Challenging Level D&D Adventures 4-7

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Introduction from Werwolves of Hargaldor:

The adventure that follows is set in a fairly mundane fantasy/medieval setting but is generic enough to fit into most campaign worlds with minimal fuss. It has been written in such a way as to keep the players guessing as to the exact nature of the creature(s) they will eventually face off against, and will (intentionally) have them make false assumptions based upon in-game and out-of-game information (unless a character has sufficient knowledge skills to prove otherwise – though asking the right questions of certain NPC’s will also reveal much).

Background Information & Adventure Summary

“Far to the south, beyond the plains of Angrisla there lies the forest of Hárgaldor, and within its eaves stands a tower that none have ever named. It reaches skyward behind mighty ramparts of stone, standing high upon the hill that the men of old called Wulfdún – though that is but a crude translation of the name that the elves gave it long before… Amon-in-Gaurhoth – The Hill of Werewolves.”

The adventure that follows does not take place anywhere near the accursed place mentioned above, though it is probably worth noting from the outset that the creatures that the players will encounter during the course of the adventure have come from the aforementioned ‘nameless’ tower. In addition (and contrary though it may sound), these creatures do not include a single lycanthrope (at least not in D&D terms) but instead consist of worgs, dire wolves and barghests – the latter of which (due to their shape-changing ability) have come to be known as ‘werewolves’ by the rustic folk of the land.

The adventure is set in and around the small village of Haradinn – where the rumours of ‘fell-wolves’ and ‘things that walk in wolf shape’ roaming the nearby woodlands have the locals in a state of unease. In addition to this, the unscrupulous son of a minor noble has recently had one of the villagers run out of the settlement on the (false) charge of consorting with such beasts – when in truth all she had actually done was (repeatedly) spurn his advances.

And so the adventure begins with Lord Ursel himself meeting with the characters in the village inn – in a hope that they will aid him in his search for this woman, so that he may amend the wrongdoing of his wayward son.

Once this small task has been achieved (and a minor skirmish fought along the way) the characters return to the village only to discover that more of these ‘wolf-things’ have been encountered to the south of the village – and find that their swords are called into service once again.

Adventure Hooks

For simplicity’s sake (and because this is the part of the adventure most likely to be modified by the DM to better fit into his/her existing campaign) the adventure merely assumes that the party have spent the night in the village inn. There could be numerous reasons for this – from ‘just passing through’ to ‘returning home’ …but for completeness, a few ideas have been presented below:

The party have been employed by a dwarf named Már Silverhand to bring a letter to his father (Mundi Silverhand – the village smith) here in Haradinn. The contents of the letter was no secret – as the message itself was simply to inform Mundi and his wife (Birna) that they are now the proud grandparents of a baby girl named Inga.

An associate of the characters (an elven lady by the name of Nimhíril) has asked the group to seek out her son (a half-elf named Cúrandír). Apparently her husband (Cúrandír’s human father) passed away in the summer of this year, and so the party has been tasked with bringing this grievous news to him, and to deliver into his keeping a small silver ring that his father wished him to have. Enquiries have led the party to believe that this ‘Cúrandír’ has journeyed through Haradinn recently.

A captain in the king’s army (who goes by the name ‘Elfhelm’) has been riding to all of the local villages and counselling folks to be on their guard – as large numbers of ‘fell wolves’ have been reported on the boarders of the Aldharath Forest (or a suitably large and ominous forest in your campaign world). He has put out a call to arms to anyone who can ride or bear weapons, so that places such as Haradinn may be better defended (should the need arise) while he and his men attempt to hunt down the wolf-beasts (note that Elfhelm is the name the rustic folks have given to Cúrandír – the half-elf mentioned above).

After a previous encounter with a pack of hungry worgs, the characters fear that they are being pursued by more of the beasts, and take shelter in the nearby village.

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