Loxcombe forest has been consumed by wildfire. Most of it has burnt itself out but there are still many blazing pockets pouring smoke and heat into the landscape. Five miles from the edge of the forest on the Yarr river is Jwixleigh Fort. Thanks to the river and its distance from the forest, the fort is unharmed by the fire but the smoke and the heat made the structure almost unlivable when the wildfire was at its greatest. Now that the flames have died back, it is time to search what remains of the forest for survivors and for answers. What was that great green streak of fire that crashed down into the forest and started this inferno? A distress flare has been seen from where Loxton village used to be, could there be survivors there?
This party of adventurers will be first to leave the fort. They’ve each been given a talisman of heat protection that each have five charges that will protect the wearer from heat for five minutes. The party also has three wands of deluge and two wands of foam, each also with five charges. Amongst the first aid supplies there’s a stone of fresh water fountain to create a pure water spring for an hour and a stone of water purification that can be used once to completely cleanse one hundred litres of water. The quartermaster would have liked to have provided the party with more, but this was all the useful equipment they could find. Amongst the people who sheltered in the fort are Miiko Sarensen who asks the party to look for their elderly mentor, a wizard called Thruda del Parsa, Jens Fowler who is looking for his brother and his family, and Principal Arn who wants you to retrieve a very important lockbox from the post office in Loxton village.
What is left of the forest is hot. The ash and smoke that pour from the embers and the still burning pockets make it difficult to breathe and even harder to see. As the party tries to make their way to Loxton village, their path will be blocked by the remaining fires. Navigating around these will take precious time as the party can only withstand the heat and pollution for so long and any survivors are suffering just as badly. But putting out these fires will take up precious resources that the party might need later.
As they party makes their way to Loxton village, they may encounter:
- The path taken by the party brings them alongside a raised row of burnt trees that are now little more than charred trunks. As the party passes them, the damage becomes too much for one of them and with a crack, it topples. This causes a cascade that sees the entire row falling down the hillside towards the party. Even if they escape unharmed, a fog of ash and cinders has been kicked up into the air.
- The river is more ashen sludge than water but it still flows in its ravine. The bridge here has not been spared by the fire and so most of the wood is covered with a layer of charring. It creaks in the breeze and there are still smoulder sections on the far side. Great care must be taken not to overload the bridge or it will collapse into the polluted water below.
The village of Loxton has been almost destroyed by the fire. Of what was fifty buildings, what remains are smoking outlines and the burnt husks of the buildings made of stone. The only building that is mostly undamage is the temple in the centre of the village by the cross roads. Inside are the haggard survivors, numbering only a third of the population. They are lacking in water, food, and medicine. Many are burned and all are suffering from smoke inhalation. There are several corpses placed carefully in one corner, those who did not survive until the party arrived. The village well is polluted with ash and a dead dog. Amongst the village ruins, the party may also encounter:
- An old mage is wandering around with a hand cart of books. They are barely managing to hold the cart up enough to push it along. They are shattered with grief and are so tired that they are barely able to communicate. Their name is Thruda del Parsa and they lived in a short tower four miles to the north. It is all gone now; their life’s work, their familiars, and their library.
- A group wearing bright red robes arrive in the village. Their faces are covered but they all wear the sigil of the fire god Intagnix. They are not here to help, but are instead here on a pilgrimage. They intend to finish what the fire has started and purge any unburnt remnants of life they find. They wield conjured weapons of flame and cast only fire magics. Beneath their robes they are all covered in deep burns scars.
- The post office was one of the few buildings made of stone. The core of the building has survived and protected the contents but these are now being looted by half a dozen heavily armed bandits. They have a horse and cart parked outside and are hurriedly moving in and out of the post office with armfuls of whatever they can find. Amongst the loot in the cart are possessions taken from the rest of the village. The bandits are in no mood to negotiate but are also not interested in a fight to the death. If engaged, they’ll fight to defend their retreat.
From the village, a plume of green smoke can be seen coming from a distant crater. On the way from the village to the crater, the party may encounter:
- The burnt wreckage of a large coach crushed beneath a fallen tree. There are no survivors and barely anything is left to identify the deceased beyond them being a family of four. A fallen piece of metal amongst the ash reveals itself to be the Fowler family crest that once adorned the side of the coach.
- A grove of oak trees that is completely untouched by the fire. The tribe of sprites that lives within the grand tree at the centre have used their magics to keep the fire away and purify the smoke out of the air. They would greatly prefer to be left alone but they can be negotiated with to temporarily take in survivors from the village.
- A pack of ash imps are feeding greedily on the ashen remains of the forest. They guzzle along the floor and snap burnt bark off the trunks of the dead trees. When the party approaches they scuttle up into the branches and gurgle incoherent threats. Once the pack has built themselves up into a frenzy, they’ll attack the party with swooping dives from above.
At the crater, the green smoke is coming from openings in a perfect cube of rock, four metres along each side. Though there are scorch marks on the outside of the cube, it is otherwise undamaged. The same cannot be said of the surrounding landscape. The crater is forty six metres across and all the surrounding vegetation has been flattened and burnt to a crisp by the cube’s impact. A few moments after the party arrives at the crater, the rock cube cracks open and a being made of green flame emerges. It unfurls itself to be three metres tall and hostile. It doesn’t seem to speak or comprehend anything that is said to it. It will attack until it is defeated and it is very vulnerable to the extinguishing foam.
Further Plot Hooks:
- Amongst the cube is a green crystal that pulses. The frequency of the pulses changes as the crystal is moved about, indicating a direction for further investigation.
- On returning to Jwixleigh Fort, the party hears rumours that other green meteors have been spotted across the continent. This will require further investigation.
- The impact of the meteor has opened up a nearby mountain, from which a new evil spreads. Perhaps the power contained within the meteor could be of help.
Image Credits: 20200925-FS-AugustComplex-MM-005 by Pacific Southwest Forest Service, USDA CC-BY-2.0, 2743 by US Geological Survey CC0.