Kira Coldspring: The Hunt for Jorsh

Exterior Description

Deep in the twisted woodland northeast of Belladonna, shrouded in near-perpetual mist and dead silence, the Blackpines Thicket is a cursed wood. The outpost is a moss-covered stone structure, built into a hillside and nearly invisible from above. Its watchtower has long since collapsed, and thorny blackpine roots overgrow the entire roof. Arcana (DC 14) or Nature (DC 16) reveals: the place is tainted by a suppressed blood-curse. A scratched Ranger’s sigil on the stone door is overwritten with hardened black sap, spiraling like glass.

Interior Description

Main Hall / Barracks: Caved-in roof, shattered furniture, and bloody footprints under the dust. Investigation (DC 13) reveals a rusted dagger with Elira’s sigil. Arcana (DC 15) detects shadow magic not used by Rangers.
Command Room: A smashed war table with torn maps. A hidden compartment hides a coded report from Elira, warning: “Two men wear the same face. We are being set up.” DC 16 Investigation or Linguistics to decode.
Armory (Collapsed): A false wall conceals:
- 2x +1 Ranger Shortswords
- Elira’s Hunting Cloak (advantage on Stealth in forests, smells of smoke and elderberry)
Ritual Circle Room (Secret Basement): Found under a cracked training dummy. Ancient stone circle, corrupted for shadowmancy. Arcana (DC 17): evidence of summoning or binding during the ambush.

Stat Blocks

Veyna Greaves (Ghost, CR 2 Variant)
AC: 12 | HP: 45 | Speed: 0 ft. (hover)
Haunting Memory: One PC relives betrayal (WIS save DC 15 or Frightened for 1 min)
Possession: Only triggers if a PC lies or withholds info about Varis.
Rest Condition: Spirit laid to rest through truth, justice, or sacred rites.

Backstory

Elira Hawthorn led a squad into the Thicket, following a false report orchestrated by Minister Varis. It was a trap. Varis, newly aligned with the Shadow Court, tested soulburn rituals and shadow clones during the massacre. Elira witnessed Varis’s true form and fled, choosing to remain hidden. The Ministry used the event to discredit the Rangers and increase their control of Belladonna.

Side Quest

"Names in Ash"
Objective:

Recover three lost Ranger tags
Return them to the Guild for proper burial

Locations:

Skeleton in the collapsed training yard
Charred cloak near the ritual circle
Debris of the collapsed tower

Reward:

+1 Renown with the Guild
Elira reveals a coded map fragment tied to Belladonna’s secret chamber

Hidden Chamber / Puzzle / Treasure

Location: Ritual Chamber crawlspace
Puzzle: Vines part when the Ranger word "Staghorn" is spoken
Inside:

Old bedroll
Elira’s elderberry tonic (3d4 HP + 1 level exhaustion cure)
Crumpled journal page: “Varis... he is what slithers behind the mirrors.”

Monsters

Shadow-Touched Forest Revenants (CR 4)
AC: 14 | HP: 75 | Speed: 40 ft.
Immune: Fear, Charm
Abilities:

Shadow Arrow: +6 to hit, 2d8 necrotic
Grasp of Regret: WIS save DC 15 or become Frightened for 1 turn

These revenants appear if the ritual circle is disturbed or Veyna is deceived.

DUNGEON MASTERS ONLY