D20 SYSTEM✦ Normal

The Ashes of Emberfall

# Investigation# Urban# Wilderness# Dungeon

A tragic fire during the Harvest Festival has consumed the town's central granary, leaving Emberfall facing starvation and chaos. The townsfolk blame the reckless youth of the Sparkler's Guild, while the Guild insists their pyrotechnic traditions are safe and vital. You arrive to find truth buried beneath ash and accusation. Veteran players will navigate a web of desperate survival, rigid tradition, and a conspiracy that threatens to ignite the entire region.

Chronicle Prelude

The soot-stained town square of Emberfall, where the smoldering remains of the grand granary stand as a grim monument. Crowds of angry, hungry townsfolk are clashing with a small group of defiant, ash-streaked youths in ornate, fire-resistant gear. The town watch struggles to keep order.

Environmental Traits

Emberfall is a town built on the edge of the vast, untamed Cinderwood. Its survival depends on the annual Harvest Festival and the stored grain. The granary fire has not only destroyed their food but also breached a long-sealed, unstable alchemical storage vault beneath it, threatening to cause a chain reaction that could devastate the surrounding woodlands and towns. The fate of the region hangs on uncovering the true cause and deciding who—or what—must be sacrificed to stop the impending catastrophe.

Legendary Archetypes

Rayan

HP:45

STR:16

WIS: 12

CHA:11

Key Factions & Autonomous Nodes (8)

Council Leader Hilda
A tall, severe woman in her late 50s, with iron-grey hair pulled back in a tight bun. She wears the dark, functional robes of the Civic Council, devoid of ornamentation. Her face is etched with fatigue and grim determination.
Guild Master Kael
A middle-aged man with soot-streaked, passionate eyes and nimble, scarred hands. He wears a reinforced artisan's apron over travel clothes, adorned with the Guild's ember-and-cage symbol. He moves with a distracted, energetic intensity.
The Widow Moira
A gaunt, middle-aged woman with red-rimmed eyes, wearing a simple, ash-dusted dress. She clutches a singed shawl tightly around her shoulders. Her gaze is distant, but sharpens with focus when discussing the night of the fire.
Finn, the Young Spark
A teenager in the tattered remains of a Guild apprentice's uniform, his face smudged with soot and tears. He hides in a hollowed-out log, flinching at every sound. His hands are stained with unusual, greenish chemical residue.
Alchemist Theron (Trapped)
A muffled, frantic voice echoing from behind a heavy, sealed vault door. Scratching and tapping sounds accompany the speech. The speaker is invisible but clearly panicked and knowledgeable.
Siege Engineer Borin
A stout, gruff dwarven man in heavy, practical leather armor, his beard braided with metal clasps. He carries a large satchel of tools and surveying equipment. He eyes the unstable ruins with professional disdain.
Cinderwood Alpha
A massive, quadrupedal creature seemingly formed from smoldering vines, cracked obsidian, and pulsating fungal growths. Its body radiates a dull, orange heat, and embers drift from its joints. It guards a narrow, less-toxic path through the blighted forest.
Alchemical Elemental Guardian
A towering, vaguely humanoid form coalesced from swirling, multicolored alchemical vapors and crystallized magical residue. Its core glows with a volatile, pulsating light. It is a manifestation of the breach's unstable energy, summoned to protect its epicenter.

Chronicle Prelude

Environmental Traits

Legendary Archetypes

✦ Related Cases ✦

The Azure Catastrophe

The Cindered Lanterns of Aethel