WARNING

If you are a player and value some surprise in your adventures, stop reading now. These are the notes for the DM to fill them in on the overarching plots and events that the future holds for the adventurers.

DM Notes

The North Woods was primarily a campaign where I tried to explore the sequence of events stemming from a new power rising and how it would displace and rearrange existing power structures. The other goal was to play the humanoid races that the players face as their reported levels of intelligence and ability. At the time there was a trend of meat-grinder adventures where players could just unsheathe their swords and ignorantly walk forward as two dimensional monsters would pop-up, get stabbed, and render experience points all with no particular coherence or guidance.

Major Plot Points

Early on in my design process I decided a few things would be going on ‘behind-the-scenes’ and used those to help fill in details about what should play out in response to party actions. I did not really have a ton of details or notes, just a handful of index cards with a few prompting details and factoids on them.

1. A party of adventurers recently reopened an ancient crypt, accidentally releasing the lich that was bound within. The lich, Gartson, promptly slew the party and has begun to reclaim the lands that once fell under his dominion.
2. The seismic shift in humanoids that inhabited the mountains near Gartson’s crypt has begun to be noticed amongst the nearby regions as displaced tribes of humanoids seek other environments and thus come into increased conflict with the distant mines and lumber operations of the North Woods region.
3. A prophecy involving Gartson’s return has begun to unfold and forces for good are becoming more engaged to counteract Gartson’s actions. I was not certain if the players could reasonably take down a lich, even a recovering one. This lead me to need a safety release in case the party could not or did not pursue Gartson fully.

By using these points I was usually able to come up with a next event. I discarded the concept of using a timeline since our play pattern was not particularly well scheduled and I did not have any way to gauge how quickly an ancient undead wizard would marshal his forces.

Prior to Play

Prior to the start of play several events have set in motion the events and initial encounters that the players will experience. First, the Yellow Fang tribe of Kobolds has been displaced from their normal abode in the mountains and has begun digging and reinforcing an old burial mound deep in the forest. The tribe is weakened, disoriented, and angry about being chased out of their previous home. Second, the outlying farmers have noticed some theft and sheep rustling, but have been attributing it to merchant guards and other shifty folks from town. Third, a few agents are starting to notice that some merchant caravans have not arrived on time. While it is not unheard of for merchants to not make the trip, it is not a frequent occurrence. In truth, one merchant did not make the trip for normal reasons, but two of them have run afoul of the Yellow Fang and their woodland traps. These events are the background for Borl and the townsfolk becoming sure that something is going on in the forest and seeking adventurers to determine the nature of the threat and deal with it in some fashion. Since none of the townsfolk really know what is going on, they are not aware of the existence of the tribe.