The Branches of Time

Part 1. The Harvest of War

Somewhere on the front lines of the Last War, the inventor of the sentient warforged, Aaren d’Cannith, wanders the battleﬁelds. Can a band of time travelers ﬁnd Aaren in the branches of time before he vanishes from history and recover a secret that can save the warforged of the distant future?

A 3 to 4-hour adventure for 1st level characters

by BUM LEE

Cover Image: Photo by veeterzy on Unsplash.com All Artwork and Maps: Wizards of the Coast DMs Guild Creator Resource Special Thanks: Alexandre, Annie, Regina, Joey, John, Jihyena, Jung Yong, SampleLouis, Eamonn, Jason, Joey, Liezel, Lindsay, Raphael, Suhwan file

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The Branches of Time is a time travel campaign set in the world of Eberron. The Harvest of War is the ﬁrst in a series of adventures that take place during the Last War. This adventure is designed for four to six characters of 1st level.

Adventure Background Thousands of years in the future, the continent of Khorvaire is covered by a great forest. It is home to the dragonmarked warforged of House Lorien, bearers of the Mark of Time and caretakers of a the D’Lorien Tree whose magical fruit can send the eater hurtling through time and space. Adventure Overview This adventure takes place across four chapters A group of adventurers in the present day receive and takes approximately three to four hours of visions from the future and a mission: journey play. There is also a bonus mission, which can through the branches of time to the years of the modify or lengthen the adventure. Last War and find AAREN D’CANNITH, the inventor of the sentient warforged, in order to Chapter 1: Call to Action acquire the original schema used to create the first The characters are asked to time travel to the Last living constructs. War and obtain the warforged schema from Aaren d’Cannith. Running a Campaign Chapter 2: All Quiet on the Karrnathi Front If you are running this adventure as part of The The characters arrive on the front lines between Branches of Time storyline, see Appendix: Time Karrnath and an invading nation, where Aaren is Travel for a list of optional rules that can be used in exile and serving as a volunteer medic. for a time travel campaign. Chapter 3: Over the Top Using this Adventure The characters must climb over the ridges or navigate the grisly trenches that surround them. To run this adventure, you will need the D&D fifth This chapter includes the Optional Objective: Stop edition Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s the Resonator. Guide, and Monster Manual, as well as Eberron: Rising from the Last War and Xanathar’s Guide to Chapter 4: Saving Private Aaren Everything. The stat blocks for creatures and The characters must rescue Aaren from a cadaver descriptions of items that appear in this adventure collector that is harvesting bodies for Karrnath’s reference the above sources and can be found in undead army. the Appendix. Bonus Mission: Back to the Past Further Reading The characters may travel further into the past to In addition to the above books, select D&D third meet Aaren before he went into exile. edition supplements are also referenced in this adventure,Sample including Dragonmarked, The Forge of This adventure is designed primarilyfile to be played in the War, and Magic of Eberron, for their insights into “theater of the mind.” However, the Appendix provides a Eberron’s lore and history. These supplements can sample map that can be used to represent part of the be found at DMsGuild.com. trenches in Chapter 3.

3 Chapter 1: Call to Action Adventure Hooks The characters are plucked from different points (15 mins) in history (either the years of the Last War or the post-war era) to serve as time travelers. Their In the present day, the characters receive visions objectives may include exploring the distant past, of the far future when the warforged have evolved recovering ancient knowledge and relics for study, into an advanced race of dragonmarked living and correcting alterations in the timeline caused constructs and druid artiﬁcers. The oldest among by rogue time travelers. them, the Warforged Ancients, have retained their original bodies built during the Last War. The If this adventure is part of an ongoing campaign, technology to restore their antiquated bodies has the characters might receive their mission from a been lost to the eons of time. FAMILIAR FACE, a past or future version of a retired player character or known NPC, or the descendant of that character. It might be a familiar face that is preserved in temporal stasis or as a brain in a jar.

Familiar Face Familiar faces are a way to reinforce the theme of time travel. Familiar faces in the past let players discover more about their favorite characters. Familiar faces in the future or their descendants show players that their actions have an impact on the timeline. If a familiar face in the past dies, something may have happened in the intervening years that restored them to life, or the person that the characters thought they knew might be an impostor.

The warforged of the future have called upon a Different Choices group of brave adventurers to journey to the years The players may decide not to seek out Aaren on of the Last War when the first warforged were the battlefield and look for him further in the past. invented. These time travelers have been asked to In this case, go to Bonus Mission: Back to the Past retrieve the original warforged schema made by and skip Chapter 2, or if time permits, continue Aaren d’Cannith, a brilliant artificer and the from Chapter 2 after completing the bonus creator of the sentient living constructs. A mission. character can learn more about Aaren d’Cannith or schemas by succeeding on an appropriate skill Group Patron check (see the tables on the following page). The characters are supported by a group patron Each character receives a fruit from the D’Lorien from the far future. By default, the dragonmarked Tree, a living eldritch machine that grants the warforged of House Lorien are the group patron in power to leap through time and space (see this adventure. Alternatively, the players can Appendix: Time Travel for more information choose a different group patron that has a closer about the D’Lorien Tree). Those who eat the fruit connection to their characters. If you are running are engulfed by a flash of light as they are this adventure as part of a campaign, the group transported to the past. Following reports of when patron can provide a number of additional Samplebenefits (see Appendix: Time fileTravel for more Aaren was last seen, they arrive in the year 970 YK on the front lines of the Last War. information).

4 Who Is Aaren d’Cannith? What Is a Schema? A character can make an Intelligence (History) A character can make an Intelligence (Arcana) check to learn more about Aaren d’Cannith. The check to learn more about schemas. The information gained is cumulative. information gained is cumulative.

1d20 Information 1d20 Information

Aaren was a brilliant artificer who A schema is magic in recorded form, used to discovered the schema that perfected the pass down magical knowledge or mass modern warforged in 965 YK. His father, produce magic items. Schemas are used to Merrix the Elder, was the original creator of store all manner of arcane spells, formulas, 10 or 10 or the warforged titans, immense hulking and blueprints. They are typically inscribed higher higher warmachines that preceded the sentient onto durable materials, such as stone slabs

constructs, and gave the warforged their and metallic rods or sheets (you can read

name. However, Aaren was foremost an more about schemas in the D&D third

inventor and never wished for his miracle of edition supplement Magic of Eberron.)

life to be used for war. The warforged schema was contained within Aaren petitioned the nations not to purchase the dragonmark of Aaren d’Cannith. How the the warforged for their armies, putting him schema came to manifest in the form of a at odds with his own father. He was dragonmark remains a mystery, even to eventually excoriated, or formally expelled, 15 or Aaren and the artificers of House Cannith. 15 or by his house in 970 YK. Merrix, feeling higher Aaren’s unique mark was studied and higher betrayed by his son, took the unusual step of eventually transferred into House Cannith’s ordering a true excoriation, an archaic creation forges. He was flayed partly to practice in which the dragonmark is flayed prevent the schema from falling into the from the skin (described in the D&D third hands of outsiders.

edition supplement Dragonmarked). Before he was excoriated, Aaren also Aaren survived his sentence and went into developed a process to copy the schema exile, leaving behind his infant son Merrix contained in his dragonmark to a sentient the Younger (who goes on to become the construct called an astral docent. Aaren lost 20 or 20 or baron of the House Cannith enclave in everything when he went into exile, but he higher higher Sharn). He spent the remainder of the war as managed to hide the astral docent from a volunteer medic, tending to the wounded House Cannith. He also kept a spellshard on the front lines where he was last reported containing his journal and research notes to have been seen. which he took with him into exile.

For more information about the Last War, see Appendix: A Brief History.

Fog of History. Further details about the location and date of Aaren’s last sighting have been lost over the millennia. The characters must journey to the past to learn more and locate Aaren. Sample file

5 Chapter 2: All Quiet on the Invading Army This army is a mix of nationalistic regulars, jaded Karrnathi Front (60 mins) mercenaries, and the remnants of a warforged battalion that took heavy losses during the recent The characters arrive at the invasion of Karrnath fighting. The regulars sing songs of national pride by one of the neighboring nations. They can and how their monarch is the rightful heir of the choose to arrive at one of two locations: the last king of Galifar. The mercenaries keep to mobile canteen behind the invading army’s lines, themselves while sharpening their weapons, but or the field kitchen behind the Karrnathi lines (in they also sneer at the regulars, seeing the war as appropriate uniforms provided by the party’s an argument between pampered royals. group patron). The invading army can be Cyre or another army that is more closely tied to one of A specially built warforged named PINTS serves as the player characters. Each army is serviced by a a mobile canteen and gives plates of hot food to large, specially built warforged unit that serves the soldiers gathered around a bonfire, along with hot food and beverages. a cup of wine for those about to go over the top. The officer in charge is a knight named LT. CLAYMORE, a stern but caring commander who has a prosthetic arm and carries an orb of shielding made of mabaran obsidian, which wards against necrotic damage. Alternatively, the officer may be a FAMILIAR FACE who served this nation or acted as a spy during the war. Orbs of shielding are described in Eberron: Rising From the Last War.

Fist Fight Tensions between the regulars and mercenaries boil over into a fist fight. The warforged are uncertain whose commands to follow when each side orders them to attack the other. The characters are caught in the middle of a brawl Geographic Location between six commoners (soldiers) and three The DM can choose any location in the western and bandits (mercenaries). southern regions of Karrnath. If a specific location is needed for this battle, the Third Siege of Korth was a Treasure battle that took place outside the Karrnathi capital of If the characters resolve the fist fight, the officer Korth where the Cyran army laid siege in 971 YK. More thanks them and gives the character that played information about this historic event can be found in the most active role in the intervention an orb of the D&D third edition supplement The Forge of War. shielding made of mabaran obsidian.

Playing the Pillars

Combat If the characters defeat the Exploration The characters can find a Social The characters can try to reason soldiers, they are taken to a nearby field quiet part of the encampment to hide with the soldiers or intimidate them. hospitalSample where they might hear rumors with a successful DC 10 Wisdom Characters withfile the Soldier background about a mysterious medic seen on the (Survival) or Dexterity (Stealth) check. A can make a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion battlefields (Aaren d’Cannith). If the fellow soldier in hiding might tell them or Intimidation) check to convince the characters are knocked unconscious, about the mysterious medic, hoping he combatants to stand down. Other they wake up somewhere on the will show up to tend to the wounded characters can make the check with battlefield in Chapter 3. after the fight. disadvantage.

6 Karrnathi Army Mysterious Medic The Karrnathi soldiers are sullen infantrymen The characters may hear an account from the digging trenches on the front lines. They are officer or soldiers, or find a letter from a soldier accompanied by a squad of Karrnathi undead that while searching the camp, describing a volunteer serve as scouts and perimeter guards. The living medic who wanders the battlefields and cares for soldiers are fed by a specially built warforged the wounded from both armies. The medic is a named GOULASH who serves hot soup produced skilled physician who uses magical tools to treat by their large barrel-like body, as well as beer to wounds. He has terrible scars that looked like his the soldiers preparing to go over the top. The skin had been flayed. The mysterious medic was soldiers complain about the food and wonder last seen entering the battlefield beyond Broken about the source of the meat in the soup. Hilt Ridge (Chapter 3).

The officer in charge of the regiment is a weary Mabaran Resonator battle-scarred knight named SIR GEROLDT from the renowned Rekkenmark Academy. A mabaran resonator was placed on top of Broken Alternatively, the officer can be a FAMILIAR FACE Hilt Ridge as part of a Karrnathi military who fought for Karrnath or served as a spy during experiment. However, it began to malfunction and the war. The officer carries an orb of shielding was soon abandoned. Rather than animating loyal made of kythrian skarn, which wards against acid undead soldiers, the malfunctioning resonator and poison damage, to personally test the food fed creates mindless undead that attack both Karrns to the soldiers and prevent unwanted food and invaders. The mabaran resonator appears in poisoning. Eberron: Rising From the Last War.

Food Riot Optional Objective: Stop the Resonator The conscripted soldiers are malnourished and The characters may set out to deactivate or complain at length about the quality of the food. destroy the mabaran resonator. If they announce Some of them may lash out at characters that this intention, a group of 2d6 commoners who are have a Comfortable or higher lifestyle, or if they soldiers in the army may volunteer to join them. are seen being served by the warforged. A group of The Karrns want to deactivate the resonator soldiers, using the stats of six commoners, gang up because it is wreaking havoc on morale. The and attack the characters. See the Playing the invaders want to destroy the resonator to clear the Pillars sidebar on the previous page. hill for the next assault.

Treasure These soldiers are armed with spears and help the characters to the best of their ability. Once per If the characters resolve the food riot, the officer round, the soldiers can act as a group to help a thanks them and gives the character that played random character by granting advantage on an the most active role in the intervention an orb of attack roll or ability check. If more than half of shielding made of kythrian skarn. the soldiers are killed, the remaining soldiers flee back to their camp. Development After the characters resolve or avoid the physical altercation, they have a chance to find the following clues that can lead them to Aaren, by speaking to the officer or soldiers, or by searching theSample camp. file