Straw and Sovereignty
Intro
"As you approach the farmstead's gate, an eerie stillness hangs in the air. The distant croaking of frogs and the hum of insects are the only sounds in an otherwise silent landscape. Beyond the gate lies a scene of chaos: three small farmhouses stand battered, their doors hanging open and windows broken. The towering windmill looms above it all, tilted slightly from structural damage. Farm tools and wagons are strewn about haphazardly—some splattered with crude paint in garish colors, others broken entirely. Ragged banners, made from stitched-together burlap and dyed red with berry stains or worse, flap weakly in the breeze. The scent of smoke, old fires, and something fouler drifts faintly on the wind."
Just outside the gate lies the remains of a campsite, recently abandoned. The smoldering embers of a campfire still emit a wisp of smoke, and discarded bones, rough-hewn wooden plates, and small footprints litter the ground. Scratched into a nearby wooden post are the crude words:
“King Property! – Trespasers Get Chopped!”
Farmhouse 1
Outside:
The first farmhouse stands askew, its door barely hanging by one hinge. The exterior is smeared with crude red handprints and bright green smears of crushed plant dye. What looks like a poorly-drawn goblin face is painted on the shutters, its tongue sticking out mockingly. A wagon sits nearby, its wheel missing, repurposed as a makeshift outhouse.
Inside:
The room is in complete disarray. Broken dishes, torn clothing, and filth cover the floor. A shattered bedframe is piled with straw and bones—clearly used as bedding by someone. Scraps of parchment, crude finger-paintings, and gnawed rations litter the area. A small barrel of ale lies tipped over, its contents long soaked into the floorboards.
Development
While exploring Farmhouse 1, a group of goblins returns, expecting to reclaim the area.
"A group of goblins rounds the corner of the barn, armed with crude weapons and painted faces. They bark at you in broken Common, pointing shortswords and shouting: 'Get out! This land belong to King Grutbung now! You want live, you go!'"
Goblins Arrive:
- 1x Hobgoblin
- 4x Goblin Fighters
Farmhouse 2
Outside:
This building appears less damaged than the others. The door is slightly ajar, and no graffiti marks its surface. Some overturned barrels and trampled herbs mark the area, but no obvious signs of violence are visible.
Inside:
The room is musty and dim. The air is thick with the smell of sweat and mildew. Items are strewn everywhere, suggesting a hasty search—clothes pulled from drawers, a mirror smashed, food scattered and half-eaten. A pile of loose hay and bedding lies in one corner, disturbed just recently.
Roleplay Opportunity
DC 12 Investigation reveals a hiding goblin:
As you search the house, a soft sneeze erupts from beneath the bedding. Pulling back a dusty quilt, you uncover a small goblin, his eyes wide with terror. He raises his hands and pleads, “No chop! No chop! Zib just want to go far away!”
Zib the Coward:
- A runaway goblin from Grutbung’s warband, terrified and tired.
- If treated kindly, Zib reveals:
- The goblins came days ago and ransacked the place.
- Grutbung declared himself king of the warband after beating the old boss with a shovel.
- Grutbung is too ambitious, moving from their mountain camp and planning to set up a goblin capital in the windmill. He should be back with more of the warband before long.
- Zib has no love for the King and wants to flee before “everything catch fire or explode.”
- If threatened, Zib tries to bolt or lies badly (e.g., "windmill haunted by big ghosts").
Farmhouse 3
Outside:
This farmhouse is half-collapsed. Smoke stains blacken the walls, and claw marks run deep into the wood. Several small stakes are jammed into the ground nearby, holding up bits of more crude artwork—sticks glued together to resemble a creature with a large head and crown.
Inside:
The room is barely standing. One wall is missing entirely. Scorch marks, shattered beams, and what might have been a barricade are all that remain. A humanoid skeleton lies by the hearth, burnt and broken. In the corner, an oddly untouched pile of hay.
DC 12 Investigation:
Reveals a trapdoor beneath the hay.
Storage Chamber:
"Dust coats the interior. Shelves line the walls, once filled with preserves, now picked over. A smashed crate lies open near the door, and bits of jerky and dried fruit are ground into the floor. A small chest sits beneath a table, cleverly wedged into a tight spot."
- DC 12 Sleight of Hand unlocks the chest.
- Inside: 30gp in mixed jewelry, a silk scarf, and a monogrammed signet ring (wearer gets 1 use of the Lucky feat).
Optional Development
As you exit the farmhouse, a sharp screech draws your eyes to the central tree. A large bat, perched low on a branch, flares its wings. From behind the tree, a goblin darts out, leaps onto the bat’s back, and shouts something in Undercommon (We warn Grutbung! Intruders in new kingdom!) - The bat tenses, ready to take flight.
The players will now have an opportunity to act, potentially stopping the goblin from escaping. You can either roll initiative, or allow the players to coordinate a single, combined action to attempt to apprehend the goblin, or prevent it from taking flight.
If the players fail to stop the goblin, ambushing Grutbung and his warband will be impossible for the final encounter.
Windmill
Exterior:
The windmill looms above the farmstead, clearly damaged. One of the blades hangs crookedly, and goblin graffiti covers the outer walls. A red cloth banner tied to a blade reads: “ROYAL PALAS.” The entrance is blocked by debris, but a narrow path allows access.
Interior:
Dust and debris fill the first floor. Wooden gears creak overhead, and the broken ladder leads to a second level. Strange goblin fetishes—painted bones, feathers, and skulls—dangle from the rafters. Above, something shiny catches the light, wedged between spinning gears.
Skill Challenge: Retrieve the Ornate Bag
Stage 1: Climbing Up
- Athletics (DC 15): Scale broken walls or support beams.
- Failure: Fall, 1d6 bludgeoning. Future attempts DC 17.
- Acrobatics (DC 15): Leap between rafters or exposed beams.
- Failure: Same as above.
- Perception (DC 12): Spot better handholds, giving Advantage on next climb check.
Stage 2: Retrieving the Bag
- Sleight of Hand (DC 14): Untangle the bag.
- Strength (DC 14): Pull it free (breaks gears, increases DC of Stage 3 by +2).
Once the bag is removed, the gears jolt and begin spinning.
Stage 3: Escaping
- Acrobatics (DC 14 / 17): Exit the spinning mechanism safely.
- Failure: 2d6 bludgeoning, DC 12 Strength save to escape being pinned.
Loot – Inside the Bag of Holding:
- 2x Potion of Healing
- 1x Potion of Resistance (Piercing, Slashing or Bludgeoning)
- 1x Wand of Magic Missile (4 charges)
Final Encounter: The Goblin King Arrives
A low, rhythmic drumming begins to echo from beyond the trees—crudely timed, but steady. As the sound grows louder, shapes begin to emerge from the smoke-hazed horizon. A dozen goblins come marching in ragged formation, clanging weapons, banging pots, and shrieking in their guttural tongue. At the center of the warband, four goblins strain beneath a makeshift wooden platform hoisted on their shoulders. Atop it sits a hulking goblin—larger than any you’ve seen before.
Warband Composition:
- King Grutbung (Slugor, Goblin King)
- 1x Goblin Shaman
- 4x Goblin Fighters
Encounter Options:
- Roleplay: Grutbung might offer absurd “terms of surrender” (e.g., becoming jesters, building him a castle out of hay).
- Ambush: Players may take the opportunity to attempt to set hide and set an ambush as they hear the warband approaching the farmstead.
- Combat: If insulted, refused, or if the players linger in the windmill, Grutbung attacks.
Player Information
Adventure Teaser
"Smoke rises from the fields of Haydale. The barns lie broken, the windmill is defaced, and no word has come from the farmstead in days. Hired to investigate the silence and ensure the land is safe to reclaim, your party must step into the aftermath of something brutal and recent. The region depends on the farm’s return—but someone, or something, may have claimed it for their own."
Character Creation
Edition: 5e (2014)
Level: 3
Stats: Point Buy, Average HP
Gear: Starting gear plus 300gp for mundane weapons and armour
Magic Items: 3 points
- Potion of Healing - 1 point
- Uncommon magic - 2 points
Adventure Resources
Map
Stat Blocks
Items
Random Exploration/Fillers
The following are explorable points among the farm. You can use them to add a bit more depth, or to add a bit to the adventure, if the players are moving through it quickly. 3 and 7 have interactive outcomes.
1. Shattered Cart
The cart has been torn apart and left in pieces, its contents scattered or burned. One wheel is missing; the other bears a jagged mark carved into the wood—a crude goblin war symbol.
2. Bent Plow
The iron plow lies twisted in the dirt, wrenched from its harness. Dried blood stains the handle, and a rusted meat hook dangles from one of its crossbars—likely repurposed as a torture post or execution block.
3. Broken Hay Fork
Snapped and splintered, the hay fork has been driven into the ground like a crude ritual post. Leather cords hang from the crossbar, most of them ending in crushed chicken skulls, their fragments scattered in the dirt. Two intact skulls remain, each suspended by knotted sinew and stained with dark ochre.
A creature that crushes one of the intact skulls in their hand gains the effects of the Bless spell for 1 hour. The blessing seems to surge with raw, violent energy—less divine, more primal.
4. Smashed Wheelbarrow
The wheelbarrow has been hacked apart, its handles wrapped in coarse rope and repurposed as a makeshift drag sled. A trail of blood smears across the dirt leading away from it, suggesting it was recently used to haul something—or someone—heavy and unwilling. A broken manacle lies discarded nearby, crusted with rust and dried gore.
5. Torn Seed Bag
A trail of scattered grain leads away from the burst sack. The ground around it is churned with bootprints and clawed feet, and a crude message has been scrawled in blood on the barn wall nearby: “This land belongs to Grutbung.”
6. Broken Hoe
The hoe has been turned into a spear—its handle carved with rough runes, the metal head reforged to a sharper edge. It’s stuck into the dirt next to a pile of bones, still stained from recent use.
7. Broken Well
The old stone well near the center of the farmstead is partially collapsed, its wooden frame cracked and rope frayed. Peering down, you catch a glint of something shiny resting far below, just visible in a sliver of remaining water.
A faint breeze seems to rise from within the well, carrying an unusual warmth. Any creature that begins to descend feels a surprising sense of calm wash over them, tension easing with each breath.
Skill Challenge
- DC 10 Athletics to climb safely down using the old rope and footholds
- Failure: The player slips partway and falls the remaining distance, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage
As the player nears the bottom, the glow strengthens—not in brightness, but in emotional clarity. Retrieving the bead, they feel a heavy, invisible weight settle on their shoulder—not threatening, but meaningful. It carries a deep sense of responsibility, tempered by a quiet certainty: everything will be all right.
8. War-Bound Scythe
A scythe lies embedded in the soil, the blade dulled and bent, but still upright. Goblin war paint—red ochre mixed with ash—has been smeared across the wood in handprint patterns, marking it as claimed.
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