In a world long-since forgotten, in an age

none can remember . . .

Brigandry in the Barrens A HEROES OF THE LONELY HEARTH TALE

DAY BREAK on the LONG ROAD . . . the WIDOW TYBALT and her
entourage prepare to break camp after a night's stay in the shelter of a
pine stand somewhere between the LONELY HEARTH INN and
STILLSTONE CITADEL.

It is a busy scene – SQUIRES and PAGES saddle the horses and assist the
KNIGHTS and MEN-AT-ARMS don their armour. Pots, pans and supplies
are loaded up on the wagon train and the backs of the pack mules.
Waterskins are refilled from the a nearby stream while MORIEN forages
for food on the edge of camp. As NATALIE dismisses her TINY HUT, the
WIDOW'S CANON leads some of the men in a morning prayer.

As the day brightens, the sun begins to burn away the last of the
morning mists. In short order, the party will be back on the road and
bound for the castle-town of KINGSREACH in the KINGDOM of
HIGHGUARD . . .
SYNOPSIS
The Widow Tybalt's retinue is attacked by brigands on the
Long Road – but there is clearly more afoot than a random
act of highway robbery.
QUESTIONS:
Group: While Morien has agreed to join your company, he
nevertheless remains a bit of an enigma. He is friendly
enough towards each of you, and at times carefree and
frivolous, but you have noticed that he tends to cut short any
conversations that start get too deep or personal. You have
fought along side him on several occasions now, and feel you
can trust him, but you'd be hard-pressed to call him a true
friend, since you hardly know anything about him and he
seems to be uninterested in learning anything about you.
How do plan to handle your relationship moving forward?
Rowan: This morning, the Widow Tybalt invited you to join
her and her Canon at breakfast. Over the course of
conversation, the topic of the village of Fallholt came up. She
reveals to you that a new alderman has been put in place,
someone you know. Who is this person and how do you feel
about them?
Natalie: Since departing the Lonely Hearth, you can't help
but notice that Sir Cameron, the younger of the Widow
Tybalt's Household Knights seems rather smitten with you.
At least twice now, he has attempted to extend some sort of
chivalrous courtesy to you. How do you respond to his
advances, and do you do it publicly or in a more discrete
manner?
Sciv: The Widow Tybalt's young Court Wizard Quentin Is
intrigued with you and sorcery in general. He explains to you
that every noble in Highguard that he has ever met has had a
Court Wizard in their service. In fact, the King of Highguard
had Red Goblin by the name of Spew serving as his Court
Wizard. A memory suddenly crystallizes in your brain – Spew
no longer holds this honoured position. What became of
him?
One brigand will respond something to the effect that the
laws of the Four Kingdoms do not apply in the Barrens. She
BRIGANDS!!!
will reply that perhaps he is right, in which case she will not
At the edge of camp, obscured by the morning mists, you can extend the courtesy of quick death and simply have them
see Morien, busy harvesting roots and berries. Suddenly, the eviscerated and left to bleed out instead.
elf stands bolt upright, his hands going for the longbow slung She promises to spare the first man who can tell her where
over his shoulder. their main encampment is.
With blinding speed, he pivots and ducks, narrowing
avoiding the swing morningstar of a masked rider who Regardless, one prisoner (Hedge) will begin to weep and beg
abruptly materializes through the gloom, urging his mount for mercy. He grovels pathetically, pleading to be spared. He
forward, towards the main encampment. A split-second blurts out the location of the camp – some freeholder's
later, dozens of other similar masked marauders, rush hilltop domicile about a league to the southwest from here.
towards you, weapons poised!
He warns that there are about a dozen men there, including
the brigand second-in-command and the wizard and his ogre
Encounter:
cohort they have recently started running with. Thye are
A large band of mounted Brigands attacks the camp. Though
holding the sage who lived there (a gnome) and his wife
there are over a dozen, the Pcs are only concerned with 5-6
captive. The main entrance is heavily guarded, but he knows
Brigands (Standards).
a secret way in.
Mounted Combat Rules Primer
Fallout:
1/2 movement to mount or dismount (no action)
The Widow Tybalt orders the captive brigands to start
Reaction to leap off a falling mount landing on feet
digging graves for the dead. Her men deserve a proper
Controlled mounts = same initiative, move + dash,
burial, save for Sir Benton and his squire, who will be
disengage or dodge as extra action
interned in Highgaurd soil.
Independent mounts = maintain individual initiative,
DM determines actions
She appeals to the Heroes, asking them to have the prisoner
Horse attacks = Hooves +6, 2d6 bludgeoning
show them where the brigand camp is and the secret way in.
Warhorse attack = 20 feet straight movement +
She wants them to sack it. Bring back those who surrender,
Hooves + STR 14 or prone
and deliver justice to those who refuse.
Aftermath:
THE BRIGAND BASE
At least half of the Widow Tybalt's host will be slain. Most of
After a little more than hour of riding into the frontier, you
the dead will be the Men-at-arms, several pages and some of
spot it – a stony hill rising up from the earth in the distance.
the servants. Sir Benton will fall and so does his squire.
Perched atop of it is a rather large cottage-like structure that
Tybalt's Canon, Brother Malcolm will be gravely injured,
looks like as though at least some of it is built right into the
having lost an eye. Several horses and a pack mule are dead.
hillside. It shares elements of both Dwarven and Elven design.
A trail of blue smoke drifts lazily up from one of it's several
Someone will notice that the brigands are lightly equipped
and carry no provisions aside from their waterskins. There chimneys – suggesting someone is home.
must be a main camp nearby.
Hedge has warned you that if you that the main approach is
guarded. He suggests you scale the steep side of the hill and
The Widow Tybalt will order any surviving brigands be
come in from the back of the place, through the vegetable
rounded up and put in irons. She tells them that they
patch and the garden door – which will get you into the root
attacked a Noblewoman of the Four Kingdoms, a act
cellar.
punishable by death.
Encounter:
Root Cellar:
The garden door is locked by means of a simple padlock. It
opens into a damp root cellar where several bushels of
vegetables and herbs are stored.
 • A wooden door, kicked in (basement hallway)
• Secret Door (passage to stable)
Basement Hallway:
Dark, with several doors that appear to have been kicked in.
Conversation from one room. Stairs lead up at one end of
the hall.
• Larder with salted food.
• Pantry with jarred preserves.
• Ale cellar (2 Brigands trying to find wine).
• Stairs (up to scullery and kitchen)
Stable:
Made for 4 horses/mules and a wagon, presently stuffed
with 6 riding horses. One of the bay doors is open slightly,
horses can be heard snorting outside.
• Bay Door (to side yard)
• Stairs & Wooden Door (Locked, to cloak room hall)
Scullery & Kitchen:
A Brigand watches Gilda Skygazer prepare meals for the rest
of his fellow brigands. (She has been attempting to poison
them for some time now, with foxglove).
• Wooden door to Basement Hall
• Hallway to Dining Room
Cloak Room Hall:
This corridor leads to the parlour (voices can be heard).
• Cloak room (filled with cloaks!)
• Mud room (filled with boots)
The Parlour:
The parlour has been taken over by a several Brigands who Several parchments worth of correspondence that seem to
use it as their barracks. The parlour features a great field-
stone hearth, a low oak table and three plush, wing back
chairs. Three great, leaded bay windows look out over the
front yard and the main approach.
• Loot from recent raids is spread all over this room. Large round chamber dominated by a series of suspended
• Double doors (to main entry vestibule)
Main Entry Vestibule:
Large room with great double doors, oak stair case to upper
floor, and two sets of smaller double doors.
• Stairs to Double Doors (upper hallway)
• Great Double doors (front yard, main approach)
• Double doors (parlour)
• Double doors (dining area)
Dining Area:
This area has been occupied by Brigands and turned into a
barracks. Another massive stonework fireplace, a pair of
great leaded bay windows overlooking fish pond. The long
table is covered in spoils, dirty dishes, empty bottles.
Several Brigands lounge here.
• Double doors (vestibule)
• Double doors (to kitchen)
• Secret door (
Upper Hallway:
Wide and spacious, curves, wood panelled with several sets
of doors.
• Door (master bedchamber)
Door (guest bedchamber)
•
• Door (bath and latrine)
• Double Doors (library and study)
• Stairs (up to Observatory)
Library & Study:
This large room contains Gibb Skygazer's books and tomes.
It contains a beautiful mahogany desk which has been taken
over by the brigand captain and his second in command, who
along with the Ogre have Gibb tied up and are questioning
him.
Treasure:
A gold signet ring belonging to Palantian trader Ashar
Gashoni
outline the establishment of some sort of truce between
several rival bandit groups operating in the Barrens.
Observatory:
glass lenses for viewing the heavens. The Krondarian Wizard
Rasmussen has summoned a Air Elemental and as practising
his control over it.
Rasmussen (Standard Caster)
Air Elemental (Elite)
Damage Resistances: lightning, thunder; bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks.
Damage Immunity: poison
Condition Immunity: exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed,
petrified, prone, restrained, unconscious
Whirlwind (Recharge 4-6.) Each creature in the elemental’s
space must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw. On a failure,
a target takes 15 (3d8+2) bludgeoning damage and is flung
up 20 feet away from the elemental in a random direction
and knocked prone. If a thrown target strikes an object, such
as a wall or floor, the target takes 3 (1d6) bludgeoning
damage for every 10 feet it was thrown. If the target is
thrown at another creature, that creature must succeed on a
DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and
be knocked prone. If the saving throw is successful, the
target takes half the bludgeoning damage and isn’t flung
away or knocked prone
Treasure:
Coin of Fortune – Use as part of action requiring a d20 roll.
Call heads or tails. Success = Natural 20, Failure = natural 1.
Can only ever by a person once.
CONCLUSION:
Should the heroes return to the Widow Tybalt's host they
will see that graves have been dug and filled, and Brother
Malcolm is performing last rites.
Tybalt has decided to put the brigands back in chains and
take them back to Highguard where they will become serfs
of House Tybalt.
Serfs who abandons their obligation to their liege can be put
to death.