DG27 Shaky Alliances

By Dan Hass

The communities around Odill are not natural allies. Each was established with its own
philosophies and works to protect its niche in the economy of greater Odill. Forging these
communities into a political block capable of challenging the power of Odill is no trivial task. A
D&D 5th edition adventure for 1-8 7th level adventurers. The second episode in the Villages of
Odill Arc.

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Contents
Adventure Summary .............................................................................................................. 2
Preparing the Adventure........................................................................................................ 2
Running the Adventure .......................................................................................................... 2
Adventure Background .......................................................................................................... 2
Adventure Outline.................................................................................................................. 4
Starting the Adventure ........................................................................................................... 4
Encounter 1: Wolfdells Chairman.......................................................................................... 5
Encounter 2: Wolfdells Zealots ............................................................................................. 6
Encounter 3: The Inquisition .................................................................................................. 7
Encounter 4: The Cult of Asmodeus ...................................................................................... 8
Encounter 5: The Counter Naturalist ..................................................................................... 9
Concluding the Adventure ....................................................................................................10
Appendix 1: DM Maps ..........................................................................................................11
Forest Path .......................................................................................................................11

Thanks to the many people who have helped me make this possible. Here are some who
contributed in special ways.
Editing
Jeremy Esch
Cover Art
Fernando Olmedo (his work)
Sponsor
The War Store
Sponsor
Eric Mills

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The Odill Campaign Guide campaign
Adventure Summary
guide
can be found here, and includes the
Shaky Alliances is a Dungeons and
organizations
and NPCs that influence
Dragons 5th Edition adventure designed for
Shaky
Alliances.
1-8 7th level characters. It requires a
A battlemat or dungeon tiles may be
Players Handbook, a Monster Manual, a
helpful, but not necessary.
Dungeon Master's Guide, and the
Elemental Evil Player's Companion (EE).
Running the Adventure
While the encounters include scaling for
The encounters in Shaky Alliances attempt
1-8 characters, parties of 1 or 2 PCs and 7
to challenge PCs in a variety of ways. The
or 8 PCs are fringe circumstances that may
encounters where combat is likely are
play oddly. Specifically, parties of 1-2 are
expected to be hard (DMG p.81), but
highly susceptible to a single bad die roll,
additionally there are encounters to test the
and 7-8 can slow play dramatically. Ideally
PCs ability to deal with diplomatic situations
a party will be 3-6 PCs.
and pose difficult questions about their
It is set in the Dimgaard Campaign
characters morals.
Setting (the Dimgaard Campaign Guide is a
Modification Exploits
free pdf available at here), but could be set
Technically each combat encounter uses
in other campaigns where there is a corrupt
a medium XP budget per the encounter
city ripe for overthrow. The Digital copies of
building guidelines. And for many parties
the encounter maps are available here.
a medium encounter may turn out to
meet the definition of hard as PCs may
Preparing the Adventure
be built for roleplaying and the party may
It is always a good idea for the DM to read
not have optimized their tactics.
through an adventure before running it.
Modifications (denoted with 1) have
Shaky Alliances is no different. There are
been made to the creatures which do not
some rather complex encounters that will
increase the calculated CR of the
benefit if the DM spends a few minutes
creature but do increase the challenge of
deciding how she will play them. Shaky
the creature. The DM should gauge the
Alliances can be run with a lot of interaction
effectiveness of the party and decide
between the PCs and NPCs depending on
which of these to use (keeping in mind
the inclinations of the PCs and DM. The
the definition of hard encounters).
module deliberately gives just enough
Awarding XP
information about NPCs to move the plot
The XP listed with each encounter
along, leaving a lot of room for a DM to
reflects the XP of the creatures listed as a
individualize these to her campaign. It
medium encounter. However, the
makes things smoother if the DM spends a
encounters with the enhancements to the
few minutes deciding how she will deliver
creatures likely is a Hard encounter.
the NPCs interactions. Some DMs and
Considering how wide 7th level is, the
players revel in the opportunity to assume
DM should consider awarding 50% more
the personae of multiple NPCs over the
XP than that listed in the tables. That
course of a session (active roleplaying),
amount would correspond to the XP for a
others prefer a summary approach
hard encounter rather than a medium
(descriptive roleplaying). The decision is a
encounter.
matter of style and showmanship. Neither
approach is correct; both are valid ways to
Adventure Background
collaboratively build a story, but the DM
There are several villages in the vicinity of
should try to anticipate her players
Odill. Odill could not survive without the
preferences, decide her own, and prepare
support of these villages. They provide
accordingly.
almost all the food, and much of the crafted
goods in the Odill economy. These are

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havens for those seeking relief from the
summarized in the Odill Campaign Guide.
harsh existence in Odill. Many are quite
Each has its own economic, social, and
noble in their pursuits and tolerate Odills
cultural factors.
corruption only because they have no
Greenvilles History and Economy
recourse. Among these is the village of
When Prince Rainaldus assumed the
Greenville. It has no ties to corrupt
throne, Earl Calmus was the noble in
organizations, and a history of fair-dealings.
charge of overseeing the craftsmen in
In Odill, Prince Priogrim realizes his
Odill associated with leather.
militia is insufficient for either defense or law
Calmus quickly saw Rainalduss
enforcement. The Cult of Asmodeus has
corruption as the Prince began taking
allied with him to recruit, and organize a
bribes by those who wanted to
militia capable of securing Odill both
circumvent the protections of the
internally and externally. They have made
leatherworkers guild. Calmus was quite
significant progress along those lines. They
wealthy, so rather than endure Rainaldus,
now have a force which patrols the
he retired to a villa ten miles from Odill.
important sectors of Odill the central trade
To his surprise many of the craftsmen
district, noble district, middle income district,
that he had overseen in Odill followed him
and docks. Further, the Cult of Asmodeus
forming the village of Greenville.
is exploring joining the One True Faith with
Greenville has a modest agricultural
Asmodeus revered as an Intercessor.
sector which is almost sufficient to feed
Reforming Odill is expected to significantly
itself. But the real industry in Greenville
influence that process.
is the leatherworking trades armorers,
Within Odill, the Inquisition is still under
cobblers, tanners, and hunters.
the
corrupt rule of Tholy the Divine, but the
The guild ensures that there isnt an
Fellowship
of Olidammara and Trithereons
oversupply of goods and provides a
United offer some hope. Tholy has grown
barrier to entry for new craftsmen to
tired of the meddling PCs and placed a
ensure that the number of producers is
significant bounty on them. (The DM will
controlled. Rumors are that at times, the
decide what significant is.)
guild has gone to war with renegade
Relatively easily, Earl Tarrowin has
leatherworkers in Odill and other villages
formed
an alliance with the dwarven town
in the area that tried to encroach on the
Delvers Dale and the village of Vallaki,
leather trade.
which has a significant halfling population.
Earl Tarrowin is the son of Calmus and
They are also craftsman villages with
inherited his position nine years ago (after
philosophies that align with Greenvilles.
Calmus diesd). In addition to his duties
Earl Tarrowin also sent overtures to the
as earl, Tarrowin is guild master, although
community
of Wolfdell. It is a nature
most of the duties from that position are
oriented commune that produces various
delegated to senior tradesmen, and he
textiles using wool from their own sheep
only needs to settle disputes.
and cotton they buy from neighboring
Many neighboring villages have only
plantation communities. They are generally
marginal loyalties to Odill (although all have
quite active and influential in the
a significant economic interest). With some
communities around Odill, and Wolfdells
influence they could be organized to bring
influence is a necessity if the alliance is
pressure on Odill to reform. When Prince
going to grow any larger. While the
Rainaldus assumed the throne and Odill
residents of Wolfdell have a loathing of the
began its slow descent into decadence,
corruption and slavery in Odill, they have
those among the nobility who resented the
strong issues with the way the leather crafts
corruption, and had the means, left Odill.
interact with the environment specifically
Many of them established communities
the tannery using skins from animals, and
within a few miles of Odill. These became
polluting of the river. Wolfdells hostility
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they accept the mission to meet with the
towards Greenville cant be overcome by
Chairman it launches the action.
Tarrowin. It will require action from the PCs
The PCs exit from Greenville is noticed
to convince them to join. Tarrowin has
by the agents watching the town, and
persuaded the Chairman to meet with the
reports are sent to the Cult of Asmodeus
PCs.
and Tholy the Divine.
Meanwhile, agents of the Cult of
The PCs meet with the Chairman to
Asmodeus and the Inquisition have been
convince him to join the alliance. The fact
watching and waiting for the PCs to leave
that the Chairman would even consider an
the sanctuary of Greenville.
alliance with the leatherworkers of
Forming the Alliance
Greenville stirs a radical segment of
Delvers Dale is centered on mining and
Wolfdell into action. They hijack the
metalworking. It has a significant
meeting and may attack the PCs.
population of dwarves who have lived in
On the way back, the PCs are encounter
the town for generations. They are
members of Cult of Asmodeus and the
likewise concerned about the debauchery
Inquisition, as well as the nature cultist,
in Odill, but they arent willing to engage
Cobru.
in a risky scheme without a tangible
reward. They want to establish an
Starting the Adventure
economic powerbase with their
PC Resources
metalworking in the same way that
Another tool to moderating the difficulty of
Greenville has done with leatherworking.
encounters is controlling PCs access to
The Thane of the Dale has garnered
equipment and magic items. If the party
support among the dwarves with the
appears weak, the DM can provide
condition that one of the goals will be to
access to inexpensive resources. If the
establish a metalworking guild based in
party appears strong, the DM can make
Delvers Dale with authority to impose
resources rare and expensive.
policies throughout the Odill region.
The PCs should have recently completed
Vallaki has an economy based on
DG26 Greenville, and inspired Earl Tarrowin
brewing and distilling. It is a haven for
to form an alliance to bend Odill toward
halflings (40% of the population of 500).
reform. The DM may award downtime to
Vallakis interest in reforming Odill isnt
the PCs to reflect the time between
economic. They control a majority of their
adventures. When the downtime activities
markets because of the quality of their
are resolved, read or paraphrase:
product, and dont need the protections of
a guild. They are very concerned about
Earl Tarrowin has been updating you on
freedom and racial equality. Their
the progress of the alliance. In the few days
opinion of slavery is that it is a horrible
since he began the effort, Vallaki and
institution and should be completely
Delvers Dale have already joined. But this
abolished.
isnt surprising. Those two villages have a
history of cooperation with Greenville.
Adventure Outline
Broadening the alliance will be
Brilohors Haunting
impossible without the village of Wolfdell. It
Creature trap
is not particularly large, but its citizenry are
Odill is the territory of the night hag (MM p.178), Brilohor.
The DM can use her Nightmare Haunting during any
regarded highly for their history of morality.
long rest. There is no known NPC in Odill capable of
Unfortunately, Wolfdell and Greenville
casting greater restoration. This effect may also carry
have several long running disputes that
over from one adventure to the next.
makes Wolfdell hostile to Earl Terrowin.
The PCs start in Greenville with some time
having passed since events of DG26
Presuming the PCs accept the task, the trip
Greenville. Earl Tarrowin explains the
to Wolfdell is uneventful. Present
situation with Wolfdell to the PCs, and if
Encounter 1.

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Encounter 1: Wolfdells Chairman

Map. There is no map for this encounter.
Encounter background. Wolfdell is a
commune. Its residents are artists,
naturalists, and fine craftsmen. They
unanimously oppose slavery.
Wolfdell
Wolfdell has no ruling noble. They
maintain an administrator who carries the
of Chairman and who must be
reaffirmed at each weekly community
meeting. Galius has held the position for
nearly three months the longest term of
any Chairman in years.
The Chairman represents Wolfdell in
negotiations and conferences with other
communities, but any major decision
must be ratified by the weekly community
meeting.
Wolfdells supports itself by gathering
non-animal food from the forest, and has
a solid cash flow from textiles. It has
flocks of sheep for wool, and purchases
cotton from the plantation villages.
Running the encounter. Chairman Galius
cannot make decisions about alliances
without consensus. He can arrange a
community meeting for the PCs can make
their case. It will take 24 hours to arrange
the meeting during which time Galius will
provide comfortable quarters for the PCs.
The residents of Wolfdell do not like
Greenville. Their view of Greenville ranges
from merely exploiters of natures bounties
to vicious despoilers of nature. For many
Wolfdell residents the primary offender is
the tannery. It provides a market for hides
claimed by murdering various animals, and
is an unrepentant polluter of the river.
Even if Greenville were to promise to
reform the tannery to pollute less using
natural or neutral agents instead of the
acids, lye, and salts it currently uses many
Wolfdell residents would not believe them.
The PCs may have a strategy for
convincing Wolfdell at the meeting (which
takes several hours).

Whether or not the PCs are successful in

swaying Wolfdell to immediately join the
alliance, a contingent led by Genista storms
out shortly before the resolution. It is
impossible to convince her to accept
Greenville as an ally.
Cobru is also in the meeting, but remains
completely quiet and non-committal.
The DM can populate the crowd with any
number of interesting NPCs.
Roleplaying
Wolfdell is an opportunity for extensive
roleplaying. The DM and players can
approach this in a variety of ways.
If the DM and players prefer summary
approaches, the players can state their
strategies. The DM can set a DC for the
desired outcome (refer to PHB Chapter
7), and a die roll can decide the results.
Similarly, but with added complexity
and subtlety, the DMG p.244-246 has
guidelines and tables for managing social
encounters.
Another approach is to start with a DC
to persuade Wolfdell to join the alliances
(hard, DC20). Then based on roleplaying
adjust the DC to reward good roleplaying.
Concluding the encounter. It will be midafternoon when the meeting ends. The PCs
can return to Greenville or stay overnight.
Regardless, Genista watches them and lays
an ambush (Encounter 2).
Rests
D&D 5th edition presumes the PCs will
have several encounters before a long
rest. Once the action starts when the
PCs leave Wolfdell, there is no
opportunity for a long rest.
Even short rests should be managed,
as there are numerous PC abilities that
recharge with a short rest.
If the PCs are able to enter encounters
with plenty of resources, they will not
likely be challenged.
There should be no long rest the rest
of this adventure.

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Encounter 2: Wolfdells Zealots

Map. Forest Path (Appendix 1)
Encounter background. Genista is the
leader of a group of druids that are
vehemently anti-Greenville. Under no
circumstances will they allow Wolfdell to be
corrupted by allying with Greenville. They
are willing to kill to prevent the PCs from
achieving the alliance.
Running the encounter. The druids have
pooled their abilities to create a weather
effect that they unleash on the PCs before
attacking.
Lightning Burst
Weather effect
The clouds that will produce the lightning burst are
obvious, so Perception yields no useful information. A
DC15 passive Nature check by any PC will realize that
the clouds are dangerous, and the PCs can protect
themselves from it. Lightning strikes in the middle of the
PCs. Each PC takes 7 (2d6) lightning damage (DC15
Dexterity saving throw with advantage if the passive
Nature check was successful for half damage).

Genista isnt inclined to negotiate at least

not at first. She may be persuaded after a
round or two if the DM is inclined.
Scaling the encounter. Genista and her
party of druids vary with the PCs party.
#
Naturalists
XP
1
Druid
450
2
Druid, 2 Lion
850
3 2 Druid, 3 Lion 1,500
4 3 Druid, 3 Lion 1,950
5 3 Druid, 4 Lion 2,150
6-7 4 Druid, 6 Lion 3,000
8 4 Druid, 8 Lion 3,400
Druid. MM p.346

Spellcasting. Change 1st & 2nd level:

1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, healing word, longstrider,
speak with animals, thunderwave
2nd level (3 slots): barkskin, heat metal

Actions
1

Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit (+4 to hit

with shillelagh), reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d6)
bludgeoning damage or 4 (1d8) bludgeoning with
shillelagh or if wielded in two hands; the target must
succeed on a DC13 Constitution saving throw or be
stunned for one round.

Reactions
1

Deflect. A projectile targeting the druid from a source the

druid can see, misses.

Lion. MM p.331
1

Speed 70 ft. (10 ft. from longstrider)

Saving Throws Str +5, Dex +4
1
Mobile. Per PHB p.168
1

Reactions
1
Skitter. A ranged attack against the lion from a source it
can see, misses and the lion can move up to one-third its
speed.

Concluding the encounter. If Genista and

her party are defeated, they will expect to
be returned to Wolfdell with the
understanding that they will not interfere
with further negotiations.
If Genistas party defeats the PCs, they
take them hostage in an attempt to derail
the alliance. This will end the PCs
adventure and be a setback for the alliance
that will take several days to overcome.
Shortly after the PCs complete this
encounter, marshals from the Inquisition
engage them.

Armor Class 15 (hide + natural)

Hit Points 33 (6d8+6)
1
Speed 40 ft. (10 ft. from longstrider)
1
Saving Throws Int +3, Wis +4
1
Reactive. As a marilith (MM p.61)
1
Sooth Beast. As a bonus action, a beast the druid can
see within 60 ft. is healed 9 (3d4+2) hit points.

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Encounter 3: The Inquisition

Map. Forest Path (Appendix 1)
Encounter background. Ioco the Bald is a
high ranking marshal within the Inquisition.
If the PCs are proceeding after Encounter 1,
Ioco lays an ambush for them. Otherwise
they sneak up on the PCs.
Iocos Affiliation
Ioco is presented as a marshal for the
Inquisition loyal to Tholy the Divine.
However, if it is conducive to the story for
him to be acting for a different
organization, the nature of his
background should be modified. He
could be acting on behalf of the Slavers
Alliance, the Cult of the Green Dragon,
Prince Priogrim, or even the Church of
Mask.
From the undergrowth a tall figure in
plate mail steps. With authority, he states,
I am here to bring you to justice. I started
the day intending to give out lollipops and
ass-kickings I ran out of lollipops ten
minutes ago.
Running the encounter. Iocos orders
depends on the PCs past with Tholy the
Divine. If he is hostile towards the PCs, he
is instructed to bring the PCs in
unconscious or dead. Otherwise, after
establishing an upper hand, he may give the
PCs the option of coming peacefully.
Roleplaying
This can be an opportunity for the PCs to
ease tensions with some organization
they have crossed.
Scaling the encounter. The marshals vary
with the number of PCs
#
Marshals
XP
1
Ioco
700
2
Ioco, Acolyte, Owl, Scout
860
3 Ioco, 2 Acolyte, 2 Owl, 4 Scout 1,250
4 Ioco, 3 Acolyte, 3 Owl, 5 Scout 1,380
5 Ioco, 3 Acolyte, 3 Owl, 7 Scout 1,580
6 Ioco, 5 Acolyte,5 Owl, 11 Scout 2,100
7 Ioco, 6 Acolyte,6 Owl, 15 Scout 2,560
8 Ioco, 7 Acolyte,7 Owl, 18 Scout 2,920

Ioco (Knight). MM p.347

1

Speed 40 ft. (10 ft. from longstrider)

Skills Athletics +5, Stealth +4
1
Damage Immunities piercing
1
Legendary Resistance (1/day). As a lich (MM p.202)
1
Pommel Strike. As a bonus action, a creature of the
knights choice within 5 ft. must succeed on a DC15
Constitution saving throw or be stunned for one round.
1
Gear. bead of force.
1

Action
1

Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft.,

one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) slashing damage and the
target must succeed on a DC13 Dexterity saving throw or
lose the use of one hand until the target receives healing
at least equal to the damage done.

Reactions
1

Hellish Rebuke. Ioco casts a 3rd level hellish rebuke

(DC13 Dex saving throw)

Acolyte. MM p.342; owl familiar

1

Hit Points 31 (7d8)

Speed 40 ft. (10 ft. from longstrider)
1
Saving Throw Con +2, Wis +4
1
Skills Medicine +4, Religion +4, Stealth +4
1
Spellcasting. The acolyte is a 4th level spellcaster. Its
spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC12).
Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): bless, command, cure wounds
2nd level (3 slots): heat metal, hold person.
1
Portent. Per PHB p.116
Gear. 3 scroll of cure wounds, scroll of dispel magic
1

Reactions
1

Counterspell. The acolyte casts counterspell.

Owl. MM p.333
1

Damage Immunities fire, force, piercing

Scout. MM p.349
1

Armor Class 14 (studded leather)

Hit Points 32 (6d8+3)
1
Natural Explorer (forest). Per PHB p.91
1
Innate Spellcasting. The scout can cast each of the
following spells 3/day each requiring no material
component: locate creature, longstrider, pass without
trace, speak with animals
1
Marksman. The scout ignores less than total cover, and
suffers no penalty for long range.
1

Concluding the encounter. The Dimgaard

Campaign Guide has guidelines for
handling the Inquisition, but the PCs may
have a specific relationship with Tholy the
Divine that supersedes these guidelines.
If the PCs overcome Iocos party, they
encounter agents of Asmodeus shortly
afterward.

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Encounter 4: The Cult of Asmodeus

Map. Forest Path (Appendix 1)
Encounter Background. Fiends have been
dispatched to deal with the PCs. The Cult
of Asmodeus is heavily invested in Prince
Priogrim and Odill, and doesnt want to see
an alliance form to end the corruption there.
Customizing
Like Encounter 3, these fiends could have
a different affiliation than the Cult of
Asmodeus. Also, this could be an
opportunity for the PCs change their
relationship with an organization such as
the Cult of Asmodeus or Cult of Orcus.
A large coin purse sets in the middle of
the path. It appears unattended.
Running the encounter. The fiends are
here to correct slights made by the PCs.
The spies will set an ambush. If the PCs
are taking too long, the spies will attempt to
lure them away from camp to expose the
PCs to their trap.
Poisoned Coins
Poison trap
A large coin purse contains several hundred silver pieces
coated with contact poison. A 17 Wisdom (Perception)
check notices that many of the coins are discolored. The
coins cannot be separated without being exposed to the
poison. Any creature exposed to the poison, after one
minute, must succeed on a DC15 Constitution saving
throw or be poisoned (PHB p.292) for two hours.

Once the spies see that the PCs have been

exposed to the poison (or avoided it), they
will launch their assault.
Scaling the encounter.
#
Demons
XP
1
2 Spies, 2 Homunculi
420
2
3 Spies, 3 Homunculi
630
3
5 Spies, 5 Homunculi
1,050
4
6 Spies, 6 Homunculi
1,260
5
7 Spies, 7 Homunculi
1,470
6 10 Spies, 10 Homunculi 2,100
7 12 Spies, 12 Homunculi 2,520
8 13 Spies, 13 Homunculi 2,730
Homunculus. MM p.188
1

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)

Hit Points 2 (1d4)
Skills Stealth +6
1
Damage Immunity fire, force, piercing, poison
Devils Sight. As imp (MM p.76)

1
Invisibility. As a bonus action, the homunculus turns
invisible

Actions
1

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft, one

creature. Hit: 1 piercing damage, and the target must
succeed on a DC13 Constitution saving throw or be
poisoned for 1 minute. If the saving throw fails by 5 or
more, the target is instead poisoned for 5 (1d10) minutes
and unconscious while poisoned in this way.

Spy. MM p.349 with a homunculus

Medium fiend, neutral evil
1
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
1
Saving Throws Dex +4, Cha +3
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16
1
Devils Sight. As imp (MM p.76)
1
Innate Spellcasting. The spy can cast the following
spells requiring no material component.
1/day: armor of Agathys, locate object, long strider, pass
without trace
1
Mobile. Per PHB p.168
1
Steal. As a bonus action, a creature the spy can see
within 5 ft. must succeed on a DC14 Dexterity (Acrobatics)
check or the spy takes possession of an item on the
targets person of the spys choice.
Gear. Bead of Night

Actions
1
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one creature. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage and the
target must succeed on a DC14 Dexterity (Acrobatics)
check or drop a weapon or item of the spys choice.
Remove Hand Crossbow if using fly speed.

Reactions
1

Counterspell (3/day). The spy casts counterspell.

Hellish Rebuke (3/day). The spy casts hellish rebuke.

Bead of Night
Wondrous Item, uncommon (requires attunement)
This is a pearl that emanated magical darkness as the
spell. It is contained in a clasp, so that by interacting with
the clasp as an object, the darkness can be suppressed.

Concluding the encounter. The results of

this encounter depend on the PCs
relationship with the Cult of Asmodeus. If
the Cult isnt extremely negative and
capture the PCs, they will hold them for a
while and then let them go. But if the PCs
have established that they are opponents of
the Cult, they will make sure the PCs are
never heard from again.
If the PCs win, Cubro approaches them a
short time later.

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Encounter 5: The Counter Naturalist

Map. Forest Path (Appendix 1)
Encounter background. Unlike the other
residents of Wolfdell, Cobru is highly in
favor of the pollution from the tannery. It
has caused the forest around the tannery to
occasionally spawn blights, which he has an
affinity for.
The lean form of a human in leather
armor approaches. He seems wary, but not
hostile.
Running the encounter. Cobru doesnt
want the tannery reformed, and will fight to
keep it unchanged. He will subtly probe the
PCs, and if he believes the PCs will work to
change the tannery, he will attack.
His blights are nearby, and if combat
ensues he will attempt to do so from their
location.
Scaling the encounter. Cobrus force
varies with the number of PCs.
#
Dark Naturalists
XP
1
Cobru, Needle Blight
500
2
Cobru, 3 Needle Blight,
850
2 Vine Blight
3
Cobru, 5 Needle Blight, 1,100
4 Vine Blight
4-5 Cobru, 7 Needle Blight, 1,400
6 Vine Blight
6 Cobru, 20 Needle Blight, 2,150
7 Vine Blight
7 Cobru, 26 Needle Blight, 2,550
8 Vine Blight
8 Cobru, 31 Needle Blight, 2,900
9 Vine Blight
Cobru (Cult Fanatic). MM p.345
1

Armor Class 14 (studded leather)

Saving Throws Con +3, Wis +3
1
Plant Master. Cobru can establish a telepathic link with
any plant with an intelligence within 120 ft., and they will
obey his desires.
1
Dark Casting (3/day). A creature that is affected by one
of Cobrus spells has disadvantage on its saving throw.
1
Reactive. As a marilith (MM p.61)
1
Spellcasting. Cobru is a 6th level caster. His spellcasting
ability is Charisma (spell save 12, +4 to hit with spell
attacks)

Cantrips (at will): guidance, sacred flame, thaumaturgy

1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, longstrider, shield
2nd level (3 slots): hold person, pass without trace,
suggestion
3rd level (3 slots): dispel magic
1
Gear. Two daggers with continual flame, gem of
brightness (5 charges)

Reactions
1

Counterspell (3/day). Cobru casts counterspell.

Needle Blight. MM p.32

1

Hit Points 33 (6d8+6)

Saving Throws Dex +3, Wis +1
1
Skills Stealth +5
1
Damage Immunities piercing
1
Fire Absorption. When the blight takes fire damage, it
takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit
points equal to the damage dealt.
1
Force Absorption. When the blight takes force damage,
it takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit
points equal to the damage dealt.
1
Reactive. As a marilith (MM p.61)
1

Reactions
1

Hellish Rebuke (3/day). The blight casts hellish rebuke

(DC9)

Vine Blight. MM p.32

1

Saving Throws Str +4, Dex +4

Stealth +3
1
Damage Immunities piercing
1
Forest Camouflage. In forest terrain, the blight get +10
to Stealth checks, and can Hide by blending into the
foliage even when there is no cover or obscurity.
1
Reactive. As a marilith (MM p.61)
1
Trip. As a bonus action a creature within 5 ft. must
succeed on a DC14 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or be
rendered prone.
1

Reactions
1
Absorb Elements. The blight casts a 2nd level absorb
elements (EE p.15)

Concluding the encounter. If Cobru

overcomes the PCs, he keeps them for
several days, until it becomes clear the
alliance will progress without them (albeit
more slowly).
If the PCs prevail in combat, Cobru will
admit defeat, and agree to aid them in some
helpful way if they spare his life.
If an agreement is reached where the
tannerys operation is left unchanged, he
will be very helpful to the PCs.

Copyright 2015 Dan Hass Endeavors

10
DG27 Shaky Alliances
By Dan Hass

Concluding the Adventure

The ramifications of this adventure depends
a great deal on the roleplaying directions of
the encounters. There are possibilities the
PCs could improve relations with several
organizations and individuals depending on
how the different encounters resolved. The
DM should note the PCs standing with the
various entities for future reference.
Treasure
Treasure (both wealth and magical) is
deliberately not mentioned during the
adventure. The amount of treasure is a
defining trait for a DMs campaign (High
wealth/Low wealth; High magic/Low
magic). If the DM wants a campaign of
gritty realism where the PCs are
struggling in a dark world, she should
keep wealth low. If she wants a
campaign with PCs tossing gems around
and building monuments, she should add
generous treasure.
Players like magic items, but it is very
easy to blow up a campaign by
providing too many magic items.
PCs with a lot of treasure are going to
have more resources and it will require
more difficult encounters to challenge
them. This can lead to an escalation.
That being said, the PCs faced some
difficult encounters and rewards
appropriately aligned to the DMs
campaign should be given. The DMG
Chapter 7 has the guidelines for
determining treasure. Alternately, this
site does an excellent job of quickly
generating treasure.

Magic Items in Dimgaard

One of the defining characteristics of the
Dimgaard campaign is how magic items
are treated. While relatively mundane
magic items like common and uncommon
potions, +1 weapons, low level spell
scrolls, and pearl of power are crafted
according to the DMGs guidelines, every
magic item of greater significance
requires the sacrifice of a sentient
creature with a relevant trait to complete
the crafting. A creature sacrificed in this
way has its life force transferred into the
item, and it cannot be returned to life as
long as the magic item exists. Further,
when the life force imbues the magic
item, the item is magically infused with
the story of the creatures life. The item
will take on the name of the sacrificed
creature, and a synopsis of the creatures
life will either be magically inscribed, or
will be emitted as a soft whisper when
held near the ear. This explains why
dragonborn and other exotic creatures
are rare in Dimgaard.
Crafting is sometimes used as a
method of execution for the most vile of
criminals, but almost always after an
agreement between a civil authority and
the One True Faith that the criminal
warrants such a drastic fate. There are
some crafters who operate outside the
authority structure who would be willing to
complete crafting without the expected
sanctioning.
The process for getting authorization
regarding a captured creature and finding
the necessary crafter is left to DM
discretion. This can be a matter of simple
dice rolling, a roleplaying opportunity, or a
side adventure.

Copyright 2015 Dan Hass Endeavors

11
DG27 Shaky Alliances
By Dan Hass

Appendix 1: DM Maps
Forest Path

1. Foliage: Through 15 feet is lightly obscured terrain (beyond that is highly obscured),
and difficult terrain.
2. Tree terrain: Same as foliage, but also any creature in tree terrain has half cover.

Copyright 2015 Dan Hass Endeavors