THE BLIGHT

Nature’s Decay

When nature itself is held hostage,

what becomes of the world?
Overarching Plot
eep inside the vast jungle of illirad, a small

D
village struggles to survive as their druid fell Town NPCs
ill to a misterious sickness. Following his Although most of the adventure will take place outside
illness, the forest has become sick as well. of the town, there are still some important NPCs that
The water have become undrinkable, fruits can aid the characters or ask for their help.
began rotting, and dark beasts took the place The Mayor (Silvak Bloodwood)
of the beutiful wildlife that was once there.
The sickness is caused by the arrival of a Spirit Naga A proud wood elf, wearing simple, but respectable
to the forest. In order to cure the sickness, the players clothes, has been in charge of the town for many years
will have to slay the creature in its layer, allowing the now. He is well regarded by the townsfolk, and is known
forest to heal itself. as a leader that care of his people. Despite all that, he is
This one shot is designed for a group of four 5th level a diplomat and cannot go himself to cleanse the Blight,
characters, but can be played with more or less players so he asks for the character’s help.
for varying difficulty. Payment. If the players ask for payment, the mayor
will offer them 100 gp collectively (or only for the
Plot Hooks characters who request payment), but can be persuaded
To get the players invested in the story, some to give up to 300 gp in exchange for the help.
Aid. Although the town hasn’t got much to spare, if
connection must be had between the plot and and the the characters ask for his help, he will offer them a 50%
characters. Since each player will have their own discount on all goods in town.
background in mind, included here are multiple plot
hooks that can be of intrest to various characters. Feel The Town Cleric (Myrana Ily)
free to choose one or more of those plot hooks, or come A dark skinned human, wearing ceremonial armor, with
up with your own. her silver hair tied up in a bun and golden earing with
Local Hero purple gems inside them, Myrana is a kind soul, who
If the characters live in Ilirad, they have a direct interest dedicates her life to helping others. Although she is
in curing the sickness. The sickness began about a usually busy healing and helping the sick while the
month ago, and the village is hanging by a thread. If the druid defends the town, since he has fallen ill, she has
matter isn’t dealt with quickly, the whole town will go been tasked with tracking the source of the blight to
starving. send the characters there.
Assuming the characters are good aligned, they have She has managed to locate the direction the blight is
already contacted the mayor, who scheduled a meeting coming from, and will offer the characters a map with
with them to discuss what the next steps are. directions there. Although she is a very powerful cleric,
she has to stay in town and cannot help the players in
Hired Help their quest. She will however give them four Potions of
Healing and one Potion of Greater Healing to aid them.
The mayor, in a last ditch effort to save the place, have
called out to the characters for help, offering coin in The Blacksmith (Syth Neardar)
return. A young Elven woman, wearing simple, charred cloths.
The characters arrive to town and are scheduled to Her face is covered in soot, but her smile always shines
meet with the mayor, discussing both payment and plan. through it. She is hard working and dedicated, and
The mayor’s offer will begin at 100 gp, but can be always wished to. visit the city.
presuaded to go up to 300 gp if bargined with. Due to the recent issues, she cannot offer any aid to
Fighter for Justice the characters, but if they talked with the mayor, she
will give them the discount he offered.
The recent tragedy hasn’t gone unnoticed by nearby
temples. To help eliminate the evil that plagues the
forest, the characters are sent to aid the town and
cleanse the forest.
They arrive at town, scheduled to meet with the
mayor to discuss their plans.
On Their Way
After the characters finish their buisness in town, they
begin making their way in the direction the cleric
instructed them. In order to find their way, the players
have to succeed a DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check. On a
success, they arrive to the cave after three hours of
travel. On a failure they have the next encounter before
finding their way.
Wolf Pack
After four hours of travel, the players enounter a wild
wolf. The wolf is hostile, but will not immediately attack.
A successful Wisdom (Perception) check DC 13 will
reveal that five more wolves are hidden behind nearby
bushes.
The players can attempt to befriend the wolf or try to
escape without agitating it. The first will require a DC
15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check, while the latter is
DC 12. If the characters manage to befriend the wolf, it
will join them for the adventure, and will leave his pack.
If the characters fail either one of the checks or initiate
a battle, the wolf’s pack jumps out of the woods to
attack the players.
The pack consists of 4 additional wolves and 1 dire
wolf hidden behind the bushes. If the dire wolf is killed
during combat, the remaining wolves will attempt to
flee.
Experience Points. 900 XP

The Naga’s Lair

The Naga’s lair is in a putrid cave, with multiple caverns
guarded by gnolls.
1. Entrance 3. Mage Room
Outside the cave mouth are 3 gnolls, and a gnoll pack In this room is a mage reading books. If the players
lord guarding the entrance. Two of the gnolls are asleep open the door to this room, the mage does not look back
standing, while the pack and the awake gnoll are at them, and asks if they are here to see the master. A
playing cards on a small table. successful DC 13 Charisma (Deception) check will
The gnolls are hostile and will not let the players pass make the mage point them in the next direction,
in any condition. A successful DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) otherwise he will attack the players.
allows the characters to get within 10 ft. of the gnolls, In the dialogue between the players and the mage,
otherwise, the gnolls notice them from 60 ft. away. The mention “4 eggs, 5 snakes, and one emerging king”.
gnoll pack lord has a +1 Glaive the players can take. Experience Points. 2300 XP
Experience Points. 1500 XP 4. Trapped Pool
2. Egg Nest The pool’s water is dirty and putrid. In the enterance to
In this small cavern are 8 eggs in a nest. The players room 5 is a trip wire, if gone unnoticed, it can be
can destroy when they find them. avoided via a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw.
If the players take a short rest before finding the eggs, If the trap is triggered, poisonous water pour over and
four Night Serpents hatch, and four more hatch after cover the floor of rooms 4 and 5, turning them into
another short rest. The hatched serpents will remain in difficult terrain. A creature that begins its turn inside the
the egg nest until the trap in room four is triggered at water has to succeed a DC 10 Constitution saving throw
which point they go and attack the characters. They will or take 1d4 poison damage and become poisoned for 1
also join the Spirit Naga if not killed when encoutered. round.
Experience Points. 400 XP per group of four. In addition, a hidden door springs between rooms 5
and 6, closing off the water inside
5. Puzzle Room
If the trap in room 4 is triggered, a hidden wall erupts
up between this and the following room, closing off the
water inside. If the trap is avoided, the puzzle room can
be ignored.
This room has two cliffs on its sides, each with a
ladder leading up to it. On each cliff as well as on the
floor are three buttons numbered 1-9 that can be
pressed and locked in. In order to open the door and
allow the water to pour out buttons four five and one
must be pressed, in that order. Only one button can be
pressed on each wall at a time, and if three incorrect
buttons are pressed, the water level rises by 5ft.
The hidden door can be noticed with a DC 12
Wisdom (Perception) check, and can be either broken
down with a DC 20 Strength check (DC 15 collective),
or can be bypassed with a successful DC 15 Dexterity
(Slight of Hand) check.
6. The Naga’s Room
The Nagas room is big, and has a giant red circle
painted in blood on the floor. 12 torches light this room,
three on each wall. At the center of the circle stands a
spirit naga, that will attack the characters on sight.
When killed, the Naga screams “I will be back, you’ll
never close me off”, and evaporates into black shadows.
At the same time, a blood red portal opens in the center
of the circles. The players cannot go through this portal,
but they have to destroy the circle within 5 rounds, or
the Naga comes back with half its hit points.
7. Hidden Room
This room can be noticed with a successful DC 13
Wisdom (Perception) check and opened by a latch
mechanism.
In this room are plenty of messy notes, but a
successful Intelligence (Investigation) check will reveal
an important note.
To Gremkir
“if she gets out of control, destroy the circle after killing her.
She CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO ESCAPE”
Stat Blocks

Wolf Dire Wolf

Medium beast, unaligned
Large beast, unaligned
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 11(2d8 + 2) Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Speed 40 ft. Hit Points 22(3d10 + 6)
Speed 50 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 6 (-2) STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 15 (+2) 15 (+2) 3 (-4) 12 (+1) 7 (-2)
Skills Stealth +4, Perception +5
Senses darkvision 60 ft. Skills Stealth +4, Perception +5
Languages None Senses darkvision 60 ft.
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 Languages None
Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Pack Tactics. The wolf has Advantage on attack rolls against a

creature if at least one of the wolve’s allies is within 5 feet of the Pack Tactics. The wolf has Advantage on attack rolls against a
creature and the ally doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition creature if at least one of the wolve’s allies is within 5 feet of the
creature and the ally doesn’t have the Incapacitated condition
Actions
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6
+ 2) Piercing damage, and the target has the Prone condition if it Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 8
is Medium or smaller. (1d10 + 3) Piercing damage, and the target has the Prone
condition if it is Huge or smaller.

Gnoll Pack Lord

Medium humanoid (gnoll), chaotic evil Gnoll
Medium humanoid (gnoll), chaotic evil
Armor Class 15 (chain shirt)
Hit Points 49 (9d8 + 9) Armor Class 15/13 (hide armor, shield)
Speed 30 ft. Hit Points 22 (5d8)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 8 (-1) 11 (+0) 9 (-1) STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
14 (+2) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 7 (-2)
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Gnoll Senses darkvision 60 ft.
Challenge 2 (450 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2 Languages Gnoll
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

Rampage. When the gnoll reduces a creaturer to 0 hit points with

a melee attack on its turn, the gnoll can take a bonus action to Rampage. When the gnoll reduces a creaturer to 0 hit points with
move half its speed and make a bite attack. a melee attack on its turn, the gnoll can take a bonus action to
move half its speed and make a bite attack.
Actions
Actions
Multiattack. The gnoll makes two attacks, either with its glaive or
its longbow, and uses its Incite Rampage if it can. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4, reach 5ft., one creature. Hit: 4
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5, reach 5ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 2) Piercing damage.
(1d4 + 3) Piercing damage. Spear. Melee Weapon Attack: +4, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5
Glaive, +1. Melee Weapon Attack: +6, reach 10 ft., one target. (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage, or 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage if
Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) Slashing damage. used with two hands.
Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4, range 150/600 ft., one Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3, range 150/600 ft., one
target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2)Piercing damage. target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) ;Piercing damage.
Incite Rampage (Recharge 5-6). One creature the gnoll can see
within 30 ft. of it can use its reaction to make a melee attack if it
can hear the gnoll and has the Rampage trait.
Mage to hit with spell attacks). The mage has the following wizard
spells prepared:
Medium Humanoid (Drow), chaotic evil
Cantrips (at will): fire bolt, light, mage hand, prestidigitation
Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor)
Hit Points 40 (9d8) 1st level (4 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic missile,
Speed 30ft. shield

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 2nd level (3 slots): misty step, suggestion
9 (-1) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 17 (+3) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, fireball, fly

Saving Throws INT +6, WIS +4 4th level (3 slots): greater invisibility, ice storm
Skills Arcana +6, History +6
Senses darkvision 60 ft. 5th level (1 slot): cone of cold
Languages Common, Gnoll Actions
Challenge 6 (2300 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target.
Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage
Spellcasting. The Mage is a 9th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting
ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6

Night Serpent Spirit Naga

Tiny fiend, chaotic evil Large monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class 13 Armor Class 15 (natural armor)

Hit Points 14 (4d4 + 4) Hit Points 75 (10d10 + 20)
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft. Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
6 (-2) 19 (+4) 13 (+1) 6 (-2) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 18 (+4) 17 (+3) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 15 (+2) 16 (+3)

Skills Stealth +6 Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +5, Wis +5, Cha +6
Damage Vulnerabilites radiant Damage Immunities Poison
Damage Resistance bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing from Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned
nonmagical attacks Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 12
Damage Immunities necrotic Languages Abyssal, Common
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3
prone
Senses darkvision 60 ft.
Languages understands abyssal but can’t speak Spellcasting. The naga is a 10th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting
ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
attacks), and it needs only verbal components to cast its spells. It
has the following Wizard spells prepared:
Light Sensitivity. While in bright light, the night serpent has
disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) Cantrips (at will): mage hand, minor illusion, ray of frost
checks that rely on sight.
1st level (4 slots): charm person, detect magic, sleep
Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, night serpents
2nd level (3 slots): detect thoughts, hold person
can hide as a bonus action and has advantage on Dexterity
(Stealth) check. 3rd level (3 slots): lightning bolt, water breathing
Actions
4th level (3 slots): blight, dimension door
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit:
3 (1d4 + 1) necrotic damage, and the target must succeed on a 5th level (2 slots): dominate person
DC 9 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of
the night serpent’s next turn
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10ft., one creature.
Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 31 (7d8) poison damage.
The target must succeed a DC 13 Constitution saving throw,
taking the poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a
success.