Town: Leafside
Tavern/Inn: The Barking Spider

Prologue
After surviving the Umbra in Massal and communing the with the Skyvern you have embarked on a new adventure. Hope received the name Jaroo Ashstaff of Hommlet as a possible expert on her fungal issue. Rowan was told to seek the knowledge of two elves that departed Massal sometime ago for the town of Orlane. Since Orlane is a short detour on the way to Hommlet, and not wanting to delay Hope's quest for a cure, Rowan has gone on alone. She will meet back up with the group in Hommlet once she has investigated Orlane. Rowan departed your company the previous day and you have stopped at a small village along the road called Leafside. It's a very simple town with a Tavern/Inn, a Blacksmith, a Tanner, a meager General store, and quaint housing. It's the typical road-side village that survives by providing services and food to travelers. You are tired and hungry from your journey and the evening is quickly turning dark and stormy.

Main Plot
As you enter The Barking Spider lightning cracks and thunder roars. Rain begins to beat down on the roof of the tavern. You notice a hush come over patrons as they watch you enter.
The tavern is a large room with several round tables and a few booths along the walls that are a bit obscured in shadow. Two waitresses bustle about the tables taking orders, and delivering food and drink. In the rear of the room, next to the start of a hallway, the Innkeeper sits at his desk. There are several round tables and a few booths available. It seems that Hope may not fit in a booth.
Innkeeper(Endar): Half-elf with graying dark hair, growthing thicker in the middle with age. He seems like the type that would have been a jolly fellow, once upon a time. He will not meet your gaze as he speaks. He offers you the service of the tavern, but claims to have no rooms available. This is extremely odd for a small village. He is very nervous and asks that you do not kill anyone.
Once you take a table a human waitress comes by to take your order. She also seems nervous, her eyes darting around the room as she speaks with you. As you look around you see many simple townsfolk eating quickly with their heads down, almost no conversations are going on.

DC 10 perception check = See a two men not eating or drinking the food in front of them. They keep looking your way, attempting to be inconspicuous. You also notice a few of the townsfolk keep taking quick glances at these two men.
DC 15 perception check = You also see that one of the two men is gripping a dagger tightly under the table.


If a fight ensues, the two men kill at least one towns-person, and Kalarel the Vile shows up.
After the fight, the Innkeeper is freaking out. "I told you not to kill anyone, why didn't you listen to me" Before he can be questioned the tavern door flings open. Floating across the floor towards the innkeep as if the act of walking is beneath him comes a dragonborn in dark and red robes. He's tall with red metallic scales, a small amount of smoke streaming out of his nostrils. Outside the rain is still pouring down, but this dark figure is bone dry. As he reaches the innkeep he reaches out a clawed hand, clasped in a fist and says, "As per our usual arrangement." The innkeep shaking as though his body is not under his own control reaches out his palm. The figure drops several pieces of blood red gold into the innkeepers hand. "You are as good as your word, a pleasure doing business with you again, my friend." He turns his back on the innkeep as several bronze kobolds rush into the tavern, collecting the bodies quickly to follow the figure outside. They all vanish as they walk down the street.
Questioning the Innkeep gets very little information. You can learn that he always shows up right when someone dies in the town, taking the bodies and paying the innkeep (also the closest thing to a mayor) blood red gold.
  BANG! The tavern door slams open, the figure in the doorway cloaked in darkness as the sky behind it flashes with lightning. As the light fades behind him you can see a large man wearing a blacksmith's smock. He is soaked, water running down his face and body, dripping on the floor. As you look you can see red mixed in with the drops of water. You finally notice a fell arrow piercing his thick thigh, a constant stream of blood flowing from it.
"They took her! Demons, little blue demons!", the Blacksmith stumbles into the tavern, nearly collapsing as he steps forward on his wounded leg. "She's gone, they took her". Several local men jump to their feet, helping the Blacksmith to a seat. His eyes are wide, jutting around the tavern. "You!", he points towards you, "you came into town and now my girl is gone."
"Wilhelm, they're not to blame", the Innkeep interjects, "don't you mean bronze demons?"
Wilhelm's eye go wide and his nostrils flare, "I'd know his kobolds if I saw them, but these demons were blue with beady orange eyes."

  Wilhelm, the blacksmith, leads you to his shop. The storm is receding, the clouds parting revealing a bright moon. The ground is soaked, puddles litter the street.
His shop is a typical blacksmith workshop with fire, anvil, tools, and partially completed metal works.
Clues to find:

• Xvart tracks
• Broken wall boards
• Fell arrows
• Ripped piece of cloak

Tracks can be located outside the shop but the rain has already washed most of them away. Talking to other towns folk can lead to the Boar Forest as a possible location. Some people may mention Founder's Pond, the crescent valley to the south, or that she just ran away with the tanner's son to Orlane. Further questioning of Wilhelm will reveal a possible problematic relationship with his daughter (only interested in her as labor), could also reveal the blacksmith is secretly helping create a magic weapon for Kalarel. Casting Detect Magic will reveal a secret compartment housing the unfinished weapon. This is what the Xvarts were after. Using an animal with Keen Smell the party can find the trail leading to Boar Forest.

Boar Forest
Skill Challenge
3 Fails or 4 Successes, Number of failures logged upon getting 4 successes sets the difficulty of the random encounter.
In the forest any trail is hard to find, sight or smell. Survival checks to navigate the woods, with perception and investigation to find their way through. After random encounter, Long Rest.
Eventually they make it to the edge of the forest and see a temple on a hill. Column ruins in neat rows with a crumbling roof. As they case the area they eventually come across a doorway on the side of the hill, leading underneath the temple. Two short, blue beings stand guard (xvart).
If the party waits and watches, a guard patrol will come along, two xvart raiders with one giant rat.


Follow 'The Tomb' jpg for running the tomb.
Offering Room:   Bas Relief on both sides of the room, writing on one, scenes on the other.  Oath of the Vigilant Shield: "I, Sextus Varius, swear the Vigilant Shield Oath. To serve law, battle chaos, and strive to protect the innocent of the realm"   On the opposite wall there are artistic depictions of knights in battle against various monsters.  Scene 1: Buildings, Villagers, Knights bowing to them Scene 2: Knights standing between approaching horde and villagers Scene 3: Knights fighting Horde Scene 4: Dead Horde, Dead Knights, One lone Knight bowing to Villagers     Net Trap:
Trigger: Pressure plate. If a medium or larger creature steps on the plate a net with a bell falls. The bell rings, alerting nearby creatures.
Effect: A net covering a 10x10ft area centered on the pressure plate falls of the floor as the bells rings. Any creature fully within the area must succeed on a DC 15 DEX saving throw or be restrained. A creature can use its action to make a DC 10 STR check to try to free itself or another creature in the net. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10, 20 HP) also frees a creature without harming the creature.
Countermeasures: A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the pressure plate or net. A successful DC 15 DEX check using thieves' tools disables the trap without causing the net to fall; failing the check causes the trap to activate.    

Enemies:









Lock: Pick DC = 10, AC 10, HP 10   Treasure on Alter: 1d4 x100 Gold 1d100 x20 Silver 1d10 Sapphires (5gp) 1d4 Rubies (10gp) 2x Gold Bracelets (25gp) Longsword Shield Short Bow Arrows (10) Hand Axe   Statue: Sextus Varius Inscription: "If you are to keep this, you must first give it to me."

The Order of the Vigilant Shield (God: Torm, Symbol: White Hand inside a shield)
  Full Oath:
"As a knight of the Vigilant Shield, I give my solemn vow to uphold my word as bond, use wisdom when confronting danger, protect the weak while punishing those who threaten them, show mercy tempered with wisdom, have fairness in my heart as an example to others, take heed of my actions and their consequences, protect those in my care, and strive to bring order to the chaos of the realm."
Sir SparHawk of the Vigilant Shield
Items in the Tomb: Ancient Map, Quickdraw Bracers, Artemis Quiver, Crescent Moon Arrow, Walloping Arrow 

Epilogue
If the party happens to have any of the Red Gold or the Red Mace, Kalarel the Vile will show up and pay the party for the bodied of the Xvarts.
Otherwise, they can escort the blacksmith's daughter (Rose) back to Leafside. If time available, do long rest and roll for encounter. Upon return to the town they may confront the Blacksmith about how to treat his daughter and doing work for Kalarel the Vile. If pressed, he will sell you the unfinished Red Mace for 500gp.