Summary
Niko guides the party via a Candle Corpse proxy along an old Hesh path through the NorthFringe forest toward the Twisted Crown Peaks. The party encounters Lezmara's cat (a minion's pet now ownerless — its master is dead), Followers of Freespirit, a mention of Nyx (goddess of death), and a Doomguard waiting in a swamp (half stone, half in the planes). They meet Fren, a fey-blooded survivor whose warriors died fighting the Darakhul and whose companions were taken prisoner. Fren provides intel on the Darakhul: they need life to sustain themselves but are not all evil; their leader is an Elf Darakhul with an Onyx religious symbol. The party rescues the six Darakhul prisoners. Best attack time: at night when only 3-5 Darakhul remain in the caves.
Detailed Narrative
The darkness over the NorthFringe began 20-25 years ago — the 'screaming comet' (a ghost streaking through the night toward the mountains, arriving from the south). Niko communicates with the party through a Candle Corpse proxy: if the corpse is destroyed, his guidance is lost. He leads them along an old Hesh path through the forest; there is a shrine along the way where the party may rest. Lezmara's cat crosses the party's path — Niko recognises it as a minion's pet, and since it is now alone, its master must be dead. This means there will be more wandering undead. The party encounters Followers of Freespirit in the wilderness, and a Doomguard — a half-stone, half-planar entity — waits in a swampy area. Niko mentions Nyx (the god of death), whom he and Lezmara both draw power from. At the Darakhul cave approach the party meets Fren: a fey-blooded survivor whose group wandered north thinking the forest was a gift (given their fey blood). They were pursued by undead, giants, skeletons, and ghouls; their warriors fought to the death, the rest surrendered unexpectedly given the chance. Fren explains the Darakhul: they call themselves that, they need life to sustain themselves, and one among them appears to be an Elf Darakhul bearing an Onyx symbol who carries weight within the group. The prisoners (Florian Watergrove, Elliot Briarshore, Basil Graywind, Caraway Briarcreek, Barley, Jada) are alive and uninfected — 'none of them seem infected.' The best window to strike is at night when only 3-5 Darakhul remain in the caves, but beasts lurk in the swampy areas.
Details
GM Content
Campaign Notes
DM only — campaign-sensitive materialThe Darakhul are portrayed as morally complex — they need life to sustain themselves but are not uniformly evil. The Elf Darakhul with the Onyx symbol may be a future negotiation point or recurring faction NPC (relevant to the Legends of the North campaign). The Doomguard (half stone, half planar) is an unusual creature — its partial planar state may be a callback to Prison Plane instability from the Gate War. Nyx as a shared patron for both Niko and Lezmara is significant lore: same divine source, very different practitioners.