A Thief in the Night: Part Four

Land of Vampires: Adventure Four

The Land of Vampires series continues with “A Thief in the Night,” a four-part level 5 adventure for one GM and one player! In what follows, we’ll cover part four of this duet adventure where the party explores the Green Vale and meets many of the fae who call the area home. Some will become allies, and some…will not.

In part four, the party searches Diannan’s Dale and speaks with the dryad overseeing the region. Finally, they discover what happened to the Heart of the Field…

We’ll be releasing this campaign in serial this summer and fall in part thanks to the incredible support of our patrons—thank you all! If you’re enjoying this campaign and would like to support us, we’d love for you to join us on Patreon!

You can find the first part of this adventure here!

Or, click here if you’re looking for the first adventure in the campaign!

Part Four: Diannan’s Dale

After talking to Bitterbranch, the party may want to investigate Diannan’s Dale and Inamoira, the dryad overseeing that region. Run an a new encounter from the Green Vale Encounter Table for their trip there.

Diannan’s Dale is a beautiful place teeming with green witches, druids, and other naturally inclined fae and friends. Many satyrs, nymphs, and gnomes call this wondrous location home. Featured prominently in this wooded settlement is a massive willow oak inhabited by Inamoira. 

Interview with Inamoira

Inamoira is eager to meet with the party, saying, “Outsiders bring possibility . . . a perspective. Welcome. Hear my story and my plea. Perhaps we can help each other.” The dryad tells new pieces of the history of Steymhorod to the party, especially as it relates to the Four Sisters. In closing, she implores the party to help her restore the Sisters’ Fanes.

Inamoira doesn’t immediately own up to involvement with the theft of the Heart of the Field but won’t lie either. If the party becomes agitated or hostile, she explains that she wasn’t about to risk having an item tied to the Sisters left in possession of unknown adventurers. But now, things have changed.

She sent her agent, Flibble, to acquire the item. Inamoira isn’t certain what transpired after that, but Flibble and the item are both missing! She has received some news, however, that points to their location: the Blood-Red Rowan

The Blood-Red Rowan

Inamoira details the location and history of the Blood-Red Rowan. If the party gives the rowan a small sacrifice of their blood alongside an appropriate offering, the tree reveals the answer to a perplexing question. Inamoira is bound to her tree in Diannan’s Dale but sends a cat to guide the party. 

Note: At the GM’s discretion, the party have a new encounter from the Green Vale Random Encounters table. Add in the objective of protecting the cat. 

Travelling to the southernmost reaches of the Green Vale, the party notes the towering wall of mist looming over the treeline. 

At the edge of the impenetrable mist stands a twisted, beautiful rowan tree with scarlet leaves. Its bright red berries create the illusion of blood drops dangling from the branches. 

Once every moon cycle, a PC may offer their blood to the rowan tree. The amount of blood sacrificed and the personal value of the item offered affect the detail and clarity of the vision the tree relays. The PC’s max hp is reduced by the damage taken until they complete a long rest. [This would be a great time for Lord Drogo to make a dramatic appearance if you’d like!] As they make their sacrifice, the vulpine explains, they should concentrate on the land of Steymhorod and a specific query. The rowan answers with a series of images and impressions, becoming easier to understand the larger the sacrifice. For example, a blood sacrifice worth 1 hp might indicate a general direction while a sacrifice worth 5 hp might grant a specific glimpse of the object of their search.   

[GM’s note: To be clear, we do not wish to promote or trivialize self-harm. If you don’t want to include a blood sacrifice as part of your campaign, the party might offer wine, a fine cup of tea, or a wreath they made from fallen leaves, as a few examples.]

The party learns from the Blood-Red Rowan that Flibble is in grave danger and running for his life. He is in the Green Vale and has the Heart. Something fast and relentless is pursuing him. To the left of him is a wall of mist. His boots squelch in the soft, wet earth. 

The party needs to swiftly determine which way to go. Fibble is running toward the river along the southwestern edge of the Green Vale. The party may save him if they select this direction and move swiftly. Otherwise Velaviryn catches up with the luckless gnome and dispatches him.

The Party Saves Flibble

Rapid footsteps sound through the trees ahead followed by a thump and a howl of pain. A frantic, high-pitched voice shrieks, “Please Velaviryn, I got turned around, I was trying to come find you!” Through a gap in the foliage, the Grand Marshal looms menacingly over a supine gnome begging for his life at the tip of her lance.

Players approaching stealthily may hear an exchange between the two. Velaviryn accuses Flibble of failing to uphold their deal. He must therefore pay the price for his treachery against the Vale. She snatches the Heart away from the gnome, and green light flashes in her eyes. Velaviryn “bad guy monologues” freely, during which it is possible for the party to get a surprise round.

Velaviryn uses the gladiator stat block.

The Party Fails to Save Flibble

In a copse ahead, a still, small mound rests atop the grass. The wind catches strands of a white beard, pulling them from the corpse. Flibble’s lifeless body lies at your feet.

A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Medicine) check reveals that Flibble died very recently.  Velaviryn is presently hiding in the treetops observing the party. She attempts to execute a sneak attack on them but may be detected by a player succeeding on a Wisdom (Perception) check rolled against her Dexterity (Stealth). She rolls this check with advantage. The Grand Marshal has sunken black eyes that emit ominous green light. As she attacks the party, Velaviryn blames the party for introducing this corrupt item into the Green Vale and for leaving her no choice but to murder this gnome for the Vale’s protection. 

Velaviryn uses the gladiator stat block.

Conclusion

The party finds the Heart of the Field in Velaviryn’s possession. When the item is separated from her body, Velaviryn’s expression relaxes from twisted in anger to one of peace. The Heart awakened the darkness that was already festering inside of her.

While distressed, Trista solemnly takes on the mantle of Grand Marshal in Velaviryn’s place with a promise to usher in a new era of openness and understanding for the Green Vale. 

This is the final segment of “A Thief in the Night” and, for the time being, the last of our planned serialized adventures! We may decided to add more serial adventures to the blog in the future—we’ve really appreciated the kind words and encouragement, and we’re delighted that you all are enjoying the campaign!

If you’d like to keep the adventure going, you can purchase the bundle of the first five adventures in this campaign in the DnD Duet shop. If you would prefer to only purchase adventure five, for example, or another individual adventure, please get in touch with us, and, depending on demand, we’ll see about making that happen. Thanks so much!

Land of Vampires is a serial adventure created under the OGL with 5e SRD resources. The support of our patrons makes this campaign possible. If you’d like to receive a new adventure PDF each month and support our creation of a full duet campaign, join us on Patreon! Alternatively, you can now purchase the first five adventures in this campaign in the DnD Duet shop! (Patrons receive the compiled adventures as part of their patron rewards.)

If you like what you’re reading, please consider supporting the blog by purchasing our adventures and supplements in our shop or sponsoring us on Patreon. We appreciate you so much! Thank you for joining us on this adventure! – Beth and Jonathan