Adventure for a level 1 party

Adventure Summary: Josef Shank hires the players to deliver a package to a dryad named Mistletoe. It’s her birthday. The package contains a dryad’s bow that was made from Mistletoe. Along the way, a thief named Derrik Drumm wants the bow for himself and has hired some goblin thugs to take it.

As you walk down the busy street you hear a voice call out to you. “Oy! You lot lookin for some work?” You turn and see a very tall, lanky tiefling wearing a T-shirt that reads ‘Heavy Metal.’ He waves you over. As you approach he says, “I got a little job if you’re interested in some coin and helping a bloke out. I’ve got this package, see.” He pulls out a large wrapped box and holds it toward you. “I need it delivered to a lady today. It’s her birthday and I promised I’d send her something special. Only problem is that I can’t leave the shop,” he thumbs back to the store behind him. You crane your head and see a sign you’ve never seen before that reads, ‘Oddrick’s Oddities.’ “My boss is out talking to a bloke about a cursed duck and I’m stuck manning the shop. So what do you say? Interested?”

The party can agree to the job for 5 gold coins. If so, continue with this adventure. If not, find another hook that they would prefer. The package contains a Dryad’s Bow. Josef will ask the players not to open it and give them a street address to the recipient, a lady who goes by the name of Mistletoe. If the players agree to the job, he will pay them when they return. As the players walk away from the shop, Josef calls after them. “Oh and if you meet a gormless git named Derrik Drumm, you tell him to go eat Owlbear droppings.”

Mistletoe lives at #47 Ivylake Lane. The street appears like any other. As the players walk down it they will encounter a very ugly man in ragged clothing and wearing a foppish hat. He speaks with an odd lisp and introduces himself as Derrik Drumm. He will offer to pay the players 10 gold coins if they give him the package. Derrik is a hobgoblin (see Monster Manual) using a hat of disguise. It makes him look human but it doesn’t change his low charisma. He will insist that the object in the package is his property and that Josef cheated him out of it over a game of cards. He will not say what is in the package. If the players opt to accept, Derrik pays them 10 gold and the adventure is over. If rebuffed, Derrik will tell the players that they will regret their decision and shuffle away.

The Door

Outside of #47 Ivylake Lane is a large oak door to a brick of a building with no windows. The knocker on the door is an ugly gargoyle head but the knocker ring is lying on the ground as if it fell off. If the players try to put it back, the gargoyle closes its mouth and refuses. The gargoyle’s name is Rumblethump. He doesn’t want the knocker ring in his mouth because it tastes terrible. He likes spicy flavors so if the players lather the ring with something spicy, Rumblethump will gladly let them stick it in his mouth. If the players try to force the knocker ring, Rumblethump will activate a force trap. Anyone within 5 ft. of the door must make a Constitution save. On a success, the player takes 1d8 force damage. On a failure, the player takes 1d8 force damage and is pushed back 15 feet.  

The Forest

The door opens wide the moment a player successfully knocks on it with Rumblethump. 

The passage beyond is low lit with a wooden hallway and an earthen like rug which gradually becomes large trees and dirt as you walk into the house. You quickly find yourself in a clearing of a large forest. You hear a thump as an old woman with skin like cracked bark limps towards you. She is missing one leg and has to use a cane. She peers at you through cracked spectacles. “I am the Caretaker of these Woods,” she rasps. “Be you friend or foe?”

The Caretaker is an old dryad. If attacked or if the players declare themselves as foes, she will summon two treants to come and defend her. She knows Mistletoe whom she says lives near the river over the hills to the north. She will happily guide the players if they tell her their quest for the wood is dangerous. If the players decline her offer as a guide, she will tell them to follow the mushroom path.

The Mushroom Path

The path through the woods is marked by small mushrooms that sit like tiny stones in a line. After a few hours of travel, you come across two much larger mushrooms in the middle of the road that are in a heated argument over which one of them is the tallest. There is a purple mushroom with a large cap and a red mushroom with a large stem. Both stand about the same height. As you draw closer, they turn towards you. “Look,” says the red “Travelers. Perhaps they can help us. Please tell my brother that I am the tallest.” “No!” shouts the purple, “I am clearly the taller one.”

If the Caretaker is with the group, she will say, “Ugh. It’s the Shroom Brothers. They are always bickering over the dumbest things. Just pick one and let’s move on.”

Purple – If the party picks the purple mushroom, it will say: “You are clearly wise beyond your years.” It will stick its tongue at the red and emit a puff of purple spores. Everyone in the party gains the effect of Owl’s Wisdom as if the spell Enhance Ability were cast on them. The effect lasts 24 hours.

Red – If the party picks the red mushroom, it will say: “Ha! I told you I was the tallest and these fine folk agree with me.” It will look smugly at the  purple and emit a puff of red spores. Everyone in the party gains the effect of Bear’s Endurance as if the spell Enhance Ability were cast on them. The effect lasts 24 hours.

Anything Else – If the party says that the two mushrooms are the same size or gives any other answer or just ignores them to walk past then the mushroom brothers continue their argument and they both emit puffs of red and purple spores. The mixture causes the party to sneeze and then shrink. Everyone in the party is shrunk one size as if the spell Reduce has been cast on them. The Caretaker will not be affected by the spores. The effect lasts 24 hours.

The Flower Field

Leaving the mushroom brothers behind, you continue along the path until you exit the forest. Grassy hills with crowns of pretty white flowers stretch out before you. The sun shines brightly and the breeze is cool. After a period of walking you hear someone humming a song. A young and homely girl is picking flowers nearby. She sees you, picks up her basket of flowers, and skips over to you. “Hello,” says the girl. “My name is Mistletoe. How are you?”

If the Caretaker is with the group she will point her finger at the child and say, “No you are not! You are that toerag Derrik Drumm. You’re not fooling anyone.” The young, ugly girl will shake her head and say, “Oh Grandma. That’s not a nice thing to say. Don’t mind her. She’s old and gets confused easily.”

The young girl is actually Derrik Drumm using his hat of disguise. He will try to trick the players into giving him the package. If the group gives him the package, the quest is over and they will be thrown out of the door and back onto Ivylake Lane while Derrik mocks them from the entrance. If the group denies Derrik the package. The girl’s voice will change back to that deep lisping tongue and he will offer to buy the package again. This time for 20 gold. If refused, he will run away shouting threats. If the party attacks Derrik then go ahead and skip to the ambush. His goblin friends will be hiding in the flowers.

The Unicorn and the Pool

Leaving the hills of flowers you come across an odd sight. A unicorn stands beside a pool crying big tears into the water. As you approach, the unicorn shouts, “Don’t look at me! Don’t look at me! I’m hideous!” She tries to hide her face from you but doesn’t move from the pool.

The unicorn (see Monster Manual) is trapped by the pool. Anyone who looks into the water, will see a hideous reflection of themself whispering words of discouragement. The pool is a trap. The victim must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC 14 or the victim remains rooted in place staring at the pool and listening to their deformed reflection tell them how everyone hates and fears them. In order to break the spell, you must either blind the victim or offer words of encouragement and positivity. Someone who wants to help a victim must make a Charisma (Persuasion) check DC 14. On a success, the victim may reroll their Wisdom saving throw. If freed, the unicorn, whose name is Rosebud, will give the players an inspiration point.

The Ambush

You can hear the rushing of water and know that you are nearing your goal but you must first cross through rough terrain peppered with large boulders. From behind a particularly large stone steps out a hob-goblin. It glares at you and you hear that deep lisping voice of Derrik Drumm. “I’m finished playing with you,” says Derrik. “Give me my property or me and my mates are going to fill you full of holes.” You hear the sound of bowstrings being pulled and a half dozen goblins with bows step out from behind the rocks. You are surrounded.

This is a battle with Derrik (use hobgoblin stats in Monster Manual) and his band of goblins (see Monster Manual). There are two goblins for every player. The goblins have thirty gold coins and Derrik has a Hat of Disguise. 

Mistletoe

You reach a river. The Caretaker steps forth and points to a dying maple tree along the river bank. “There she is,” says the Caretaker. “That’s Mistletoe. May I give her the gift now?”

The Caretaker carefully unwraps the gift and pulls out a beautiful longbow, which she gently places against the tree. The tree, the bow, and the Caretaker all begin to glow and the bow will slowly sink into the trunk of the tree. Before the player’s eyes, the Caretaker will transform into a beautiful middle-aged woman and her missing leg regrows. They will also notice that the maple tree now looks healthy and whole again. The Caretaker will introduce herself as Mistletoe the Dryad and thank the players for reuniting her tree with her lost limb. Derrik cut off a limb of her tree to make a Dryad’s Bow. She didn’t admit to being Mistletoe earlier because she knew that if she tried to take the limb back in her weakened state, the cruel hob-goblin would just steal it from her again so she needed an escort to get the bow back to her tree. 

Resolution

A number of fay creatures such as satyrs and fairies will show up and the group can celebrate Mistletoe’s birthday and renewal with a party. There will be music, food, and dancing. When the player’s are ready to leave, Mistletoe will wave her hand and a door back to Ivylake Lane will appear on the maple tree. Grant each player 1000 XP and Josef Shank will pay the group 5 gp upon their return.