CREDITS

Designer: Baden White Editor: Joe Nehmer Template: Simple Microsoft Word Template by Laura Hirsbrunner Special Thanks: Rodrigo Lopez of the Critical Hit podcast, Zoë AWAY Rose of the Pretend Wizards podcast, Ashley Warren of the RPG Writer Workshop, all my players over the years and to my daughter Arabella for believing in as much as I do WITH THE Playtesters: Ryan Neville, Adam Powell, Mark Powell, Ollie Wells, Jordan Hooper, Joms Goldthorpe

Art Credits: FAERIES Cover Art: Baden White featuring some elements from OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images and Jazella from Pixabay Fungus, Leaves, Horn and Sword: OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay Dancers: heblo from Pixabay Veroleth Silhouette: edited from an image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay and includes feathers from Gordon Johnson from Pixabay Veroleth images: Baden White featuring feathers from Gordon Johnson from Pixabay Rose Dragon: Baden White featuring vines and leaves from Jazella from Pixabay All other images: Baden White

Cartography: Town Map, Forest Dungeon Map and Ballroom Map created using https://dungeonscrawl.com/ from @probabletrain with assets from Daniel F. Walthall/Axebane games and under creative commons license Forest Clearing Map by Marco Bernardini, MA4PS

For more information on Creative Commons see: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Disclaimer: By agreeing to read this document you are entering into a contract with a fey lord and as such are contractually bound to run the adventure for your players withinSample the next two hundred years. Those that do not comply within this time (or their descendants) will be swiftly whisked away and filenever heard from again…. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by DANIEL BADEN WHITE POWELL (under the pen name Baden White) and is published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Credits ...... 2 Table of Contents...... 3 Introduction ...... 4 Content Notices ...... 4 Background ...... 4 Adventure Summary ...... 4 Adventure Hooks ...... 4 Chapter One: Arrival in Stonebridge ...... 5 Get the Party Started ...... 5 The Bridge Guardian ...... 5 Exploring the Town ...... 6 Chapter Two: Lost in the Woods ...... 9 Following the Trail ...... 9 Getting Lost ...... 9 Mushroom Ring ...... 10 A Whole New World ...... 10 Magic in the Feywild ...... 10 Time in the Feywild ...... 11 A Rabbit in Need ...... 11 Chapter Three: Journey to the Kingdom ...... 14 Getting to Know You ...... 14 Across the Feywild ...... 14 Alternative Travel Option ...... 16 Entering the Pixie Kingdom ...... 16 Audience with the Pixie King ...... 17 Chapter Four: The Maddening Maze...... 20 Back Into the Wilderness ...... 20 Arrival at the Maze ...... 20 Into the Unknown ...... 20 Dungeon Locations ...... 22 Chapter Five: The Ballroom of the Archfey ...... 25 Let’s Have a Ball ...... 25 Down to Business ...... 26 Test of Wits ...... 27 Test of Mettle ...... 28 A Deal’s a Deal ...... 29 Concluding the Adventure ...... 30 Farewell to Veroleth ...... 30 The Promise of the Pixie King ...... 30 Return to Stonebridge ...... 30 Continuing the Adventure ...... 30 Appendix A: Magic Items ...... 31 Appendix B: Monsters and NPCs ...... 32 Appendix C: Maps and Handouts ...... 36

Sample file

3 from their service so long as the heroes can drive out the INTRODUCTION mischievous archfey from his kingdom. The heroes travel to the villain’s lair and are Away with the Faeries is a 6 to 10 hour adventure that is confronted by a forest maze where the rules of the best played over 2 or 3 sessions. It is optimized for 4 or 5 mortal realm do not apply. After navigating its dangers, characters of 2nd level, though the combat encounters they emerge in the bizarre ballroom of Veroleth the can be easily adjusted for 1st or 3rd level characters. Vexing and discover the treachery of their rabbit companion. The adventure ends with a choice presented It is setting neutral and the village of Stonebridge can by Veroleth, who is willing to leave the Pixie King’s easily be replaced with any town in your own setting or realm if they can win a simple contest of wits or of from official campaign settings such as the Forgotten brawn. However, the word of a fey cannot be taken at Realms. face value.

CONTENT NOTICES ADVENTURE HOOKS This adventure includes themes including animal theft, mild horror and instances of the loss of free will due to The party will have been alerted to the troubles in enchantment magic. Stonebridge when they see a poster in a city tavern that reads: BACKGROUND

Many centuries ago, the people of Stonebridge lived in peace with the fair folk who dwelled in the nearby forest; a place known for its thin veil between the Material Plane and the magical Plane of Faerie known as the Your players may want to come up with their own Feywild. This union led to a deal with the forest’s Pixie reasons for adventuring and for taking on the quest at King; a promise that the residents would come to his aid hand. But, should you like to offer some suggestions to if ever his realm was in peril. But that promise was long them as the game begins, feel free to use any of the ago and none now remember it as anything more than a following hooks. fairytale. So, when the animals of the village and its surrounding woodland begin to disappear, including the wildlife, SEEKING FAME livestock and even pets, no one would guess it’s because Everyone has to start somewhere and solving the they’re away with the faeries. But they are. problems of these smaller settlements can lead to great The Pixie King has conscripted the animals to defend word of mouth for you and your group, leading to more his territory from a mischievous member of the unseelie prosperous jobs in the future. Perhaps one day the bards court who has taken residence in his domain. Having will sing the tale of how this great adventurer started been sprinkled with special pixie dust, the animals have their career in the lowly backwater town. been given ‘awakened’ intelligence and are compelled to serve until the threat is dealt with. The King is STONEBRIDGE NATIVE intentionally twisting the nature of the agreement to You grew up in or near the town of Stonebridge and so delay what he may yet need to do; conscript the villagers when you heard the village was in need of aid you themselves. dropped everything to come and help. The villagers will The unwelcome stranger is an archfey by the name of provide you and your companions with free lodging and Veroleth the Vexing. Newly ascended to the dark court, you would be knowledgeable of the local area. the fickle fey is seeking to satisfy their curiosity of the mortal realm, and where better to begin then by establishing their residence close to where the veil is STOLEN SIBLING thinnest. A sibling or good friend went missing from their home when you were younger and you’ve always suspected it to be the work of faeries. The circumstances of ADVENTURE SUMMARY Stonebridge sound similar and so you have decided to investigate and maybe shake this feeling of not-knowing

that you have had ever since. In this adventure, the heroes begin by travelling to the town of Stonebridge, having answered a call for aid in finding the village’s missing “residents”. After arriving in the town, they soon discover that it is in fact the village’s pets, livestock and wildlife that have disappeared.Sample The characters’ investigation of the town file leads them to the nearby forest where they soon become lost and are transported to the Feywild. While wandering the technicolor realm of beauty and danger they come across a talking rabbit in need of saving from Veroleth’s minions. Following the rabbit’s advice, they journey to the court of the Pixie King, who must be carefully negotiated with to avoid suffering his curses. If successful, he agrees to release the animals

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CHAPTER ONE: ARRIVAL IN STONEBRIDGE

In this chapter the players introduce their characters as they travel to the town of Stonebridge. Upon arrival they must deal with the bridge’s “guardian” to gain access to the town. There they can gather supplies, speak with the townmaster and learn just what it is that has the THE BRIDGE GUARDIAN troubled town calling for aid. This chapter focuses on exploration and roleplay. When the introductions are over, read or paraphrase the

following text: GET THE PARTY STARTED

The adventure begins with the party arriving at the village after several days of travel.

This “guardian” is in fact Toby Hoss (human commoner). The eight-year-old is feeling down about his missing friend Digby and has decided to have a bit of fun to take his mind off of it. He will explain as much if pressed. Digby is his pet cat, though he doesn’t go out of his way to clarify this and may further lead the party to As the party continues toward the settlement, ask the believe they are here to help find missing people. players in turn to describe their characters. They don’t Upon hearing that the party is responding to the call need to mention things like class and abilities, instead for aid, the boy will run off to alert the townmaster. focus on having each player describe the following: If the characters do indeed pay the boy, he will be very

accommodating and help the characters any way he can, • Character name including bringing them to the townmaster and • Physical appearance explaining what’s been going on (in his own child-like • Any notable weapons or equipment understanding of it). Again, he won’t be obvious that • Something their party would know about them he’s talking about animals. “They’ve had one gone from • A goal or desire the character has there, that house lost two…” and so on.

If the characters are unkind or intimidating, the lad The players may have already decided that their runs off to gather the town’s adults. characters know each other, but if not, feel free to establish a little history to cement them as a group.

Ask each player in turn to contribute towards the story of their travel to the town using these questions (or invent your own):

• WhatSample obstacle did you face on the way? file • What went wrong as you tried to overcome it? • How did you help to fix the issue? • How did you make it worse? • What great treasure did you find? • How did you lose it?

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EXPLORING THE TOWN have been misleading; it’s not people that have gone missing but rather the animal ‘residents’ of the town. Inside the town, the group finds nothing out of the Unsure that anyone would take such a thing seriously ordinary at first glance. The smith’s hammer can be (and genuinely worried that it could be the start of heard clanging, a small market sells brightly-colored something more sinister), she did what she thought was fruits and vegetables and the smell of fresh bread right and apologizes for her deception. emanates from the bakery. She can however assure the party that the reward is However, the characters do get a sense that something real. She is willing to pay each of them 50 gold pieces for is slightly amiss. Any character that succeeds a DC 15 the safe return of the animals, or at the very least proof Wisdom (Perception) check realizes that the town is that it won’t happen again. She is unlikely to increase devoid of animals. No dogs barking, no chickens this reward without good reason and even less likely to clucking, no sheep in the fields and even no birdsong in give strangers anything up front. That said, if a character the trees. It’s a minor detail but once noticed becomes makes a compelling case and succeeds a DC 17 Charisma painfully obvious. (Persuasion) check, she will offer each character an The characters can explore the town as they see fit, additional 20 gold pieces in advance. buying any mundane supplies they need. But before too She recommends the adventurers start by asking long they should be approached by the townmaster. around town and will offer the following information if questioned herself. TOWNMASTER LUES If the characters interacted with Toby then there’s a C good chance that he will have alerted the townmaster • The animals of the town started disappearing and she will already be on her way to greet the party. If around three weeks ago, but some believe the not, then the party will find her in the townmaster’s hall wildlife had been disappearing before that. by the market square. • The livestock being taken from the Roughburrow Greta Thornshield (female guard) has served as farm is bad enough, but the taking of the town’s the townmaster and sheriff for many years, though the pets is heartbreaking. extent of her law enforcement has been settling Sample• It could be monsters of somefile kind from the nearby boundary disputes with local farmers. With no town forests, the townsfolk and hunters of Stonebridge guard to speak of, Stonebridge is ill-equipped to deal have always known not to venture too far into them with the current events. and there have been warning posts placed in them Greta will greet each of the characters with a firm since the founding of the town. handshake and thank them for responding to their • Old Orville has been scaring people with his mad plight. If the characters haven’t already figured it out, theories. He’s been barking on about such things for she’ll confess that her wording on the poster may decades but now he has real occurrences to use in

his ramblings.

6 CLUES

• If a character examines the tavern’s door, a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows them to discover a tiny broken sword inside the lock’s mechanism. A character proficient in thieves’ tools can find this without making a check. • If the dog’s bed is examined, traces of a silvery dust can be spotted with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. BLACKSMITH • The dog’s tracks are still fresh in the muddy field behind the tavern and can be tracked with a This small stone smithy is run by Daris Wrendall (male successful DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check. They half-elf commoner) who serves the village as lead north across the field toward the forest. blacksmith, ironmonger and farrier. He has only recently turned from apprentice to owner after the death of his If the characters stay overnight before exploring the father last winter and secretly doesn’t enjoy the job. forest, they might discuss what they think is going on. If He doesn’t stock much in the way of armor or weapons they do, at some point in the conversation Old Orville but he does have a suit of chainmail he made as a project (male gnome scout) will drunkenly interrupt, claiming it and will sell it for the standard price of 75 gold pieces. to be the work of the “Gods damned fey!”. If the The workshop also has a dark metal longsword characters haven’t already met Old Orville, refer to the hanging on the wall. If it is enquired about, Daris will section below. explain that his father made the Cold Iron Sword on a commission for Old Orville years ago, but the gnome never managed to pay it off. The blacksmith won’t sell ROUGHBURROW FARM the sword, but he will loan it to the adventurers if given a good enough reason. This fairly large farm at the edge of the village consists If the characters enquire about making cold iron Fey of a main house, a stable, a chicken coop, a pig pen and a Crosses (having learned of them from Old Orville), then barn. It also includes several fields that stretch Daris can make enough for the party. Each will cost 1 westward. The couple that live here, Jonah and Harriett Roughburrow (both halfling commoners), can be found gold piece and he can have them ready by the next day. out the back ploughing a field with their draft horse Both the sword and the crosses are described in appendix A. when the characters arrive. If asked, the couple will explain that they have suffered CLUES greatly with the current phenomena, including the loss of all of their chickens, three pigs and an entire flock of • Daris thought he heard a voice he didn’t recognize sheep that never came back from grazing two weeks ago. late one night. When he looked outside, all he could Now, the horse is the only thing the farm has left. It has see was a chicken wandering about. been secured in the stables each night. The couple are • His father always believed Old Orville’s stories of happy to let the adventurers look around. being whisked away to some magical faerie land in Before they leave, Jonah will joke that if they can bring his youth. back his pigs, they’ll be first in line for a bacon sandwich.

CLUES THE DOG & CROSSBOW TAVERN • The stable appears to be untampered with. The only This large two-story tavern contains half a dozen small thing of note is a horseshoe hung above the stable wooden tables, a dart board and an exquisitely carved door (the horse has been kept safe due to the bar that runs the length of the building. Mounted on the horseshoe being made of cold iron, preventing the wall behind it is a loaded heavy crossbow. faerie from getting close). The tavern is owned and run by Fran (female half-orc • The pig pen fence seems to have been pushed over veteran) and her wife Veska (female human commoner). from the inside; implying that the pigs themselves The pair can be found sat at one of the tables sharing a were responsible for their escape. The muddy tracks somber drink and lamenting the disappearance of their are not very clear but a successful DC 13 Wisdom dog Horatio. If questioned, the couple will confirm the (Survival) check can tell that they were heading in a disappearance of their beloved pet the night before. towards the road north out of town. They will explain that Horatio had always been able to • There’s no sign of where the chickens went but an come and go as he pleased but they decided to keep him inspection of the coop and a successful DC 11 locked in when the troubles began. Despite this, they Intelligence (investigation) check reveals a small woke to discover the dog was missing and found the door amount of blood inside (the result of an injury unlocked (despite Fran still having the key on her). sustained by a sprite that the party will meet later). The party can rent the two rooms in the tavern for 1 • The sheep’s field has been empty for a while but a gold Samplepiece per room per night and includes an evening file few tufts of wool are dotted around the northern meal. This fee will be waived if the party convinces the fence. couple that they will bring the dog back with a successful DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check, or if one of the adventuring party is from the town.

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