Moonstone Hollow

"Moonstone Hollow" (C1.S06.1) is a one-shot in the first campaign of The Vanguard.

## Synopsis

General Grom, the elder leader of House Iron Wall, greets the new initiates with the simple task of traveling to the town of Moonstone Hollow and retrieving a rare mineral that bears the same name. The hope of saving the halfling rogue and a member of House ShadowHand, Ash Valen, is beyond the reach of the guild clerics and healers. Using the moonstone, House Sentinel's Grace believes they can extract the rogue's last memories to unravel the mystery of his death.

The Vanguard has chosen new initiates Susan Goodstreet, a tiefling ranger who is accompanied by her pet panther cub Lady Edmund, Nune Thunderpunch, a hobgoblin fighter, and Sparklez, the half-elf rogue. Initiate Min, a kobold bard, seeks to complete their training, becoming a full-fledged member and joining House Iron Wall. The party gathered supplies and made their way out of Waterdeep. Following the High Road, they reached Moonstone Hollow in three days and without incident. As dusk fell upon the party, they arrived to find a town in chaos and ruin. The streets are mostly empty, save for a few citizens staggering in a dazed and confused state. While only a few buildings still stand, Althea's Apothecary has several people standing in line as a few exit the establishment. At the north end is the Bank. It has become a sanctuary for the citizens who hear the curfew bells. As soon as the party got close, a door swung open, and a deeply concerned man urged the party to get inside before dark. They quickly obliged and slipped inside the bank.

The town's mayor, a halfling named Winston Chamblefoot, welcomed them and informed them that they had moonstone, but it was in the quarry, which was under werewolf control. He explains that Ophelia Darkwood, a sorceress who vanished after causing the accident, started the curse ten years ago. They were then introduced to Aiden Steelheart, the town's blacksmith and the first to become the beast in the pale moonlight. Aiden reveals that if it were not for Althea, the herbalist, stumbling on a cure, he would have killed the entire town. For years, Althea tried to recreate the cure, but until recently, she was unable to. Since her discovery, Althea has tried to make as much of the cure as possible but is running out of supplies. Aiden suggests talking to her and hopes she arrives soon. As if on cue, Althea arrives at the bank. Her usual grace seems different, and the party notices it. She seems in a hurry and tries to answer the inquiries of guildmember Susan Goodstreet and Sparklez the Rogue. Althea tells the party that she needs a plant called Lagrima de Luna and that the party should rest and meet her at her apothecary the following morning.

At Althea's apothecary, Althea seems distracted and not quite herself. Aiden, who accompanied the group, seems alarmed and points it out to the party. Althea explains that the flower only blooms in the moonlight and is found near the Moonstone Quarry. She gives each party member a lycanthropy anecdote potion and tells them to drink it before they enter the quarry. As night fell, the group made its way to the Moonstone Quarry. Using gnarled trees and muddy terrain as markers, Susan Goodstreet, the ranger, kept the group on the path. As they reached the herb grove near the quarry, the howling sounds of the werewolf pack preparing for a hunt filled the air. They each drank the herbalist's potion as a precaution while Min, Sparklez, and Susan looked for Lagrima de Luna, with Nune Thunderpunch keeping a watchful eye out for danger. As they found each plant, Sparklez deftly removed the delicate flower and put it in her bag. Nune heard sounds coming from a nearby cave and took a defensive posture. From within the cave, a mother werewolf and her two pups stepped forth, begging the party to leave. She explained that she was exiled from the pack and was hiding to protect her family. As the werewolf hunting party drew closer to the herb grove, the party sprinted down the path back toward the hollow. The werewolf mother offered a diversion, but the party was discovered anyway. With the pack bearing down on the adventurers, Nune Thunderpunch began to cast Bonfire. Igniting the forest as they traversed the narrow, slippery path, they managed to keep the pack off of them, making their way to safety.

When they returned to Althea's Apothecary to deliver the herb, they found signs of a struggle, and it appeared that Althea had been kidnapped. Winston arrived and was distraught, begging the party to save Althea. Gathering what silver weapons they could, the brave guild members returned to the quarry and prepared for a fight. The opening was eerily quiet as the werewolf captains gathered in the center of the quarry around what appeared to be Althea, the herbalist. As the party approached, they saw Althea's shape change and morph into Ophelia Darkwood. She addressed the werewolves with a resounding speech about liberation and revenge until she spotted the party. She cried out for the pack to protect her while she began the ritual. As the fight raged, Ophelia was able to complete the ritual and summon Fenrix the Devourer. He needed to feed in order to complete his journey to the material plane and fill the room with a powerful howl. The party became overwhelmed with fear as the potion they took wasn’t to stop lycanthropy but to enhance its effects. Struggling with fear, Susan the ranger tried to repeatedly attack but couldn’t find the mark. Nune and Sparklez overcame their fear and charged forth, taking on the pack head-on. Min, on the other hand, had a different approach. They decided that taming this creature was a better idea. Min leaped on the back and grappled with the werewolf, who tried to attack, and wrestled him to the ground. After several moves later, Min not only manages to subdue the creature but also causes him to revert to his human form, thus taming him. Min wasn’t done there, as they set eyes on another wolf in the pack. Nune Thunderpunch rushed directly for Fenrix and was bitten and clawed several times before Susan finally overcame her fear and joined the fight. Sparklez kept her assailants at bay, firing crossbow bolts at the sorceress in an attempt to bring her down. Min found their way to another wolf and grappled with that one as well. In the chaos, Susan Goodstreet managed to severely injure Ophelia, allowing Sparklez to make the killing strike. With Ophelia dead, Fenrix's form was sent back from whence he came. and at that moment, all the werewolves reverted back to their original form as the curse was finally lifted.

Returning to the town, the party received a hero's welcome and a very large piece of moonstone for them to bring back to the guild.

## Guild Dispatches

The following are messages from the guild members who participated in the mission. They contain valuable information the guild can use to piece together clues.

> *No guild dispatches available yet.*
>
>

1. ↑ Be aware that this is told from the player’s perspective of the adventure. Details and happenings may have been presented with some liberties taken to fill in the blanks from poor memory and scribbled notes. Other players should be asked about their views of what happened, and are also welcome to type their stories to share.