A tale of beginnings

  If you have never heard of my small corner of the world before, its a fantasy setting based on arabian nights. The following adventure is intended for 3 players but can be adjusted to accomodate more (or less). It's intended for beginners and includes social encounters and (a bit of) combat. It was written to be run with DnD 5e, but can be run on basically any system (the exception being combat encounters and stats. To make navigating this adventure easier for a DM, the following content will be used:         On the edge of a barren desert, where the sun burns brightly from the sky and and the wind drives the sand dunes ever onward, lies the small village of Dra'hir, whose name simply means "shore" in the Kaharian language.   The village lies in a natural basin crossed by a large river that snakes its way through the desert.The wide, lazily flowing stream provides the village with fertile soil and living space and more visitors than you would expect from such a small place. The old wooden jetty that juts out into the mighty river is a regular port of call for the large barges that carry goods and travellers towards the sea.   The clustered houses of this little hamlet mirror the landscape that surround them. They are built from brown mud bricks, made from the very earth on which they stand. The thatch covering their roofs is the same bright yellow as the sun shining down on the village. The bright colors of the doors and windows mirror the snaking river, whose green edges cut through the barren landscape.
Inside the houses, simplicity meets warmth. The brown, earthy walls are covered with soft tapestries and the floors are made of oiled wood. Soft pillows and sleeping rolls invite visitors to linger and in most of the houses a cozy fire crackles in the baked clay ovens at night.
Most of the inhabitants of Dra'hir are farmers - and the riverbanks are lined with rice fields, the first shoots already reaching for the sky. The villagers harvest rice, fruit and vegetables, and most also breed some livestock. A goatherd can be seen driving his herd through the sparse vegetation between the fields. Fortunately, the animals find plenty of food at the riverbanks.   The sounds of everyday life are omnipresent in Dra'hir. Children play in the dusty streets; lively chatter can be heard while people work and men and women till the fields. The air is filled with the sounds of everyday life, the slow gurgling of the reaver, the bleating of goats and the happy laughter of children. Once the sun goes down, the delicate aroma of freshly cooked rice fills the village. It mingles with the aroma of exotic spices and the smoke of cooking fires to create an irrestible blend that makes every traveler’s mouth water and draws their steps towards the tavern.


As you enter the tavern through the ornate wooden door, you are greeted by a gust of warm, spicy air. Merchants, jugglers, adventurers and simple travellers crowd around the wooden tables and benches. The clay walls of the tavern are covered with colourful carpets and silk scarves, with brass and copper lamps hanging between them, spreading a warm light. In the centre of the room a large fire is crackling within a large stone hearth.   The air is filled with the smell of exotic spices, wine and the heavy scent of hookahs. Dates, figs and other exotic delicacies are served at the tables. In the hands of the guests you can see glasses of date wine, shimmering in a deep red colour. The atmosphere in the tavern is exuberant and cheerful. There is laughter, singing and you can barely hear yourself over the loud conversations. In a corner of the tavern, a group of musicians plays drums, flutes and stringed instruments, filling the room with a melodious sound that warms heart and soul. First character: You take a seat at a table and sit down, with just one other patron that already sits there(player 2). A young woman with long, black hair and dark eyes approaches you. She is wearing a long, colourful dress and is adorned with gold bracelets and earrings. She moves s nimbly and with a skillfull confidence through the crowd of guests and gives you a radiant smile: "Ahlan wa sahlan, what can I get you my friend?"     A man emerges from the crowd and staggers over to your table. He is tall and broad-shouldered, with a stocky body that fills out his wide, colourful robe. His face is broad and angular, with a wide jaw and a flat, pock-marked nose. His eyes are small and dark, and his eyebrows are bushy and messy. His hair is short and brown and sticks out in all directions, his beard is unkempt and dishevelled, and an unpleasant odour of urine, alcohol and rotten meat seems to linger around him. A small, worn dagger sticks out of his belt and his hands are covered in small, pockmarked scars, but his smile is uninhibited and open. He walks over to your table and sits down. As soon as Maha's appears, he looks at her briefly, then asks, "Can I buy you folks a drink, eh? The name is Razeen" He shuffles around and glances at the other guests in the tavern, his eyes falling on a group of merchants sitting at the table next to him. He grins impishly and takes another sip of wine. I tell you, Hanma is the most beautiful of all the beautiful, a face as lovely as the faces of the moon sisters, eyes as green as the leaves of the palm trees and skin like alabaster! What she finds in this poor soul, only the stars may divine. He takes a sip of his date wine and sets down his glass with a content sigh.
"but I tell you, with the right dowry she would surely take me as her husband, that's what she told me. You have to understand, getting married without a proper dowry brings great misfortune to a marriage. And I know where I can find a kings dowry, but - he's lowering his voice - as much as it pains me: I'm not fighter enough to do it. Because there is a treasure, I tell you. A treasure that an old man told me about. He sat right over there, all old and grizzled and told me of it. Claimed to be an adventurer of some sort who had travelled far and wide and just gotten too old to carry on. We bonded over some of this wonderful date wine and I must've been to his liking: he gave me directions to a cave where a bracelet of pure gold lies. A bracelet set with precious stones and worth a fortune - but watched over by a terrible guardian. I've known for a while, but ...well, I'm no good in a fight.
However... he looks around for a moment and then looks at you conspiratorially - you three look adventurous - would you be willing to get the heirloom for me and not tell anyone? I would then hide for three to four days - oh, and I need supplies too, but I can't buy them myself. Otherwise everyone would notice. I would pay you, that goes without saying, and you can keep everything you find apart from the bracelet, of course!
   
      The next morning, you set off bright and early and head south down the river. As the sun breaks over the horizon, the river is bathed in a golden light. The silhouettes of the palm trees cast long shadows over the water. The river is calm and peaceful, only the gentle lapping of the water can be heard. The edge of the river, once lined with palm trees, is now becoming increasingly arid and rocky. Gradually, the vegetation thins out and finally disappears almost altogether. Only scattered grasses sway in the heat and red rocks, scattered across the landscape like dice, cast ghostly shadows in the glaring sunlight. The scorching midday heat becomes increasingly unbearable, burning your eyes and scorching your skin. Every step becomes more and more agonising as you drag yourself step by step towards your destination. Orientation test   The scorching sun is beating down on you as you finally set off. Heavily laden with supplies for the arduous journey and for Razeen, you are already sweating in the blazing heat. The unwieldy waterskins you have tied around your chest are weighing heavily and hamper your movements. You have hopes that you will hardly need them, as most of the route leads southwards along the river under the scorching sun.   The sun shines so brightly that you have to rub your eyes. The air is stifling and hot, and you can feel the sweat on your skin as it runs down your back in rivulets. The leather water skins feel hard and stiff, pressing against your chest and making it difficult to breathe in the scorching air. You are already hoping that you will soon find a place where you can get some rest.   The river that leads the way is wide and rapid. The water is clear and turquoise blue and you can see fish swimming in it. The palm trees on the banks are tall and dense and provide a little shade. You are glad that you don't have to walk in the blazing sun.   After a few hours, you finally reach a suitable place to rest. You sit down under a tree and take a few sips from the water hoses. The water is a little warm, but refreshing, and you immediately feel a little better. You eat something from your supplies and then lie down in the shade to rest for a while.           The landscape gradually becomes more and more barren and rugged the further you travel. On the horizon, a red rocky outcrop suddenly rises from the riverbank like a warning finger, while below it the silver ribbon of the river runs its course. It is not far to the destination described to you, but night is already falling and the temperature is dropping rapidly. Only the hot sand beneath your tired feet still radiates some warmth. Once you reach the foot of the rocky outcrop, a small hollow provides a welcome resting place. Round, large river stones are placed around a stone circle for a campfire and invite you to linger.   Camp, trial for survival (depending on Resting Bonus/Temp HP)   The night is still and starry, brightly lit by the two moons above you. The stars sparkle like diamonds in the night sky and the silvery ribbon of the river meanders through the night beneath the palm trees. Suddenly, the eerie howl of an unknown animal reaches your ears from afar.   The howl is deep and plaintive, like the wailing of a lost soul. It reverberates through the desert like a calling echo that is thrown back by the endless sand dunes. It sounds like a warning, an omen of distant danger.   You sit around the crackling fire, only sparsely illuminating the darkness. The gentle murmur of the river flowing nearby accompanies the sound of the crackling fire. The flames dance in the darkness like ghosts, painting flickering shadows in the night and suddenly you can imagine that the stories about the souls of the ancestors travelling across the river to the afterlife might be true after all.     The next morning you start bright and early and head south down the river. The sun breaks over the horizon and bathes the river in a golden light. The silhouettes of the palm trees cast long shadows on the water. The course of the river is calm and peaceful, only the gentle lapping of the waves can be heard.   The edge of the river, once lined with palm trees, is now becoming increasingly arid and rocky. Gradually, the vegetation thins out and finally disappears completely. Only scattered grasses sway in the heat and red rocks, scattered across the landscape like dice, cast ghostly shadows in the glaring sunlight. The scorching midday heat becomes increasingly unbearable, burning your eyes and scorching your skin. Every step becomes increasingly agonising as you drag yourself step by step towards your destination.       You follow Razeen's scant instructions and soon find a steep rock face that rises from the ground like a giant red tooth. At the centre of the cliff is a dark chasm that stretches down about two man-lengths. Fine, yellow sand has collected in a hollow in front of the entrance and crunches softly under your feet as the wind blows a haze of fine sand into the distance. From the cave entrance itself, a cool breeze from inside makes you shiver in the hot midday sun.         After the fight   With a rattling sound, the creature lets out a final breath. The green fluid that was pumping from its wounds slowly seeps into the ground and you exchange looks with each other, breathing heavily. The old man spoke true - a hideous beast was guarding this treasure - but you can't but wonder who would have inflicted battered it like this? Whoever it was, there is no sign of the previous battle or its foe.
  You scour the cave for treasure and in the shadow of the stalactites you quickly find what you are looking for - a small wooden casket bound with iron and decorated with ornate glyphs. In it, wrapped in red velvet, lies a single golden bangle, skilfully fashioned in the shape of a vine that wraps around itself and holds a round-cut emerald in its leaves. A truly magnificent piece of jewellery that is sure to make an impression. Next to the casket, you only find a few rusted scimitars and an ornately decorated curved dagger - on closer inspection, however, the weapon is purely ornamental, but someone would certainly pay a good price for it.   Two small, silver coins covered in patina can be found by attentive heroes with a Perception test, placed on the eyes of a human skull in the far corner of the cave.   Once you have tended to your wounds, you are about to leave when you hear quiet, covert footsteps outside the cave. As you step out into the blinding light of day, Razeen stands before you, his trembling hands clutching a scimitar, his knuckles protruding white.   "I...couldn't let you face the monster alone, I owe it to my beloved...is it already over?"   Reluctantly you hand him the bracelet and a liberated, melancholic smile slides across his face. "Thank you - what would I have done without you? As an additional gift for your discretion and valourous help, I would like to offer you all a cloak in a colour of your choice from our seamstress - I'm sure she won't ask any questions. And of course you are also invited to my wedding - perhaps you would even like to play a song or tell a mighty tale?   And so ended Razeen's quest, but for our heroes it was just the beginning of a long journey full of wonders and adventure - but this story ...I'll tell another time.