed in the fire. If the check is 18 or higher, you recognize that the fire was set  intentionally to destroy the contents of this room. Searching (Perception DC15) will show three potions that survived the fire among the many smashed flasks (2 potions of healing and a potion of speed). DC18 will let them find three scrolls that escaped destruction (Alarm, Fog Cloud, and Sleep).
The rest of the first floor is scattered with broken items of all sorts. It appears that a dozen guards were stationed at the garrison. There are two larger rooms, one with sparse furnishings, the other with scribbled notes and arcane ingredients. If players look for a specific weapon or component, roll a percentile dice and give them a 10% chance of finding it among the wreckage.
Downstairs in the basement, little has been disturbed. There is dust and cobwebs everywhere, but no light sources. There are a number of small rooms carved out of the earth.
Perception DC12 to find a secret trap door in one room. In the room is an unconscious guard. He can be healed, but remains unconscious until he has had a long rest. Searching the sub basement can reveal a buried chest (DC18) with a mysterious orb inside.
While searching the building, the sun sets, leaving you to set up camp in the burned out building for the night. It does offer good shelter and protection, but it is also the target of an attack in the night. The kobold gang that ransacked it returned to their master with news of the victory, only to be savagely bullied for failing to recover the orb they were sent to find. They are sent back and attack in the night. There are 8 kobolds, 4 goblins, and 2 winged kobolds. There are many ways to play out the encounter, depending on where the players make their camp, what kind of watch they set, etc.

Where there's smoke, there's fire...

Traveling southeast from Denner's Bend toward Pinching, the mountain trail follows the contours of the ridges up and over the slopes of the higher peaks. The trail skirts the high valleys, hugging the outer spurs, running through forests of pine and birch.
Now the trail is turning down toward the moor, where it crosses to join with Black Ridge Trail which runs from Pinching along the Black Root Forest north of the River Flushing. You've been sent from Kellen to seek information on the dragons of the Iron Teeth. The clerics there have become concerned with stories from merchants and tradesmen about increased dragon activity along the ports and down the coast. Few outside the monastery know, but one of the young acolytes has been experiencing visions of dragon attacks, and they are concerned that the attacks are nothing to what lies ahead. They have told you of their concerns, and sent you forth to discover what you can.
For the last three days you have crossed the mountains separating Kellen from the coastal plain. Much discussion has passed among you about where to go, what course to take, but no consensus has been decided upon. Events are approaching to spur a decision.
Cresting the final ridge and looking down into the valley and across the moor, you can see Black Ridge Trail coming out of the forested hillside below. Looking back up the valley from where the trail emerges, you can see smoke rising from a point higher up on the ridge in the forest. There is too much smoke for a campfire or fireplace, but nothing else in the area that would cause so much smoke.
You quickly decide to follow the trail towards the smoke, in order to find the cause and assist in any way you can. You find a small path leading off the main trail up the hillside to where the smoke is rising. As you move carefully forward, you notice a clearing at the end of the path. There is a fenced yard surrounding a small one-story building with an attached stable. The gate is broken open, as is the front door of the building. The smoke is rising from the back side of the house which all seems to be smoldering.
What lies in the ruins? Where will this encounter lead?

Dragon Talk

"Some, I suppose, but the most powerful is Antaraxes Glavenis, and he lives at the highest point, Scarred Peak. Legend names him the father of all reds, but it is more likely a title. There is always conflict among dragons, and invariably the young surpass the old in strength. The old is defeated, and the young claims the lair of the ancient, becoming Antaraxes Glavenis as well. I have seen him once, enormous and terrible. Wings a hundred feet across, or so it seemed. Thankfully, I survived to be here today, selling you what you need.” The dwarf was tiring of the history lessons, and noticing other customers making their way around the town square, was eager to make a sale and talk to more people.

 There have long been rumors that Scarred Peak is laced with huge caverns and snaking passages, formed out of hollow lava tubes and enlarged by dragons and their willing slaves. Not surprisingly, there are no actual first-hand accounts to back up such tales. Occasionally, residents of the hills and mining towns, even the coastal towns that cling to the towering cliffs that butt the Iron Teeth and Scarred Peak, witness great winged creatures flying in or out of the mountains gaping crown. Whether it is one dragon or many, it presence is definite. And the hills are crawling with kobolds, the most likely fawners to serve a dragon.
Still, though dragons have been seen, they are rarely spotted abroad. In fact, the most recent sighting was more than ten years ago. No one really believed the dragon had died, but all looked at the lack of activity on Scarred Peak as a promising sign. Seismic activity was negligible, and prosperity grew among the prospectors and speculators in Aron's Bowl. There was a sense that fortune might shine on them all for years to come.
But three months ago, the earth had been shaken in the dark of night with a terrible fury. Since then, frequent earthquakes have been felt, and an almost constant smoking has been rising out of the many cracks and openings into Scarred Peak. There is concern that Antaraxes Glavenis is stirring, and will soon sweep down across the land wreaking havoc as it hasn't seen in over a hundred years.
More modern and practical folk have looked at the history of the mountains, considered all the legends and tales passed on from mother to son, from pub to pub, and from sailor to sailor in every port, coming to the conclusion that Antaraxes Glavenis is a title more than a name. They believe the increased activity portends doom for many, but not because the dragon is waking, but because its slumber and dotage has been challenged by the conquering virility of youth. A new, strong, young dragon has come to the mountain and is waging battle for its wealth.
One way or the other, all agree that terrible times are approaching. Word and coin have begun passing through the land, calling on any brave enough to make their way into the smoldering crevices of the peak and rid the mountain or one dragon or all. Promise of wealth beyond measure has stirred the sinews of many adventurers, and stoked the embers of greed in so many more. There is fame to be won on the peak, if one can survive.

Moor and Mountain

The land around Pinching rises steeply to a barren highland that runs for 20 miles from the coast to the mountains. This moor is full of steep dells and bowls that break up its otherwise flat appearance. These give access to numerous cave systems, which have attracted all manner of bandits. Little happens on these moors by day, but under the cover of darkness, it crawls with activity.
This is a bleak area of the world, stuck in the middle of hotbeds of activity. The Iron Teeth are an ominous barrier, and only marginally accessible, yet they are a doorway to riches through their mines. The sea is a ready conduit for cargo and men, but the great moor lies bleakly between. It is a region that must be crossed and often, and yet is so porous and concealing that it is far to dangerous to cross safely. It is a mix that factors into any campaign.
The mountains themselves form a wall along much of the southern coast of the moor, with only the narrow valleys carved by rivers over time allowing access into them. Yet the dominate feature of them is the mountain towering over them all, Scarred Peak. In all likelihood, the entire region is part of a giant super volcano, with the hot springs and thermal pools of Aron's Bowl the caldera of the giant. Of the ring surrounding it, Scarred Peak sits atop the highest slopes as a vulture on its high perch, threatening all in its shadow.
From the west and the north, the walls of the Iron Teeth rise so sharply and steeply that no passage can be found to the Peak. From the plain of Aron's Bowl, the slopes step broadly up toward the high peaks in dangerously inviting fashion. The slag from the weeping scars of lava giving the peak its name creep down these steps, mingling with the waters feeding the Flushing River, to create a hazy, sulfurous quagmire above the plain known as the Molten Hills.
The river itself starts high on the slopes of the southern face of Scarred Peak, snaking south and east around much of the Molten Hills, then turning north to cut through them and drop onto the plain of Aron's Bowl, then on to the sea. The eastern mountains of the ring can be scaled fairly easily, as well as those to the south. Their danger lies in their wild, untamed ways, and the extreme conditions that pervade the north once you get away from the thermal vents of Scarred Peak and Aron's Bowl.
The approach to Scarred Peak from the east and south is gentle by comparison to most of the other mountains of the range. This invites ascent, which risks the wrath of the dragon lairing within the volcano. Mostly dormant, the great wyrm within has become active of late, and begun reigning terror down upon the whole region, mountain, moor, and sea.
Tomorrow, we will consider rumors of the great beast itself.