Campaign Overview

The Green Scourge: Verdant War is a saga of unlikely alliances forged in a world where ancient rivalries threaten to overwhelm the common good. Orcs corrupted by an unnatural shaman named Gorlath the Corrupt have grown in strength beneath the mountains and, for the first time, believe they can conquer the surface world. The human empire of the lower valleys, the elves who guard rivers and woods, the dwarves of the high peaks, the skaven of the underworld, and the undead empire on its necrotic island—each has their own reasons to fear and resist or to take advantage of a world on the brink. The adventurers, three in number, must band together and unite these fractured factions or risk watching the world descend into chaos and war. The journey will test their diplomacy, cunning, and courage as they negotiate treaties, broker uneasy truces, and lead battles that will decide who remains standing when the smoke clears. They will uncover ancient pacts and lost relics that can tip the balance of power, and they will contend with moral challenges that force them to choose between peace and victory, between right and expediency, and between personal power and the future of the realm. The Green Scourge will push them to the edge: a test of their faith, their strength, and their willingness to fight for something greater than themselves. It is a campaign of choices, consequences, and the enduring hope that in an age of encroaching darkness, three brave souls can still pull the world back from the brink and usher in a dawn where Verdant life can flourish again. The realm will not be saved by brute force alone; it will be saved by a coalition built on trust, sacrifice, and an unyielding resolve to keep the world’s living heart beating bright and green against the oncoming storm.

Starting Location

Verdant Vale

The Verdant Vale is a lush, rain-soaked stretch of low hills and broad, meandering rivers that feed the lower valley. For generations, this region has been a buffer between the surface kingdoms and the mountains, a place where trade caravans pass under the watchful eyes of druids and riverfolk who guard the waterways. The Vale bears the mark of two long, ancient conflicts: the first with a plague of mists that blanketed the fields and the second with the rise of a new threat—the Green Scourge, a dark, shambling force of twisted orcs bred in the mountains and carved into something else entirely. The people here are wary; they know that the orcs have grown beyond the old death-riven legends of goblin wars. They are cunning, unyielding, and unafraid to spill blood to protect their own. The human banners of the Lower Valleys still fly, though they are frayed by long years of skirmishes and uneasy truces. The elves walk along the river’s edge, living in the Woods of Lhsendra, trading with the Vale’s towns and keeping watch over the water’s glow that makes the Vale’s crops flourish. The dwarves keep a wary eye from the High Mountains, and the undead empire, quarantined on a distant island, sends ships that rarely approach the Vale’s harbors, their motives unknown.

Secrets

  • The Verdant Vale is seeded with a hidden passage that leads to a subterranean river system—a route between the Vale and the mountains that the orcs use for surprise assaults.
  • A sealed library beneath Crownwatch keeps a copy of the Verdant Oath; the oath’s words can bind or release the forest’s power and even rebind a creature to its former loyalties.
  • A hidden vigil of rangers guards an ancient map etched into a cliff face—the map reveals the Green Scourge’s initial underground lairs and their surface staging grounds.

Key Locations

Crownwatch Citadel

Crownwatch Citadel stands on a high outcrop that juts above Crown Creek. Its stone walls, patched with moss and lichen, bear the scars of a dozen sieges. The Citadel is a fortress-city in miniature: a temple to the old monarchy, a garrison for the Verdant Guard, a smithy district, and a council chamber where the Vale’s leaders negotiate truces with rival factions. Inside, corridors loop like a living map: guard towers overlook the valley; a library carved into living rock holds scrolls in protective glass cases; and an inn called the Gilded Fern offers shelter to travelers and scholars. The Crownwatch archives hold the last surviving copies of the Verdant Oath, a pact that bound the region to keep the valley safe from blight. Rumors of a hidden vault beneath Crownwatch speak of weapons and secrets forged in the old wars.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Crownwatch Vault Shawl – a hidden crypt beneath the Citadel contains a fragment of the Verdant Oath. Reclaiming it requires unpicking an old ritual that binds stone to memory. The vault’s guardian is a sentient stone golem that awakens when the oath is spoken; it can be pacified by truth and a successful introspective test, or slain if you fail. The vault holds the Crown’s insignia, a map etched into obsidian, and a relic called the Heart of Verdure, which grants the bearer control over plant life for limited periods. The main faction’s call is to secure alliance with elves and dwarves to oppose Gorlath’s advance. DM notes: Crownwatch will be the hub to begin the alliance-building arc. The Vault is a dungeon within a dungeon that forces players to weigh the moral cost of opening it. A betrayal could occur if the players reveal their hand to the wrong faction before the time is right.

Gloomroot Warrens

Gloomroot Warrens are an elaborate underground network beneath the Vale, carved by generations of miners chasing a vein of ancient stone that glows faintly with bioluminescent fungus. The tunnels wind like a living labyrinth, filled with echoing footfalls and the drip of mineral-rich water. The deeper you go, the more the warrens resemble a city’s arteries—living, twisting, and sometimes sentient. The warrens hold dwarven forges long abandoned, an old library of sealed scrolls, and a crypt where an old warband’s banners hang as tombs. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and overheated metal; distant chasms glitter with veins of emerald ore. It’s here that the Green Scourge first learned to breed in the depths, perfecting their dark rites and unnatural magics away from the sun’s gaze. The warrens are also a gateway to the surface world’s fate—if the tunnels collapse, famine and drought will plague the Vale.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Root of Decay – the Warrens contain a buried shrine to a dead god of sprouting death. A corrupted seed—The Verdant Seed—can be planted in a living grove to channel the Scourge’s corruption away from the valley, but only if the ritual is performed precisely at the dead god’s appointed time. DM notes: this dungeon is a test of the party’s ability to handle moral choices—destroy the seed and risk the grove’s life, or attempt to purify the seed at a grave cost. Enemies include Green Scourge cultists, roving otyughs, and carved stone guardians. Rewards: a magical pendulum that can identify hidden doors, and a dwarven blueprint for a siege engine that could foil a surface assault.

Ember Gate Forge

The Ember Gate Forge is a volcanic pass where ore-rich lava flows drive a centuries-old dwarven smithing tradition. The stones here glow with heat-worn veins of obsidian. The forge district is a ring of forges and an apron of hot springs, ringed by a cliff-side market where smiths bargain with lava-spirits. The forge’s master, a reclusive dwarven smith named Brorik Ironfist, shapes weapons that hum with rune-marked energy—shadows that cut, blades that shed ice, and helmets that can resist mind magic. The Ember Gate is also a strategic choke point, with a cathedral-like furnace that channels heat into pressure plates and storm-outlets that can redirect lava in times of war. The under-world has begun to seep into this region as orcish workers dig upward, seeking to expand the Green Scourge’s hold.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Heart of Ember – Brorik guards a furnace chamber that houses a living ember bound to a ring of flame. The ember can be woken and bound to a weapon if a ritual is completed (requiring the party to gather three elemental catalysts). If left alone, it may erupt into a firestorm during their ascent, threatening to scorch the Vale’s crops. DM notes: Ember Gate Forge acts as the campaign’s test of risk-taking and resource management; players must balance advancing to the endgame with maintaining the Forge’s protections against burning the valley.

Sylvan’s Brook

Sylvan’s Brook threads through the eastern forest and flows into a broad, glassy lake. The grove is a living sanctuary for treants and dryads who speak in whispers, their leaves shimmering with a silver-green hue when moonlight reaches the water. The forest is lit by a pale radiance; animals move with eerie calm, and the wind carries faint echoes of ancient songs. The sages claim the Brook holds the last memory of a long-forgotten war, and that the trees remember every oath sworn along its banks. The river’s edge hides hidden camps of rangers who shield the forest’s depths. The vale’s watchers say the undead ships in the sea will cast a dark shadow into the Brook’s reflections if the Scourge’s magic grows too strong.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Mirror of Leaves – a dryad queen seeks to restore a corrupted reflection that has formed in the Brook’s depths; restoring the reflection will grant the party the ability to find and identify hidden paths and sanctuaries. DM notes: Sylvan’s Brook acts as a sanctuary and a test of the party’s diplomacy skills, as some factions view the forest’s guardians as unpredictable, and others want to exploit them for information or tactical advantage.

Shattered Orchard

The orchard was once a thriving orchard of living trees that bore fruit with magical properties—fruits that could cure, grant fleeting prophetic visions, or restore vitality. A dark force corrupted the orchard’s guardians and turned the trees into sentient, thorny obstacles that lash at anyone who approaches. The orchard’s overrun vines spread across the valley like a green wildfire. The orchard’s heart—a gnarled apple tree—still stands, but it’s currently a vessel for a corrupted spirit who seeks to devour all life within the Vale. Locals fear that if the orchard’s heart falls, the land will wither, leaving the Vale vulnerable to the Green Scourge’s invasion.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Verdant Seed – The orchard’s heart contains a seed of life that can heal or destroy depending on how it’s used. It can purify or intensify the land’s corruption. The quest asks players to choose between healing the orchard and maintaining balance or severing the heart to starve the Scourge of its power. DM notes: The Shattered Orchard tests the party’s ethics and requires careful handling; there are factions that want either outcome for their own ends.

The Shattered Expanse

The Shattered Expanse is a region of jagged rock and fractured plains carved by long-forgotten wars that raged for centuries. A river of lava cuts through the expanse in a few places, creating a dangerous network of natural bridges and chasmous pathways. This region is a crucible in which the coalition’s leadership must be forged: orcs that have claimed this region must be faced directly, and the party must decide whether to trust the region’s fractured tribes or to conquer them by force. The expanse is a living map; from the Glassridge to the Ember Wastes, each subregion enlarges the map’s moral ambiguity and the players’ sense of the campaign’s scope. Its inhabitants are many—humans exiles, elven scouts who have fled from the realm of the Moon, dwarven forgers who work the region’s stones, and a faction of Skaven who have carved a network of tunnels beneath the expanse. The expanse is also where the dead and the living converge in uneasy tolerance as the Green Scourge’s power grows.

Secrets

  • The Shattered Expanse hides a network of dwarven-run tunnels that connect to Crownwatch and to the Ember Gate, a route that could be exploited to preempt the surface’s invasion.
  • The Skaven operate a hidden outpost within the confluence that trades in magical artifacts and information—if the party can infiltrate, they might learn the Green Scourge’s true plan.
  • An old elven scout keeps a map that reveals where the Green Scourge first tunneled upward into the surface. It’s a trap, but a trap that reveals the right route at the right time.

Key Locations

Murkweft Confluence

A massive stalactite cavern where an underground river meets the expanse’s network, forming a 50-foot-wide current that carries rotten water and croaking creatures. This confluence is a trading hub for Skaven scavengers, who sell information and stolen relics to anyone willing to pay. The confluence’s main chamber hosts a shrine to a forgotten god of manipulation, untouched by the outside world but increasingly accessed by those who seek to manipulate others.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Vein’s Promise – An ancient relic hidden in a ruined altar may grant the party a way to break magical bonds on a person or place. However, the relic’s power requires a blood oath to be spoken before a given stage of a ritual; this is a morally testing moment that can shape the campaign’s outcome.

Crystal Spine Citadel

A fortress carved into a spire of glass-like stone where the light refracts into a hundred colors. It is both a prison and a bastion for a broken alliance between the expanse’s tribes. The citadel houses a council chamber with stone seats etched with runic sigils, where rival factions hold tense negotiations. A hidden staircase leads to an underground chamber that contains a weapon of forbidden power.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Runed Prism – The crystal spire’s council chamber hides a prism that can reveal hidden doors and secrets across the expanse. The prism hums with magical energy; it must be activated by a precise order of runes carved on each seat. The DM should emphasize faction politics and the need to coordinate with multiple groups to unlock new areas.

Glassforge Grotto

A vast cavern network where lava flows are cooled into glass, forming shimmering tunnels and dazzling walls. Glassforge has a long-forgotten dwarven anvil that can temper weapons with the minerals found in the expanse; its smith later returns as a potential mentor. The cavern is a war camp for dwarves and survivors who still believe the expanse can be reclaimed. The deeper you go, the more the walls breathe with faint heat and a bright glow from the molten core.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Ember Heart – The dwarven forge within Glassforge is the only place to temper the Prime Steel that can pierce the Green Scourge’s skin. It’s guarded by a magma wisp that tests the party’s willingness to accept the forge’s power; the reward is a blade that can cut through corruption and a set of tempered armor that makes the wearer resistant to flame-based magic.

Isle of the Drowned King

The Isle of the Drowned King is an isolated island fortress ruled by the undead empire. Here, necromancers rule, their catacombs lined with bones and lit by pale, ghostly light. The island is a place where the sea and the land meet, where ships drift to the shore only to transform into coffins of shipwrecks. The undead’s power is ancient; their rituals are patient, but their patience has built an empire that could outlast even the living. A temple to a dark god of rot sits at the island’s heart, fed by the waves and the island’s own rot. The undead empire will not yield to the living, but Warlords on the island know a little-known secret: a ritual that can bend the Green Scourge to a more manageable path if properly invoked. The party must confront necromancers, undead pirates, and bone-thralls, all while navigating the island’s treacherous politics.

Secrets

  • The undead island holds a secret that could either secure peace or unleash a greater threat: a ritual that can bend the living to the underworld’s will, if combined with a specific artifact from the Shattered Expanse.
  • A living-ship in the Harvester’s Reef carries a captain who is not dead; it’s a revenant who might join the party if properly treated, or could be a terrible foe if insulted.
  • The Rot Crown’s power grows with use; the wearer may be bound to the undead empire’s will, or they may break free with a heavy price.

Key Locations

Obsidian Keep

The Obsidian Keep sits on a platform formed from a dark volcanic rock, its walls black as midnight and polished to a gleam by centuries of necromantic rites. The keep houses the undead aristocracy—warlords whose cunning and cruelty have kept their island safe from invasion. The keep’s interior is a labyrinth of bone-chambers, mausoleums, and sealed vaults where the living dare not tread. The keep’s heart is a throne of bone radiating with necromantic energy that can animate corpses with a glance.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Rot Crown – An ancient crown made from bone and black metal that radiates rot. The crown can bend undead and force them to serve; it can be a terrible weapon in the right hands, but the wearer risks corruption by its rot. The DM should show how the crown’s influence grows with every use, potentially altering the party’s alignment and moral choices.

Whispers Gate

The Whisper Gate is a large arch carved in the shape of a mouth. The gate is said to whisper the dead’s last secrets, and it is considered sacred ground by necromancers who use it to open portals to the underworld. The gate’s arch is etched with runes that glow faintly at night; through the gate, ships vanish into a ghostly corridor that leads to the underworld’s depths.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: Gate of Echoes – The gate is a route to the Green Scourge’s deep lairs, but it is also a place where the party can summon echoes of the living to help them. The quest requires a voice from the past to answer a riddle in order to unlock the gate’s secrets; the wrong answer may awaken restless spirits that attack the party.

Harvester’s Reef

The Harvester’s Reef is a shrouded sea garden where sea-life is kept in stasis by necromantic rites. The reef’s plants are luminous and deadly and it is home to an order of necromancers who harvest living tissue to sustain their empire. The reef’s lavender bleeds from its corals; the reef is both a source of power and a trap for those who dare to plunder it.

Additional Notes

Major Quest: The Reef’s Heart – A pearl-trophy that holds a fragment of a living memory of a dead king—recovered from the reef, the party can use the memory to awaken a powerful ancestral pact that pinpoints a vulnerability in the Green Scourge’s leadership. DM notes: The reef will drain life from those who stay too long; it is an example of how necromancy can gradually erode a party’s will.

NPCs in Verdant Vale

Captain Joren Vass

A seasoned human captain who leads the Verdant Guard, tasked with defending Crownwatch and the Vale from the Green Scourge while negotiating with rival factions when possible.

Role: Military liaison; negotiator

Other Details: He is cautious, and his loyalty to the Crown is unquestioned; he can be a double-edged ally depending on the party’s choices.

Queen Alara Verdanteye

The stoic, wary ruler of Verdant Vale, a human queen who has long maintained fragile truces with elves and dwarves while fighting to keep the Green Scourge at bay. She is known for her wisdom, her diplomatic skill, and her stubborn push to secure alliances that will save the Vale without plunging it into a new war.

Role: Ruler and diplomat; main liaison to the party

Other Details: Her scribe is a halfling named Micoes Bramblecloak, who records every decision and whose loyalty is suspect but priceless for information.

Brorik Ironfist

A master dwarven smith who runs the Ember Gate Forge in the Vale. Brorik is gruff, steadfast, and fiercely protective of dwarven craft. He believes that the only way to stop the Green Scourge is to arm the surface and crush the orcish threat under an unyielding hammer.

Role: Dwarven smith; potential ally

Other Details: Brorik is haunted by a failed ritual that nearly destroyed his clan years ago; he seeks a way to redeem his name by forging a weapon strong enough to crack the Scourge.

Lyra Windwalker

An elf of the Moonshadow clan who patrols the river route and who acts as a guide to the Verdant Vale; she knows the forest’s hidden trails and speaks softly of ancient pacts and ancient oaths.

Role: Diplomatic envoy; information broker

Other Details: Lyra has a personal connection to an elven guardian spirit who sometimes speaks through her; the party may seek her out for help in navigating diplomacy with the elves.

Neris Quill

A human scribe and archivist who studies the Vale’s ancient oaths and myths. Neris is skeptical of every new alliance but recognizes the necessity of action in the face of the Green Scourge.

Role: Knowledge contact; historian

Other Details: She has a personal interest in retrieving the Verdant Seed, believing it will unlock an ancestral memory that could turn the tide.

Olin Treetender

A dryad with a childhood memory of a time when the forest was clean and bright. He acts as a guardian of Sylvan’s Brook and is suspicious of outsiders who might exploit the forest for selfish reasons.

Role: Forest guardian; ally to the party when diplomacy is performed with care

Other Details: Olin has a fragile alliance with the Dryads that could fracture if the party harms the forest.

NPCs in The Shattered Expanse

Lady Nymara Vengeanceleaf

An elven envoy who fled the Moonshadow’s domain after a failed plan to secure a permanent alliance with the humans. She has since become a go-to contact for diplomatic talks in the Shattered Expanse and is known for her ruthless intelligence and careful diplomacy.

Role: Diplomacy broker

Other Details: She has a secret arrangement with a Skaven faction to obtain information; she’s willing to broker a temporary alliance if the party can secure a stronger commitment from the elves.

Bruun Ironroot

A dwarf veteran of the Ember Gate forge, Bruun has refused to leave the region even as the rest of his clan moved to other realms. Bruun’s knowledge of forging conditions and the region’s volcanic hazards is unmatched; he can train the party in certain smithing techniques.

Role: Mentor and smith

Other Details: Bruun has a deep, hidden grievance against the orcs he once faced during a long-ago war; he may reveal a tactic that stops the Scourge’s assault if the party earns his respect.

Kethar Deepsky

A skaven scavenger who can speak to the party about the Shattered Expanse’s underworld. The scavenger trades information for safety and gold, and he knows where to find a stash of ancient scrolls and weapon artifacts.

Role: Info broker

Other Details: Kethar is a trickster who could double-cross the party if he’s given a chance; he’s dangerous but useful if properly managed.

Ayara Moonveil

A human mage who served as a ambas for the Vale’s court but who has settled among the forest’s guardians. Ayara’s magic is subtle and potent; she can cast illusions or grant the party a protective ward when necessary.

Role: Magical mentor

Other Details: Ayara is haunted by a memory of a time she betrayed a trusted ally; she’ll risk everything to fix her past and ensure the party succeeds.

Torekash the Shardsinger

A female orc shaman who was once a voice of the old world’s orcs before Gorlath’s corruption. If freed, she could teach the party how to read the Green Scourge’s power and perhaps pivot some of the orcs away from the corruption.

Role: Spirit guide

Other Details: Torekash is a potential enemy or ally; she could be defeated to gain power, or she could join the party if the player characters prove themselves trustworthy.

NPCs in Isle of the Drowned King

Archduke Morcant of the Dread Court

A tall, pale necromancer who leads the undead empire’s day-to-day operations, a strategist who values life as currency and deals with cunning in a way that makes even ghoulsqueamish.

Role: Ruler of the undead island

Other Details: Morant’s loyalty is to his people; he remains suspicious of living who would try to control him, and would betray the party if they threaten his empire.

Captain Rhaine Blacktide

A pirate-turned-admiral who commands undead ships, she travels the undersea lanes around the island. She’s cunning, loyal to her people, and capable of turning a fleet against any foolish foe.

Role: Naval strategist

Other Details: Rhaine is a traitor and a friend; she would join the party if the party can show true loyalty to her cause.

Vespera Nyed

A necromancer who has kept her vow to serve a living king, but now sees a future where the living realize they need help to defeat the orcish menace. She could become an unexpected ally if given a chance.

Role: Advisor

Other Details: Vespera has a personal debt to the party that could be redeemed with a dangerous bargain.

Orin Tidewatch

A captain who leads a ghostly guard of the watch and who has a long memory and a love for the sea. He is not fond of the living and would prefer to live on the island’s edge; but he might help if the party can prove their resolve.

Role: Coastal guardian

Other Details: Orin has an old grudge against a rogue living in the expanse; his help would be essential for preventing an invasion from the coast.

Nereida Saltbone

A fossil-hunter who has studied the island’s wrecks and is rumored to have found a map to additional vaults connected to the Scourge’s lairs.

Role: Treasure hunter

Other Details: Nereida is a cunning operative who could become an ally or enemy depending on how the party treats her.

Factions

The Verdant Covenant

The Verdant Covenant is a fragile alliance between the elves of Moonshadow and the humans of Verdant Vale. Its purpose is to preserve nature and the living world by maintaining a balance of power between the surface kingdoms. They believe that the world’s beauty is the only path to lasting peace, and their stewardship of the forests and rivers makes them an essential ally. The Covenant’s leadership is a blend of elven noble houses and human rulers who share a long history of diplomacy and war. The Covenant seeks to protect life in all its forms and to prevent any single faction from dominating the world’s lands. Their rituals emphasize unity and trust; they believe that a unified surface under a common cause could present a strong barrier to the Green Scourge’s march and the corruption that follows.

Goals

Protect life and forest; foster alliances with surface kingdoms; fight the Green Scourge with cunning diplomacy and strategic warfare.

Relationships

With Other Factions
They seek to recruit both the dwarves and humans, and they distrust the undead; they are wary of Skaven but are open to crude alliances for the sake of survival.
With Players
The Verdant Covenant invites the players to demonstrate their worth as a partner; they will reward those who act in the Covenant’s best interests and will punish those who threaten the forest’s sanctity. They will be particularly receptive to players who show a willingness to protect nature and abide by oath-bound promises.

The Ironbound Dominion

The Ironbound Dominion is a compact of dwarven clans and certain human factions who value iron, furnace, and blade above all else. They see the Green Scourge as a direct threat to their mountain holds and their forging traditions. The Dominion’s strength lies in their structure, discipline, and resourcefulness. They favor a pragmatic approach: fortify the hills, siege the orcish towns, and secure the forges that supply the surface kingdoms’ arms. They are suspicious of other races’ politics and prefer to decide for themselves. They are willing to form alliances but require strict terms and guaranteed access to the forges to ensure their people’s future.

Goals

Secure strategic forges; push back the Green Scourge; establish a formal alliance that guarantees dwarven autonomy and surface supply lines.

Relationships

With Other Factions
They distrust elves’ ecological emphasis and human political games; they respect humans’ leadership when they prove their decisions will favor dwarves, and they are wary of undead as potential necromancers who would subjugate their people.
With Players
The Ironbound Dominion will respond to players who demonstrate a willingness to commit to the forges’ safety; they demand the players’s obedience on key fronts and will reward those who prove themselves useful.

The Undying Fleet

The Undying Fleet is an undead empire secluded on an island. Its leadership rules by the sunless calendar, creating cycles of ritual violence and ritual healing. They hold a deep history of transmutations and necromantic research. They’ve long harbored a mutual interest with the Green Scourge: the orcs’ power could be used as an instrument to spread death across the surface. The undead empire wages a quiet war with the world’s living; they want to redefine what is “alive” in a way that ensures their people’s survival beyond the mortal plane. The Undying Fleet’s culture blends ancient necromancy and sea warfare; their ships drift along the coasts like moving mausoleums, their soldiers wearing skulls as armor and using bone blades.

Goals

Expand the undead empire’s influence; discover a means to extend their rule beyond their island; exploit the Green Scourge’s power to secure a stronger on-surface presence.

Relationships

With Other Factions
They prefer to manipulate factions from the shadows, and they have an uneasy relationship with the Covenant’s ecological aims. They distrust the dwarves due to their forging and the humans for their political creeds; they would work with them only if it benefits their survival.
With Players
The Undying Fleet is a dangerous ally and an even more dangerous foe; the players must be careful to avoid triggering a full-scale necromantic assault, or a spiritual backlash that would see the party turned into an army of the dead.

Main Questline

The Verdant Accord

Given by: Queen Alara Verdanteye

The Verdant Accord marks the opening of the campaign: three factions—the humans of the lower valleys, the elves of the river and woods, and the dwarves of the high mountains—must set aside centuries of feuds to face a threat that could destroy all life on the surface. The Green Scourge, led by Gorlath the Corrupt, have bred monstrous orc armies that threaten to spill onto the surface and colonize the lands above. The party’s first task is to broker an alliance between these factions and secure a surface presence that can oppose the orcish threat. They will start by solving grievances, negotiating treaties, and retrieving relics to prove the alliance’s viability. Their actions here will determine the campaign’s future; if they fail, the war will become a world-ending nightmare. If they succeed, a fragile alliance can stand a chance against the Green Scourge.

Goals

Secure an alliance among humans, elves, and dwarves; retrieve relics to prove the alliance’s viability; prepare for the coming conflict.

Reward

A coalition of three factions; access to alliance resources; a shared magical artifact that can reveal hidden threats

Secrets

  • A high-ranking advisor in the Verdant Vale covertly works for Gorlath; discovering this betrayal is essential for the alliance to function.
  • The Verdant Seed is a seed of life with the potential to heal or corrupt the forest; it could be weaponized in the wrong hands.

DM Notes

The party must handle political negotiations under pressure; their diplomatic choices shape the campaign’s course.

The First Pact’s Sparks

Given by: Lyra Windwalker

The alliance’s first test is to stop a raid led by Green Scourge deserters; the dwarves’ forges, elven glades, and human towns must survive; the party’s choices—whether to strike at the orcs’ supply lines or negotiate with the raiders—will define the alliance’s viability. If the party can hold the line and gather the surviving villagers, the alliance’s future becomes clear; if not, the Scourge will press their advantage.

Goals

Defeat the raiders; secure a safe route to the valley; preserve civilians; gain their trust.

Reward

5000 XP; a pact that binds three factions to the party; three minor artifacts

Secrets

  • One of the deserters is the sibling of a notable elf; their emotional conflict could lead to a betrayal or a powerful ally.

DM Notes

The party will face moral decisions about sacrificing the many for the few; this is a test of their willingness to risk a broader alliance to save the many.

The Heart of Verdure

Given by: Neris Quill

The Verdant Seed must be found and studied; the party must locate the seed, examine its power, and determine if it can save the forest or become a threat to the alliance. The seed’s power is not to be taken lightly and must be used to heal the land’s wounds rather than destroyed to prevent a future catastrophe. The seed’s power will reveal hidden routes and grant resistance to certain magics for a time, but it will also drain life from those who overuse it.

Goals

Obtain the Verdant Seed; evaluate its power; decide how to use it.

Reward

7000 XP; a seed of life that can heal or empower; a cloak that protects against the effects of rot

Secrets

  • The seed’s energy grows with each use; prolonged exposure could alter the party’s souls in unpredictable ways.

DM Notes

This is a moral decision point: the seed may tilt the balance toward salvation or corruption, requiring careful, heart-driven choices.

The Gorlath Crown

Given by: Archduke Morcant

Gorlath’s influence has begun to spread across the mountains and to surface. The party must locate the Crown of Gorlath—the artifact that powers the Shaman’s corrupt magic—and decide whether to destroy or redeem it. The crown’s power is a temptation that could convert the party into weapons or a force for good; it also serves as a symbol of the Shaman’s control. The Shadow Orcs pursue the party’s steps, and the crown’s danger grows with every use.

Goals

Find the crown; decide its fate; either destroy or redeem it.

Reward

8000 XP; the Crown Necklace that grants control over certain classes of undead; a relic from the dwarves that allows the wearer to walk through lava for a short time

Secrets

  • The Crown’s power can be used to control a portion of the orcish army; controlling a faction could turn the tide of war.

DM Notes

The Crown is a moral choice; it can either empower the party or doom them to the same path as Gorlath.

Gorlath’s Fall

Given by: Lyra Windwalker

The final battle to stop Gorlath’s invasion will be fought on the surface and in the underworld as the Scourge’s armies push to overtake the surface world. The party will have to coordinate with the alliance’s leaders and muster enough power to strike at Gorlath’s own fortress beneath the mountains. The battle will require careful leadership and careful risk assessment: the party will have to push Gorlath out of power while ensuring their alliance holds and that no one turns on the other side. The final confrontation is not only physical but a moral test: will the living find a way to protect the world, or will they succumb to a darkness that destroys them all?

Goals

Defeat Gorlath; seal the Green Scourge’s unholy power; secure lasting peace.

Reward

A lasting peace; a powerful combined weapon; and a new dawn for Verdant Vale

Secrets

  • Gorlath carries a failed memory that could reveal how he came to be a corrupted shaman and how to reverse his corruption if the party can break it.

DM Notes

The final battle demands cooperation and foresight: the party must recruit all factions and keep them aligned to win. The future of the world will rest on the players’ decisions.

Side Quests in Verdant Vale

The Silent Herbarium

Given by: Olin Treetender

In the forest’s quiet lies a hidden herbarium, tended by a reclusive druid who has kept a careful list of all the plant-life the forest uses to heal or to harm. The party must rescue a rare plant that has been stolen by a hunter who intends to sell it to the undead’s island merchants.

Goals

Defeat the hunter; recapture the plant; return it to the herbarium to survive.

Reward

1200 XP; a blooming seed that grows into a plant that can cure a deadly disease; a potion that grants a small amount of temporary flight.

Secrets

  • The druid’s herbarium contains a map to a dead grove in the mountains that can purify the valley but will die if the orchard’s heart is destroyed.

DM Notes

This quest adds a tie to the forest’s guardians, their memory, and the power of plant life.

The King's Ledger

Given by: Queen Alara Verdanteye

The King’s Ledger, a treasured record book of Verdant Vale, has gone missing after a skirmish on the river. The ledger contains details of fealty, tax records, and a codicil to the Verdant Oath. If the ledger falls into the wrong hands, someone could weaponize the Vale’s internal politics or use it to pressure the Crown into a harmful peace. Your task is to recover the ledger before it is sold to the highest bidder or used to coerce the Vale’s leadership. The ledger is rumored to be in the Gloomroot Warrens, guarded by a shambling guardian and a band of scoundrels who want to destroy the Crownwatch’s power.

Goals

Recover the ledger, identify the forger who altered the Verdant Oath, and determine if the oath’s changes are valid or a trap.

Reward

3000 XP; a map to a hidden vault; a modest gem worth 350 gp

Secrets

  • A coded page in the ledger hints at the Verdant Seed's location and how it might be used to purify the forest's corruption.
  • The ledger’s codicil reveals that the Verdant Oath was altered centuries ago by a mysterious benefactor; the party may use this to bargain with the forest’s guardians.

DM Notes

This quest is a primer on alliance-building; victory here signals future trust between the Vale and other factions. It should emphasize exploration, diplomacy, and a few skirmish encounters with bandits.

Whispers Beneath Crownwatch

Given by: Captain Joren Vass

A troupe of healers, clerics, and smugglers use the old tunnels beneath Crownwatch to treat the Vale’s wounded but also smuggle contraband. The party is asked to root out the smuggling ring and locate the hidden stash of magical artifacts that the ring has hidden away. The camp’s leader is a cunning elf-woman named Tethiel of the Moonwrights. The hidden stash includes a ring of stealth, a potion of growth, and a blade with a runed edge that hums when orc magic is near.

Goals

Root out the smugglers; secure the stash; ensure the artifacts are returned to Crownwatch vaults.

Reward

1500 XP; a charm of protection; 1,000 gp worth of magical items from a vendor.

Secrets

  • The smuggling ring has a mysterious benefactor who is a scout from the undead island—an ally to the Green Scourge.

DM Notes

This is a stealth-and-diplomacy challenge; avoid a full-scale skirmish if possible. The ring’s mastermind could be a future ally or a dangerous foe.

Harvest of Leaves

Given by: Lyra Windwalker

The forest’s harvest festival was ruined by a creeping mold that has infected crops and threatened to starve the Vale. The festival’s harvest wine has become bitter and likely dangerous. The party must locate the mold’s source and remove the blight, returning the forest’s harvest to health.

Goals

Find the origin of the blight, purify the seed, and restore the harvest.

Reward

2000 XP; a magical herb with healing properties; a blessing from the forest that grants advantage on Nature checks for a time.

Secrets

  • One harvest seed survived the blight and stores a memory of the old elven guardians that brainwashes those who touch it.

DM Notes

This quest emphasizes ecological balance and introduces the party to the forest’s guardians.

The Hidden Grimoire

Given by: Neris Quill

In the Crownwatch Library rests ahidden Grimoire that holds a ritual that can temporarily seal a portion of the Gp Scourge’s influence on the Vale. The Grimoire was copied by a rival. The party must locate the original copy, recover it from a rival's armory, and return to the Crownwatch library.

Goals

Recover the true Grimoire; thwart the rival; return the Grimoire to Crownwatch vaults.

Reward

3500 XP; a spellbook containing a new school of magic; a scroll with a safe teleportation route.

Secrets

  • The rival faction intends to use the Grimoire to enact a ritual that could subjugate the Surfaces to its will.

DM Notes

This quest highlights the political complexity and the need for cunning in the face of rival factions; pack with traps and a few illusions.

Side Quests in The Shattered Expanse

Breached Anvil

Given by: Bruun Ironroot

A rival faction uses an old forges to produce weapons for the Green Scourge; the party is tasked with breaching this forge and destroying the forgemaster’s supply to stop the order’s spread.

Goals

Infiltrate the rival forge, destroy the supply of weapons to the Scourge, and kill the forgemaster if possible.

Reward

2500 XP; a set of forged anti-corruption weapons; 600 gp

Secrets

  • The forgemaster is a former ally who turned to the Scourge to protect his family from a deeper threat.

DM Notes

This quest presents the party with tough moral decisions; sometimes it’s prudent to negotiate rather than kill.

The River’s Whisper

Given by: Lyra Windwalker

The river’s whisper is a myth among the Vale’s people; a whisper of a living being that can reveal secrets if the party can lure it out from the water’s depths. The party is asked to locate the Whisper and get it to reveal the location of a hidden path to the Skaven’s treasuries.

Goals

Find the Whisper; coax the path out of the water; obtain the relic.

Reward

1800 XP; a water-breathing talisman; 500 gp

Secrets

  • Whispers in the river reveal a hidden cavern containing a relic that can shield the party from mind-control magics.

DM Notes

This quest emphasizes the Vale’s watery guardians and their power over life and death.

The Silent Orchard

Given by: Olin Treetender

The corrupted orchard demands to be salvaged; the party must perform a sacred rite to end the blight’s spread and allow the orchard to heal, or risk losing the Vale’s lifeline to the forest.

Goals

Perform the rite; ensure the orchard heals; learn the rite’s true nature

Reward

3500 XP; a living seed that can grow into a protective tree; a ring that grants the wearer nature mastery

Secrets

  • If the rite is performed wrongly, the orchard will become a portal that summons the Green Scourge into the Vale.

DM Notes

This quest tests arcane and spiritual knowledge as well as the party’s patience and empathy for nature.

The Lost Banner of the Mountain Guild

Given by: Bruun Ironroot

The Mountain Guild’s banner, a symbol of a pact among the dwarven clans, has gone missing. The party must search the Ember Gate for the banner, which is being sold to the highest bidder. The banner holds the last known location of the original Forge that created the Prime Steel.

Goals

Find and recover the banner; return it to Bruun, who will use it to rally the dwarves.

Reward

4000 XP; a dwarven-made shield that resists magic; 800 gp

Secrets

  • The banner’s disappearance was a setup; it was a trap to reveal the party’s intent to aid the dwarves.

DM Notes

This quest highlights trust with the dwarves and reveals the possibility of forging a stronger alliance with the dwarven smiths.

The Veiled Pact

Given by: Lady Nymara Vengeanceleaf

Nymara asks the party to secure a new pact with an elven faction that has refused to commit to the human-dwarf alliance. The pact requires a demonstration of mutual trust and a sacrifice that the elves are unwilling to make: to give up something precious.

Goals

Prove to the elves that the alliance will be beneficial to them; deliver a token of trust that can be honored by the elves.

Reward

3000 XP; a spell scroll; an elven ring of stealth

Secrets

  • The pact’s terms are crafted to include a clause that would only benefit the elves, making it a questionable alliance for the party.

DM Notes

The pact will be a turning point for the alliance; the party must weigh the trade-offs of this alliance.

Side Quests in Isle of the Drowned King

The Rot Crown’s Trial

Given by: Archduke Morcant

The Rot Crown must be worn by those who would wield it; wearing it is a trial that tests the wearer’s resolve and their ability to resist the crown’s corruption. The party must help Morcant find a suitable host and prove that they will use the crown’s power responsibly. If they pass, the crown’s power becomes their ally; if they fail, the crown consumes them, and the party must free them before the rot spreads.

Goals

Identify a suitable candidate; perform the ritual; secure the crown’s loyalty.

Reward

6000 XP; a crown that grants necromancy-based spells; a favor from Morcant

Secrets

  • The crown’s power can be transferred through a ritual that will allow the party to control the undead ships.

DM Notes

This quest invites moral decisions about power; it tests the party’s control of their own destinies and their willingness to sacrifice their own safety for the greater good.

The Sea’s Memory

Given by: Captain Rhaine Blacktide

A spectral memory manifests on a stormy night, the memory of a long-dead mariner who knows the island’s true history and the path to a vault that holds a map to a powerful artifact that could help the party’s defense.

Goals

Find the memory; hold it; access the vault’s map.

Reward

4000 XP; access to a spectral map; a trinket that grants fleeting invisibility

Secrets

  • The memory’s truth is easier to accept than it should be; it is a memory bound to an artifact from the expanse.

DM Notes

Involves nautical combat and spectral foes; the memory’s truth could reveal a hidden weakness in the Scourge’s plan.

The Shattered Vaults

Given by: Vespera Nyed

Vespera has learned of a vault down in the island’s bone-chambers; she asks the party to retrieve a specific artifact that might help them shut the Green Scourge’s power. If the artifact is misused, it could distort reality and cause incredible harm. The vault’s guardians are a set of living bones that can only be defeated by cunning rather than force.

Goals

Enter the vault; retrieve the artifact; leave alive.

Reward

3500 XP; a bone blade that drains life energy; a warding stone

Secrets

  • The vault’s guardians are bound to the living; killing them could cause the vault to collapse and release an enormous plague.

DM Notes

The guardians require puzzles and non-lethal tactics; this quest reinforces caution and strategic thinking.

Encounters

Ambush at Whispering Pass

Medium

Suggested Level: 5-7

A narrow pass in the mountain range, where a party of Green Scourge troops and their skirmishers spring from hidden ledges, forcing the players to fight while watching for falling rock and a sudden gust that can push them off the path.

Creatures

  • Twisted Orc Grunt
  • Grimblade Shaman
  • Giant Bats (as aerial support)

Terrain Features

Rocky ledges; sudden rockfall hazard; narrow path; a cliff edge.

Treasure

2 potions of healing, a shortbow +1, a map fragment showing a valley path

DM Notes

The terrain adds to the tactical challenge; use a weather effect to alter line of sight.

The Glassridge Assault

Hard

Suggested Level: 7-9

A group of orcs attempt to breach a glass-fort line built of the expanse’s glassy rock; the party must disrupt from multiple angles while the fortress takes a beating from lava and a magical wind that tears at banners.

Creatures

  • Orc Chieftain
  • Lava Elemental (ambient)
  • Glass Golems

Terrain Features

Glass sharp edges; lava geysers; erupting vents

Treasure

A glass blade that shatters into shards when used; a ring of fire resistance

DM Notes

Requires coordinated attacks with the alliance; treat as a siege scenario where court politics matter.

Murkweft Confluence Rush

Medium

Suggested Level: 4-6

The Skaven outpost beneath the confluence is attacked by a tower of earth elementals and quicksand pits that reveal themselves as you cross to reach the vault.

Creatures

  • Skaven Warlock Engineer
  • Earth Elemental
  • Giant Rat Swarm

Terrain Features

Quicksand pockets; shifting floor; water hazards

Treasure

Skaven cog-themed necklace; a scroll of corruption purge

DM Notes

The outpost holds critical information for the party; ensure a non-lethal option exists to gather intel.

Azure Reef Specters

Easy

Suggested Level: 3-5

The Azure Reef near the Undead island hides specter pirates, undead cattle, and a ghostly chieftain who demands tribute; a fight ensues in the reef’s labyrinth of coral.

Creatures

  • Specter Pirate Captain
  • Wraith**, 2
  • Zombie Deckhand

Terrain Features

Ghostly fog; coral mazes; fast-moving currents

Treasure

Ancient compasses that can reveal hidden doors

DM Notes

A dungeon exploration with underwater sections; use water-breathing spells; watch for environmental hazards.

Verdant Glade Conflagration

Medium

Suggested Level: 5-7

A glade is burning from inside out; corrupted trees attack anyone who approaches. The party must cleanse the glade and find the source of the burning.

Creatures

  • Fire Treant (corrupted)
  • Twig Blights
  • Fire Elemental

Terrain Features

Living trees; moving branches; glowing embers

Treasure

A staff of flames; a talisman of forest healing

DM Notes

Coordinate with druidic allies; this fight tests control of nature’s power.

Magic Items

Verdant Seed

Very Rare
A seed of living energy capable of healing or corrupting plant life depending on how it is used.

Location

Verdant Grove; Green Scourge raids

Attunement

Yes; attuned to the forest’s guardian or to a druid’s order

Heart of Ember

Very Rare
A living ember bound to a ring that can temper weapons with elemental power and grant minor flame resistance.

Location

Ember Gate Forge

Attunement

Yes

Crown of Rot

Legendary
A necromantic artifact that can bend undead, but at the cost of the wearer’s grip on their moral compass.

Location

Obsidian Keep; Rot Crown’s Trial

Attunement

Yes

Ring of Stealth

Very Rare
A ring that grants the wearer the ability to move unseen for short periods.

Location

Whispers Beneath Crownwatch

Attunement

Yes

Staff of Verdant Memory

Rare
A staff that can reveal hidden doors after you recall an oath’s memory.

Location

The Silent Orchard

Attunement

Yes

Shield of Fireward

Rare
A dwarven shield that resists fire-based spells; a symbol of alliance between dwarves and the forest guardians.

Location

Glassforge Grotto

Attunement

Yes

Whispering Dagger

Uncommon
A dagger that can whisper the truth about a target if used in the right circumstances.

Location

The River’s Memory

Attunement

No

Bolt of Sea-Glass

Rare
A magic projectile that can pierce through the toughest undead shields.

Location

Azure Reef Specters

Attunement

No

Locket of Moonlit Pacts

Uncommon
A locket that glows softly under moonlight; it helps you sense when a pact is about to be broken.

Location

The Veiled Pact

Attunement

No

Hammer of the Mountain’s Heart

Very Rare
A warhammer that can shatter corruption and strike with earth’s memory.

Location

Ember Gate Forge (Brorik Ironfist’s gift)

Attunement

Yes

Player Characters

You need to register to create and view player characters in this campaign.

Register Now