The Wolf and the Kobold

Expedition

In the bustling city of Vijouma, a young man known only as Wolf arrives seeking work. He accepts a job from Goken “Sprocket” Bronzespell, a kobold and assistant to Professor Bergan of Drolrose’s Institute of Sorcery.

Sprocket has been ordered to travel to the distant village of Kro Tiwaz to retrieve an urgently needed package. After some preparations, the two set out together. The journey is uneventful at first, and Wolf and Sprocket form an easy camaraderie.

Their peace is interrupted when they encounter a makeshift checkpoint erected by bandits extorting travelers. Though nearly overwhelmed, they manage to defeat the attackers with unexpected aid from Avi, a 12-year-old boy traveling with his imposing black mastiff.

That night, the trio shares a campfire. Avi reveals his goal: to reach Drolrose’s Institute and earn admission as a student. In the morning, they part ways—Sprocket and Wolf continuing toward Kro Tiwaz, and Avi toward his own destiny.

Following their encounter with young Avi, Wolf and Sprocket continued their journey toward Kro Tiwaz. Along the road, they came upon a landslide-stricken ravine, the aftermath of a skirmish. Among the debris, they discovered a wounded survivor pinned beneath a boulder. In a feat of raw strength, Wolf freed the trapped man, while Sprocket stabilized his wounds. The survivor, a grim and weathered ranger named Osmar, recounted how his party had been ambushed by bandits before the landslide ended the battle. He remembered one survivor who chose to rob the dying rather than help—a betrayal that left a bitter taste.

Unsure of his next steps, Osmar elected to accompany Wolf and Sprocket to Kro Tiwaz.

Several days passed in relative quiet before the trio arrived at the small yet lively village. They stopped at Adler’s Antidotes, where they collected the package for Professor Bergan—a bundle of rare pipe leaf. With their errand complete, they checked into the local inn, The What Ales Ya?, where Osmar chose to rest and recover further.

That evening, while enjoying drinks, Wolf and Sprocket overheard troubling news: several villagers had gone missing while foraging in the northern boglands. The innkeeper, recognizing their capable air, asked if they would help. The two agreed, and a young guide named Eleanor Ashglade offered to lead them through the mire.

It wasn’t long before danger found them again. The trio heard distant barking and cries for help. Rushing through the reeds, they discovered Gavin Crewe, a veteran forager, surrounded by shadowy hounds—creatures seemingly formed from living darkness. A brief but vicious fight followed, and the hounds were driven off. Gavin, shaken but alive, reported that the other foragers had been killed or dragged into the depths of the swamp. With heavy hearts, the group returned to the village.

The next morning, Wolf and Sprocket prepared to return to Vijouma. Just as they gathered their things, a bloodied and frantic man burst into the inn, claiming that he, his wife, and daughter had been ambushed on their way back to the village. While he had managed to escape, his family had been taken by raiders known as the “Bloodmen.” Desperate for help, the man begged anyone who would listen.

Despite their exhaustion and growing unease, Wolf and Sprocket agreed to assist one final time.

Tracking the raiders through the wilderness, they managed to locate the Bloodmen about to sail back to their ship and successfully freed the captives. But in the process, they themselves were overpowered. Outnumbered and worn down from days of travel and combat, Wolf and Sprocket were captured—their fates now uncertain in the hands of these brutal marauders.