Fiction | Game | Medium Adventurers League ⚔️

Justice for the Villagers

A Primatria quest, Chapter 1

This is part of a story that works as an interactive game. You’ll need to have dice and a notepad at the ready! Click here for the beginning of the Medium Adventurers League, or return to Hearthstone Hideout here.

Glancing at the noticeboard of Hearthstone Hideout one day, you notice a quest that you hadn’t seen before:

Please, help! We need the services of a hero — someone that will fight for justice! We are a small group of people living in Selkirk Village on the western shores of the Wailing Lake. Recently a noblewoman has begun constructing a mansion on our land. Her thugs are trying to get rid of us, and now locals are dying. Help us!

You realise that a small band of villagers won’t have much money as a reward. But hey… it sounds like something that would make the world a better place. Surely you can take care of these ‘thugs’ or whatever other nasties are killing the villagers.

Plus, the word ‘hero’ describes you pretty well…

There is a small map showing a route, and you set out, heading due west towards the fringes of the Feyglades. You feel pretty sure that with the spider problem now under control, it should be safe enough to travel that way.

It’s morning. You pass through the first of the trees, still on familiar ground.

Before long, though, you find yourself in unfamiliar territory, clambering over rotten logs and leaping small streams. The ground is steep in places, and you need to pick your way carefully and watch your footing.

You pause by a stream to have something to eat, and refill your waterskins.

Remove one day’s rations from your character sheet.

You can refill any waterskins you have.

As you progress further, you find a narrow, muddy path, which soon subdivides into several branching routes, perhaps used by deer or rabbits. With the heavy beech trees above, you can’t make out the coast, or the mountains. There is also thick cloud cover now, making it impossible to orient yourself using the sun.

For the first time today, you start to see a very real risk that you will get lost in the forest. Can you find your way from here to the lakeside?

(Here is a link to a dice-rolling app!).

Encounter: To the lakeside.
Challenge rating: Easy (roll 10+).
Roll using wits.

Roll three times.

If you fail twice or more, you were delayed by several hours due to a series of wrong turnings. Bear this in mind for the next encounter.

Now read on below.

The conditions continue to be difficult underfoot, but they improve as you proceed.

At last, the shore of the lake comes into sight up ahead, and you hurry forward and splash your face with its cold waters. You realize that you’ve been sweating heavily from all your exertion.

It’s idyllic here. A few small villages can be seen dotting the shore, far off. The Trollkiller Mountains form a dramatic backdrop. You can certainly see why the villagers would want to stay… and why a noble might want the land for themselves!

It’s very quiet, too. Only the cheeping of a few birds can be heard.

But wait — what was that?

A slight scuff in the earth behind alerts you that someone or something is approaching.

You spin to see a pack of enormous dire wolves closing in on you. You’re trapped with your back to the lake…

Encounter: Dire wolf pack.
Challenge rating: Medium (roll 15+).
Roll using brawn or magic.

If you succeed on a roll, you kill one dire wolf. There are four in all.

If you fail, one of them bites you. Lose 1 point of health. If your health drops to zero, you die. Click here.

If you kill all four dire wolves, continue as follows.

IF you succeeded on the encounter "To the lakeside", read on directly below.

BUT if you failed the encounter "To the lakeside", above, then skip down the page and read the section titled "Late Arrival".

You move on as the afternoon wanes, making your way along the rocky shore northwards. The cloud thins, drifting away over the mountaintops to the west, and revealing a beautiful vista. Blue skies, calm blue waters of the lake, forests and snowy peaks as a backdrop — even a cynical young adventurer like yourself appreciates a dose of natural beauty.

However, as you proceed, you do see a certain blot on the landscape — a vast modern mansion is being constructed not far from one of the villages. Clearly, you’ve come to the right place.

When you arrive at the gates of Selkirk Village, a lone spearman is standing guard. Young — he can’t be more than nineteen or twenty. He introduces himself as Wayne. “Where from, traveller?” he asks.

“I’ve come from The Bastion,” you reply, trying to sound grand and important. You hold up the note and map from Hearthstone Hideout. “I’m here to help your people!”

He looks you skeptically up and down, then nods. “My mother will certainly be pleased.”

This latter statement becomes clearer when the young guard leads you to the lone tavern in the village, and introduces you to its host — the guard’s mother.

“My name is Muckle Magdelena,” says the woman, who is as broad and muscular as the name suggests. “Thank you for coming. But you what do you think you can do to stop Duchess Tithe?” She glances at your weapons as she speaks.

“I won’t harm her or her lackies, except in self-defence,” you say. “But if there are monsters terrorising the village, I’ll do my best to slay them.”

“Okay, but…”

You hold up your hand. “Please, leave it to me. If there is something darker going on, some crime or wrongdoing, I’ll get to the bottom of it. But it’s getting late. Is there somewhere I can rest for the night?”

Muckle Magdelena gestures, and a serving girl brings you a delicious-smelling bowl of stew, while Wayne leaves to return to his post.

“Of course,” says Magdelena. “You can stay here in the tavern for free, with our gratitude. Drinks and meals are on us, as well. We aren’t wealthy, but we are very appreciative of your efforts.”

You try the stew–it’s delicious.

“I’ll check out that mansion first thing. Perhaps if one of the locals could come with me…?” You glance after the departing Wayne.

But Muckle Magdelena says, “I think Wayne had best stay out of it. The local blacksmith is a woman called Cheri-Li of the Tongs. She has already agreed to accompany you.”

“Very well.”

You enjoy a relaxed evening in the tavern, play chess and cards with the locals, and find out more about the local area. You hear many a fine song and local legend before you turn in for the night, and even win a few silvers on games of chance.

Roll 1d20 and add 15. The result is the number of silver coins you can add to your character sheet, based on an evening of gambling games.

Now, skip down to the section titled "Morning", below.

Late Arrival

At last, you see lights twinkle in the distance in a place that matches your map. That must be Selkirk Village. Beyond is a looming dark shape. The mansion? You’ll have to wait until the morning to find out.

But just as you are congratulating yourself on your progress, there is a splashing noise to your left.

You spin, reaching for a weapon, and see a strange jelly-like creature with huge gleaming tentacles. Before you can step away, two of its tentacles have wrapped around your arms, and are pulling you towards the water…

Encounter: Giant jellyfish.
Challenge rating: Medium (roll 14+).
Roll using brawn.

You are grappled.

If you fail on your roll, you lose one health as the great creature pulls in you closer, lashing you with its stinging tentacles. You can't use healing potions while grappled.

If you succeed on the roll, you free yourself, and can now attack or flee.

If you attack, follow the instructions below. Look further down for the instructions for fleeing:

ATTACK:
Challenge rating: Medium (roll 15+).
Roll using brawn or magic.

If you succeed, you lop off a tentacle. If you chop off three, the creature gives up and dives below the water.

If you fail, the creature grapples you again.
Return to the start.

If your health drops to zero, you die. Click here.

FLEE:
Challenge rating: Easy (roll 11+).
Roll using wits.

If you succeed, you escape.However, you lose two health on the way, as thrashing tentacles sting you on the back of the neck.

If you die, click here.

If you fail, you lose two health, AND the creature grapples you again. Return to the start.

If you defeat the creature or successfully flee, read on below.

You stagger away from the shore and catch your breath before moving a safer distance from the lake’s edge. When you are fairly certain that you are far enough that the creature can no longer reach you, you start to walk on, still eyeing the water with a great degree of paranoia.

If you defeated the jellyfish without fleeing, you can add three giant jellyfish tentacles to your inventory.

It is now getting very dark. Every splash or wave is enough to make you expect another of the fearsome giant jellyfish to rise from the deep. You force yourself to focus on walking on, but keep one hand on a weapon.

As you finally arrive in the village, you are exhausted, as is the young local who stands guard at the village gates — he’s currently half asleep.

“Greetings,” you call out. “I’m here about the attacks on your people.”

“Okay!” yelps the young guard, rapidly waking up. “I’m Wayne. I’ll take you to the tavern which my mother runs. Her name is Muckle Magdelena. She can find you somewhere to sleep.”

But the tavern is dark, and while you get a bunk in the taproom, you miss out on a chance of any food, ale, or conversation…

Morning

The following morning, you wake, rubbing at your aching limbs. All that leaping through the forest yesterday sure took its toll…

All the same — it’s dawn, and you have a job to do. You go downstairs to the bar in the tavern, where a serving boy brings you coffee and cakes.

Then, it’s outside for a bit of training. And it’s not long until you are approached by a lithe woman aged around 30, with very muscular bare arms.

“I’m here to guide you to the mansion,” she says.

You nod in greeting. “Cheri-Li?” you confirm. Then you look to the north of the village, where the new mansion is looming like a bleak stone cliff. “I don’t think I’ll need much guidance, honestly. It’s hard to miss.”

She shrugs. “All the same. I’m local to the area, and I can look after myself more than most of the villagers.” She pats a hammer that is strapped to her belt.

You sheath your weapon, and raise your backpack. “Very well. Let’s get going.”

Before long, you pause, a few dozen yards from the monstrous building. Strangely, although you can see scaffolding, there is no sign of building work. You point. “Did they quit working on the building?”

Cheri-Li sighs. “Duchess Tithe wants us out, and the work won’t resume until we’ve gone. Her people have been trying all kinds of schemes. Destroying fishing boats, trying to buy out the tavern… Then it got darker. Youths beaten on their way home at night. And last week, someone was murdered.”

“And you think the noblewoman ordered it?”

The blacksmith looks thoughtfully at the building once again. “I think it would be good to find some evidence.”

Continue.

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