Adventure – Brother Wolf/Sister Moon

North Revealed CAMPAIGN CHRONICLE >> The North Revealed is a Living World campaign set in The Northern Hearthlands/Grand Duchy of Rhyl of the [Fantasy] Steel Realms.
** The source of the following material is from this campaign. **

NOTE: This ADVENTURE (GM portion) will determine the ultimate outcome for the historical event of “Night of the Moon-Braided Knot”. This takes place hundreds of years earlier in the world of the North Revealed main campaign. This will have repercussions in that campaign.

Historical 1 Shots: Night of the Owl | Brother Wolf, Sister Moon | To Kill a Mockinghag | Just Another Macguffin

Assault on the Winter Host

As you drop from the top of the wall into the maw of your enemies, you take stock of your surroundings. Below, the base of the wall is obscured by fog and frost everywhere. The cold freezes the saliva in your mouth and your eyes are strained and covered in ice as you drop through the chilled fog.

PERception check (each character) on their leap down the wall.
DC 25 Tunnels

As you fall through the rolling fog and icy blasts, through a hole in it you see a trench being dug by skeletons and zombies 100 yards to the south under the cover of fog along the wall, while another force with scaling ladders occupies the defenders on the wall above you.

DC 20 Bloodless Herd of Havaelinn Wild Heart

You see a lone Klaurian figure who is almost obscured by the fog yet looks translucent himself as well. He is massive, big, even for a Klaurian. It can only be one thing on this side of the wall – Bloodless Herd of Havaelinn Wild Heart.

DC 20 Skeleton drawn platform

As you fall through the rolling fog and icy blasts, through a hole in it you see a massive platform being drug by dozens of skeletons towards the wall about 50 yards back, obscured from the wall defenders by a cover of freezing mist.

DC 15 Ice siege tower

As you roll out of your fall, the freezing mist around you clears as if your fall sent a shockwave. To the north, you see a siege tower covered in ice being brought up to the base of the wall.

The Skeleton Drawn Platform

This will not initially be seen – it is moving much faster and coming up to the trench area from further out.

12 skeletons draw a sled over the snow and ice. Their feet are bolted into boots of wood and flesh, giving them the ability to dig in better than their skeletal feet could. Atop the sled is a 5m tall yurt-like structure, covered in snow and ice. The entire platform is about 25m long and 15m wide. In the front, where the skeletal minions are “hitched”, are a pair of large skeletons, seemingly standing with stoic resolve, holding large bone spears. Spreading out from it in all directions are tendrils of fog that disperse and cover the area, giving cover to the hordes of undead.

2 skeleton brutes (frankenstein – bones patched together for double size, 2 heads! = 2 attacks)
Hide (human) Armor w/Resilience
Bone Burrow Spear (d6 +1 on full = breaks off 1 pt max damage and begins burrowing towards heart in 1+d6 rounds, doing 1 aggravated per round.)

The mammoth drawn platform

Platform Mantleted Formation

Siege ladder; ropes + hooks, platform, mantlet & skin tarp cover
> bone burrow sinew rope with animated bones to assist undead climbers

  • #PCs ghoul thrower/climber 18 str – AC: 13 / HP: 27 @+5 attack claw 2d6/7+7 = 14 @+8 attack bite 2d4/5+3 = 12 + paralyze DC 10 Con
    > These are immediate skirmishers and can give the animations’ orders.
  • # PCs x 4 skeleton – AC: 14+1 shield = 15/ HP: 15 @+4 attack d4/2+2 = 4+1 cold=5
    > These are pushing the manlet and providing cover with light shields; They will take one round to shift to engagement.
  • # PCs x 6 zombie – AC: 9/ HP: 25 + undead fortitude @3 attack x 2; d6/3+1 = 4+2 cold=6
    > These are carrying the supplies. They will drop them and take one round to shift to engagement.

Skeletal MAMMOTH 64hp; trample 3d10 bludgeon as it moves + knock prone or tusk 2d10 bludgeon sweep size m x 2-3 opponents / AC 14 (if the altar is intact, it has a chance of turning into 2d6 skeletons when it ‘dies’)

Yurt is made of human skin; Portable altar area

fog shrouded, inside the yurt

Messenger of Fear

Ghoul priest 5th; AC: 16/ HP: 36
> Hide Armor > 2 Resilience

    • (feat): Can attempt 2 intimidate checks with save vs. Fear instead of an attack.
    • Has a cracked funeral bell from a graveyard, dipped in the flesh of hundreds.
    • Holding a standard of dripping flesh. Faces in the standard are trying to speak, tongue hanging out, eyes rolled up; “and jesus wept”
      > If the standard is knocked down, it summons a gibbering mouther
  • C: Toll the Dead (funeral bell rings with dirge and it lasts 2 rounds)
  • 1st [4]: Command (Fear; DC +2), Bane (DC +2, +1 target w/altar)
  • 2nd [3]: Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon (bns),
  • 3rd [2]: Bestow Curse (30’ DC +2, +1 targets w/altar)

Dead-a-Pult

Each other round shoots a “bag of corpses” over the wall. It lands on the far side, and assembles in 1 round into 10 zombies.

Ghoul x3 operators – Strength MAX. +5hp from AID spell (8 hours)

Ghoul Cleric 4th > Strength MAX – AC: / HP:

  • Spells: C = Toll the Dead/Guidance/Sacred Flame
  • 1st [4] Inflict Wounds/Guiding Bolt/Bane + False Life/Ray Sickness
  • 2nd [3] Hold Person/AID [ x ] + Blindness/Ray Enfeeblement

Mantleted Formation 1

Siege ladder; ropes + hooks, platform, mantlet & skin tarp cover
> bone burrow sinew rope with animated bones to assist undead climbers (it can attack PCs if they try and climb)

  • #PCs ghoul thrower/climber 18 str – AC: 13 / HP: 27 @+5 attack claw 2d6/7+7 = 14 @+8 attack bite 2d4/5+3 = 12 + paralyze DC 10 Con
    > These are immediate skirmishers and can give the animations’ orders.
  • # PCs x 4 skeleton – AC: 14+1 shield = 15/ HP: 15 @+4 attack d4/2+2 = 4+1 cold=5
    > These are pushing the manlet and providing cover with light shields; They will take one round to shift to engagement.
  • # PCs x 6 zombie – AC: 9/ HP: 25 + undead fortitude @3 attack x 2; d6/3+1 = 4+2 cold=6
    > These are carrying the supplies. They will drop them and take one round to shift to engagement.

Ghoul Lt. Warlock (undead) 2nd – AC: 16/ HP: 36 {+5 FL} {+5 agathys}
-10
@+3 attack claw 2d6/7+4 = 11 @+5 attack bite 2d4/5+4 = 9 + paralyze DC 11 Con
> 1st [3] Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Witch Bolt + Bane 1/day & False Life
> Invocations: Eldritch Sight (Detect Magic), Fiendish Vigor (False Life ~ bns; 5)*
> Form of Dread (on active battlefield, 75% likely to have used all instances for the day)

Mantleted Formation 2

Siege ladder; ropes + hooks, platform, mantlet & skin tarp cover
> bone burrow sinew rope with animated bones to assist undead climbers (it can attack PCs if they try and climb)

  • #PCs ghoul thrower/climber 18 str – AC: 13 / HP: 27 @+5 attack claw 2d6/7+7 = 14 @+8 attack bite 2d4/5+3 = 12 + paralyze DC 10 Con
    > These are immediate skirmishers and can give the animations’ orders.
  • # PCs x 4 skeleton – AC: 14+1 shield = 15/ HP: 15 @+4 attack d4/2+2 = 4+1 cold=5
    > These are pushing the manlet and providing cover with light shields; They will take one round to shift to engagement.
  • # PCs x 6 zombie – AC: 9/ HP: 25 + undead fortitude @3 attack x 2; d6/3+1 = 4+2 cold=6
    > These are carrying the supplies. They will drop them and take one round to shift to engagement.

Ghoul Lt. Warlock (undead) 2nd – AC: 16/ HP: 36 {+5 FL} {+5 agathys}
@+3 attack claw 2d6/7+4 = 11 @+5 attack bite 2d4/5+4 = 9 + paralyze DC 11 Con
> 1st [3] Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Witch Bolt + Bane & False Life
> Invocations: Eldritch Sight (Detect Magic), Fiendish Vigor (False Life; 5)*
> Form of Dread (on active battlefield, 75% likely to have used all instances for the day)

Mantleted Formation 3

Siege ladder; ropes + hooks, platform, mantlet & skin tarp cover
> bone burrow sinew rope with animated bones to assist undead climbers (it can attack PCs if they try and climb)

  • #PCs ghoul thrower/climber 18 str – AC: 13 / HP: 27 @+5 attack claw 2d6/7+7 = 14 @+8 attack bite 2d4/5+3 = 12 + paralyze DC 10 Con
    > These are immediate skirmishers and can give the animations’ orders.
  • # PCs x 4 skeleton – AC: 14+1 shield = 15/ HP: 15 @+4 attack d4/2+2 = 4+1 cold=5
    > These are pushing the manlet and providing cover with light shields; They will take one round to shift to engagement.
  • # PCs x 6 zombie – AC: 9/ HP: 25 + undead fortitude @3 attack x 2; d6/3+1 = 4+2 cold=6
    > These are carrying the supplies. They will drop them and take one round to shift to engagement.

Ghoul Lt. Warlock (undead) 2nd – AC: 16/ HP: 36 {+5 FL} {+5 agathys}
@+3 attack claw 2d6/7+4 = 11 @+5 attack bite 2d4/5+4 = 9 + paralyze DC 11 Con
> 1st [3] Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Witch Bolt + Bane & False Life
> Invocations: Eldritch Sight (Detect Magic), Fiendish Vigor (False Life; 5)*
> Form of Dread (on active battlefield, 75% likely to have used all instances for the day)

Iced Siege Tower

If it has to, it is animated and can move itself. It will definitely if the wheels and sleds / pulling ‘animal’ are destroyed – which looks to be the fastest way to stop it. It can reconfigure to provide cover on the inside to defenders, lift itself above large holes in the ground, walk on its own. It can be driven to damage itself to move the structure faster.

Outside: Climbing the outside of it is done with Disadvantage; the ice becomes spiked when the living touch it (dexterity DC 14 or d8/4 cold and/or peirce); animated for damage to attack those climbing on it.

Under stretched skin (leather) is a massive bone skeleton. Each story is 12’ tall.

Destroying It vs. Killing all Inhabitants: It is AC 13 and has 250hp. Resistant to fire damage in addition to the normal skeleton & undead resistances and immunities.

Skeleton Mammoth

Skeletal MAMMOTH 64hp; trample 3d10 bludgeon as it moves + knock prone or tusk 2d10 bludgeon sweep size m x 2-3 opponents / AC 14 (if the altar is intact, it has a chance of turning into 2d6 skeletons when it ‘dies’)

Floor 1

Supplies: Siege ladder; ropes + hooks, platform & skin tarp covers
10 skeletons; 2 Strength ghouls.

Floor 2

Supplies: Siege ladder, ropes + hooks, skin tarps
1 Dexterity ghoul + 6 skeletons; -8-3

Floor 3

Supplies:ropes + hooks, skin tarps
1 Dexterity ghoul + 6 skeletons; -9 -3

Floor 4

Supplies:ropes + hooks, skin tarps
1 Dexterity ghoul + 6 skeletons; -6 -3 -3 -9 = dead

Floor 5

Supplies:ropes + hooks, skin tarps
1 Dexterity ghoul + 6 skeletons; -8 -3 -3

RAMP/TOP:
2 Strength ghouls & 2 Dexterity ghouls + 6 skeletons; -9 -6

  • # skeleton – AC: 14/ HP: 15 @+4 attack d4/2+2 = 4+1 cold=5
    > carrying supplies and stone daggers

Host Warden (ghoul)

Warlock (undead) 2nd – AC: 16/ HP: 36 {+5 FL} {+5 agathys}
@+3 attack claw 2d6/7+4 = 11 @+5 attack bite 2d4/5+4 = 9 + paralyze DC 11 Con
> 1st [3] Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Witch Bolt + Bane & False Life
> Invocations: Eldritch Sight (Detect Magic), Fiendish Vigor (False Life; 5)*
> Form of Dread (on active battlefield, 75% likely to have used all instances for the day)
Controls the tower itself and directs the mammoth.

Wight Champion

> Barbarian (berserker) 5th, Warlock 2nd
AC: @ Reaction = Armor of Agathys (unlimited if chosen spell)
Health = + regenerates 3hp each round he damages a living target

Legendary Actions: @ Initiative 20 = Fog Cloud (major obscure) @1 = extinguish light
> 1st [3] Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Witch Bolt + Bane & False Life
> Invocations: Eldritch Sight (Detect Magic), Fiendish Vigor (False Life; 5)*
> Form of Dread = 4 uses

AC: Sale armor; Frost Shrouded (4 Resilience); Black iron bastard sword

“Exoskeleton” – wearing a animated skeleton as an addition +1 AC and it makes its own attack each round
> it takes half of any damage that gets through, to a maximum of 28
> After it collapses, 2 crawling claws will surprise attack unless anyone is looking specifically to see what happened,.

Sapping Tunnels

The area is obscured in a Fog Cloud, but no major forces are moving through it, to reduce attention to it.

Tunneler Effort

# PCs x 8 skeleton armed with bone shovels and covered in hide
= front of the tunnel

# PCs x 3 skeleton armed with bone shovels and covered in hide
= shoveling dirt out

Ghoul Host Officer directing the effort underground. Health (HD)
> Warlock 2nd
1st [3] Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke, Witch Bolt + Bane & False Life
> Fighter 4th (Grave Wind, Action Surge; {feat} )
Human hide armor (2 resilience), light medium shield (human hide; 1 resilience)
long sword (Ice Fang empowered)

Open Trench

A perimeter of 8 skeletons guards the area. They are mostly a screen to ensure other undead dont draw attention to them, to direct them to either side. Since the Fog Cloud will be obscuring the area, the new forces coming into the area might try to take advantage of it, but that may draw attention to the tunneling effort.

Trench Entrance

2 skeleton brutes (frankenstein – bones patched together for double size, 2 heads!)
> Hide Armor w/Resilience
> Bone Burrow Spear (on full = breaks off 1 pt max damage and begins burrowing towards heart in 1+d6 rounds, doing 1 aggravated per round.)

Tunnel Warden Vampire

Vampire 8th Cleric of Death > https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Vampire#content
AC: equiv. Studded Leather + Dex 12 = 13 > 2 Resilience (will use it fast to become unfettered)
Unfettered may give vampie another action if the PCs seem to be quickly over-powering it.
Health: Con {+3}

This agent is in charge of this effort. It will defend the binding object of the Ethereal Wurm and the wurm itself. It will shift its remaining ___ into Dexterity and gain AC and Initiative bonuses to protect it.

  • https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/feat:alert + https://dnd5e.wikidot.com/feat:charger
  • C:
  • 1: Shield fo faith (bns)
  • 2: Spiritual Weapon (bns)
  • 3:
  • 4: Death Ward [ x ] +

First Stretch Open Trench

Second Stretch Open Trench

Underground Tunnel

Entrance to Underground Tunnel

> Trench collapse leads to underground tunneling. There’s three ghoul clerics 5.

Underground Tunnel Stretch 1

Side Tunnel

One long hallway that they tried battering the foundations of the wall from. That’s mostly filled in now.

Underground Tunnel Stretch 2 – Wurm Lair

Ethereal Wurms. These worms are eating the fabric of reality and tunneling a hole using the ethereal plane to get into the other side of The Autumn Wall.

The Ethereal Wurm’s Binding Object

The binding object is a ghoul’s jaw bone, a thing that symbolizes relentless, endless hunger and feeding. It is slowly turning black, as the magic of the wurm consumes it as well. When it is done, the binding object will crumble and worm fade back into the Ethereal Plane.

Noticing: It is either hanging from a humanoid skull’s mouth, or in the hand of the vampire (if the PC’s seem over powered, it will reduce the vampire’s attack capability). If the PCs are having a difficult time, make the area covered in bones and debris, and increase the DC required to notice it.
> DC 16

Destroying: If the PCs are having a difficult time and several dead, make destroying it easy

If the PCS kill or dispel the giant wurm while they are in the tunnel with it and the planar tunnel collapses they have a one on a d6 chance of actually surviving, or at least one of them. Each one must save versus death.

Outcomes/Follow Up of Assaulting the Tunnels

If the PCS attack it, the Lich Lords will think that it was somehow detected by the defenders and a strike force was sent – and that the PCs were sent there to stop it directly (it just happened at a lucky time… or did it?). So whether or not the Lich Lord forces succeed, success would only be temporary and the Lich Lords will likely not try it again believing that a stronger force would be sent.

> chance for each magic item to be recovered?

Some of the magic items are unique and powerful and if the PCs clear out enough, a Ducateon spear unit will break out from the wall to try and recover bodies and the magic items of note. All items would be returned to the order from which the druids come. That in turn might make some of the items part of the Official steel Realms Items of Note collection. Several items will build on the Wylden tradition that will need greater explanation. The Wylden will be chaos of unstable anima founts in the great Forests of the Noble East, and the Equitas crystals that are found deep in the ground at these sites. Equitas crystal should be immune to detection by any means.

Each item on the list of 10 should make a check. Start at DC 10 Perception and each further item the check increases by 2.