Scene 0.1 — The World and the Darkness

Act 0 — Session Zero
The Age of Umbra
Read Aloud — The Setting

A century has passed since the God-King Othedias betrayed the Pantheon — the Veiled Gods — provoking divine punishment and abandonment. The realm known as the Halcyon Domain was left shattered, desolate, and eternally cursed. Throughout this shadow-choked land of decaying fortresses and dreadful monstrosities, surviving communities cling to hope in the face of lightless oblivion.

You'll play as heroic survivors who protect their community from the terrors beyond their walls, venture out into the unknown to hunt the nightmares that twist and grow with each fallen soul, seek answers to the curses that corrupt this world — and perhaps even discover a way to change its fate. Should you survive.

Read Aloud — The Umbra

The Umbra is not simply the dark. It is a force. An amorphous, wailing black mist with unknowable intelligence that sweeps like a storm across the Halcyon Domain. It calls to the souls of the dead, drawing them into its shape. It physically corrupts and transforms those it touches. When it draws near, everyone runs for the nearest Sacred Pyre and hunkers down until it passes.

You can almost always hear it wailing somewhere in the distance. When that wailing gets louder — run.

Read Aloud — Sacred Pyres

The only true places of safety in the Age of Umbra are the Sacred Pyres — massive bonfires burning ten, twenty feet or higher into the air. Communities build around these pyres. Entire family lines devote themselves to keeping them kindled. If a Pyre burns out, it cannot be restarted without a Blessed Branch — an artifact so rare that the youngest settlers consider it myth.

New settlements exist only where new Pyres have been lit.

Opening Questions — Ask Each Player

Use these after presenting the world. They establish tone and each player's individual relationship to the setting before characters are built.

GM Prompt

"What does the darkness mean to your character — dread, numb acceptance, strange fascination, or something else?"

GM Prompt

"What do you see when you stare into the Umbra too long? Faces? Nothing? Something staring back?"

GM Prompt

"The Veiled Gods abandoned this world a century ago. Does your character feel contempt for them, a faint lingering faith, or do the gods simply not enter into their thinking?"

GM Prompt

"What is the worst thing you have seen outside the walls?"

GM Note
These are tone-setting questions, not character sheet questions. There are no wrong answers. The point is to get everyone inhabiting the same emotional register before building starts.
Tone, Difficulty & Campaign-Specific Rules
Tone

Age of Umbra is explicitly darker and grimmer than standard Daggerheart. Establish this clearly with your players. Key points:

Tone Guidance

Death is possible and intended. This world does not protect survivors.

Resources are genuinely scarce. Every spent Hope, every marked Stress matters.

Heroism exists — but it is earned in the dark, not assumed.

Strength of Hate — Umbra-Touched Enemies

Certain enemies are designated Umbra-Touched by the GM. This modifies their critical hit range:

Umbra-Touched Critical Range
  • Standard critical: Natural 20 only.
  • Umbra-Touched critical: Natural 19 or 20.

GMs signal Umbra-Touched status through description, not announcement. Let the players feel the wrongness before they understand the mechanics.

Soul Blight & Scars

When a PC falls to 0 HP and chooses the unconscious death option:

Scar Mechanic
  • They take a Scar: permanently mark off 1 Hope from their maximum.
  • Each Scar increases damage output — the closer to the end, the more dangerous.
  • When the final Scar is marked: the character runs screaming into the Umbra. Permanent death.
GM Note
Scars are visible. NPCs and party members notice them. The most battered characters hit hardest — this should feel earned, not punishing.
The World of Halcyon
The Apostasy

A century ago, God-King Othedias and his Grand Ordinants crossed a divine line. The exact transgression is lost — most oral histories describe hubris, the abuse of Aetherweaving, or deliberate betrayal of the divine compact. The Veiled Gods responded by blanketing the realm in perpetual shadow and withdrawing entirely.

Cities collapsed. Wildlife mutated. Those who survived call themselves the Enduring.

Eternal Gloom & Strange Weather

The zenith of day is a dreary haze. Nights are black as pitch. Rains and erratic weather break the gray occasionally — more cursed regions host storms of vibrant, unnatural hues. Gloom breaks only over hallowed ground or on rare, unpredictable days when golden sunbeams or gossamer moonlight appear. These moments carry esoteric boons or curses.

Magic — Aetherweaving

The manipulation of the magical weave — Aetherweaving — was blamed for provoking the gods' wrath. It is feared and mistrusted in most communities. Living Aetherweavers are remarkable: met with awe, fear, and hostility in equal measure depending on the audience.

Those with Splendor domain abilities draw the sharpest reactions — some people project desperate hope onto them; others direct their hatred of absent gods through them. Players of magical classes should decide how openly their character uses their abilities and in front of whom.

Death Outside the Pyres

The Umbra calls to the souls of those who die unprotected. The dead — or what becomes of them — serve the darkness. Settlement communities maintain specific rituals for burning or releasing their dead before the Umbra can claim them. The monsters prowling the land are often former creatures and people transformed by this process.

Society & History

Most history is oral. Written records from the Old World are contraband in many communities — they may contain dangerous truths. Libraries survive in besieged fragments. Average lifespan: 30s to 50s. Reaching 60 in an exposed settlement is extraordinary. Anyone who lived before the Apostasy would be either impossibly old or something other than ordinary.

Scene 0.2 — Your Character & Desperloch

Act 0 — Session Zero
Building Your Enduring
Read Aloud — Desperloch

Desperloch. On the outskirts of the Jungles of Aveidoora, where the tree line meets the foothills of the Griefcleft Mountains. Built from the ruins and fallen stones of the Luzal Monastery above — whatever fell during the Apostasy became the foundation of what lives here now. A small, scraped-together settlement. Not glorious, but alive. Its Pyre burns. Its people endure.

Behind it in the mountains: ancient catacombs. A reminder that the Old World wasn't just lost. It was buried.

Questions — Character & Settlement

Work through these with each player as their character takes shape. Not all need formal answers — some are prompts for thinking.

Why Are You in Desperloch?
GM Prompts — Settlement Origin

"You were born here and know no other life. The Pyre is the only warmth you've ever trusted."

"You arrived from a settlement that fell, was overrun, or fell apart. You have nowhere else — yet."

"You're passing through, but something has delayed your departure longer than expected."

"You came looking for something specific: knowledge, a person, a relic, a rumor."

"You were driven out of your previous community — by choice, exile, or necessity."

What Is Your Role in the Settlement?
GM Prompts — Settlement Role

"Pyrekeeper: sacred duty, respected, but bound to the flame. Why would you leave?"

"Courier / Messenger: you travel the roads between settlements. You've seen things others haven't."

"Farmhand or Laborer: you keep the settlement alive. Underestimated. Indispensable."

"Scholar or Delver: you go down into the vaults. Not for glory — for answers."

"Outsider Tolerated: you arrived strange and stayed strange. Allies found, acceptance less certain."

Your Relationship to the Old World
GM Prompts — Faith & History

"Did someone in your past believe the Veiled Gods would return? Did you believe them?"

"Have you encountered a relic, inscription, or fragment of text from before the Apostasy? What did it mean to you?"

"Do you carry contempt for the gods who abandoned this world, a faint and inconvenient faith, or simply indifference?"

Adding to the Map

Each player may name one location on the campaign map — a ruin, a dangerous road, a lost place, a settlement they came from, a landmark only their character has seen. Suggestions:

GM Prompts — Map Locations

"A place you traveled to or through as part of your work or history."

"A place you lost someone, or escaped from."

"A place that appears in rumors you've heard — real or perhaps myth."

"A place you're drawn toward, even if you can't explain why."

GM Note
Names that evoke atmosphere give the world texture immediately. Encourage specificity — "the Screaming Forest," "the Ever-Shifting Sinkholes" tell you something. "Old Ruins" does not.
Classes, Heritages & Character Creation

Standard Daggerheart character creation applies. The following are campaign-frame additions and restrictions — note them before players build.

Ancestry Adaptations

Four ancestries behave differently in the Age of Umbra. For full rules text, refer to the Age of Umbra Campaign Frame in the official Daggerheart Core Rulebook. Brief notes for Session Zero conversation:

Modified Ancestries
  • Faeries: More sensitive to Soul Blight than other ancestries. Their appearance develops in jagged, monstrous ways as corruption accumulates.
  • Clanks: Originally built as vessels for holy spirits. Went inert when the gods withdrew — became statues. A moving Clank today carries something: a returning spirit, a new soul, or a fading divine echo. Ask: what animates you, and what has waking cost you?
  • Ribbets: Large (6–8 feet), prefer to move on all fours. More akin to massive bullfrogs than their standard depiction.
  • Drakona: Taller and more reptilian in build and movement — lean forward, tail-balanced, closer to predatory dinosaur than upright dragonborn.
Heritage Context

All six Heritage tracks are available. Campaign-relevant context for each:

Heritage Tracks
  • Highborne: Old World affluence. These communities fell hardest when the gods withdrew. Rare, often crumbling from within.
  • Loreborne / Orderborne: Ties to temples, libraries, or surviving institutions from the Old World. Besieged and precious.
  • Underborne: Subterranean communities — retreated underground when the surface became too dangerous. Darkness problems of a different kind.
  • Slyborne / Ridgeborne / Wanderborne: Road-wise, opportunistic, or displaced. They know the world between walls — and what lives there.
Magic — Player Guidance

Aetherweavers (Bards, Druids, Rangers, Rogues, Sorcerers, Wizards): Consider how openly your character uses their abilities. Aetherweaving can draw awe, fear, or violence depending on the community.

Seraphs and Wizards (Splendor domain): Divine abilities draw the sharpest reactions — desperate worship from some, displaced hatred from others. Decide how guarded your character is before play begins.

Suggested Experiences

No Experience is required — these are prompts for characters rooted in this world:

Suggested Experiences
Historically Inspired / Antiquarian, Calloused Hands, Well-Traveled, Reading Between the Lines, Spineless Coward (cowardice as survival: adrenaline, misdirection, speed), Soothing Presence / Soothing Music, Nothing Up My Sleeve, Lending Aid Unnoticed.
Desperloch & the Griefcleft Region
Desperloch

A settlement of roughly 300 people on the eastern edge of the Jungles of Aveidoora, at the base of the Griefcleft Mountains. Built from fallen monastery debris. Protected by its Sacred Pyre and the Slagwall. Governed by a three-person elected council called the Triarch. Adjacent to the Luzal Vaults beneath the mountains.

The Griefcleft Mountains & the Luzal Monastery

The Luzal Monastery crowns a sheer cliff above Desperloch — one of the holiest sites of the old Halcyon Domain, built by the Grand Ordinants. When the Apostasy came, part of it fell into the valley and became the foundation of Desperloch. The surviving structure stands above, inaccessible by the cliff face alone.

Scholars of Luzal and Delvers excavate the underground catacombs seeking relics, knowledge, and a route upward.

Okros

The settlement with the largest and brightest Sacred Pyre in the known Halcyon Domain. Visible from most points in the region — used as a navigational landmark. Located east of the Screaming Forest.

Amber Reach

The former capital of the Halcyon Domain under God-King Othedias. Still standing in parts — now occupied by scattered pocket societies amid ruin. Contains the ruins of the Celsian Athenaeum, the greatest library of the Old World. Located over a mountain range from Desperloch. A source of ancient knowledge and ancient danger.

Scene 0.3 — Connections & the Road Ahead

Act 0 — Session Zero
Party Connections & the Void Question
Establishing Connections

Before the first session, each character should have at least one established connection to each other party member. Use the prompts below as starting points — they don't need to be formally answered, but at least one should be made concrete per pairing.

Connection Prompts
GM Prompts — Connections

"What lie have you told someone in the party that they believe?"

GM Prompt

"What small, secret competition do you share with another character? Remember: rations are thin. Something trivial becomes fraught when food is scarce."

GM Prompt

"What favor have you asked of another character that only they could provide?"

GM Prompt

"What promise did you extract from someone — to carry something on should you fall?"

GM Prompt

"Who among the party do you believe is most important to protect — and why?"

GM Prompt

"What irritates you about another party member that you have never said aloud?"

GM Prompt

"What do you grab onto — literally or figuratively — when the darkness closes in?"

GM Note
At least one connection should involve a specific debt, promise, or secret — something that creates narrative tension before the first session begins. The others can be lighter.
The Void Question
Optional Content — Use Late in Session Zero

When you're ready to go deeper, ask each player this final question:

GM Prompt — The Void Question

"What do your character's eyes look like when they stare into the Umbra too long? Not mechanically — narratively. What does the darkness give back to them?"

The answer reveals something true about each character. It doesn't need to connect to a mechanic. It just needs to be honest.

Resting Outside the Pyres
Lurking Darkness — Rests Away from a Sacred Pyre

Whenever the party finishes a Short Rest or Long Rest while not in the vicinity of a Sacred Pyre, the GM rolls a d12:

1–2: Ambush

A monstrous adversary found you in the dark. Immediate ambush encounter.

3–5: GM gains 2 Fear

The darkness presses closer. Something knows you're here.

6–9: GM gains 1 Fear

Restless shadows. Distant sounds. The night is not kind.

10–11: Nothing Happens

An uneasy silence. Rest comes, if not easily.

★ 12: All players gain 1 Hope

A brief, inexplicable break in the gloom — a breath of warm air, a shaft of pale moonlight. Something almost like peace.

GM Note — Approximate Odds
~17% immediate ambush, ~58% Fear gain, ~17% nothing, ~8% Hope boon.
Keeping Watch — New Downtime Action

One character may spend their downtime action to Keep Watch. They describe how they stay vigilant. Then, when the GM makes the Lurking Darkness roll, the watching player rolls their Hope die and may choose to replace the GM's result with their own.

Keeping Watch — Trade-off
  • Cost: One fewer downtime action for healing, armor repair, or Hope gain.
  • Benefit: A chance to mitigate the worst outcomes of the Lurking Darkness roll.
Wider World & Known Locations
The Firmament's Harrow (Peak)

A peak in the Griefcleft Mountains, visible from Desperloch. Named by settlement inhabitants — firmament: deep sky, heaven; harrow: a wound, a scar. "The sky scar." What this peak contains or why it pulls attention is unknown at the campaign's start. A gate structure discovered deep in the Luzal Vaults may be connected.

The Screaming Forest

A stretch of forest east of Desperloch, between Desperloch and Okros — a route many must travel. Absolutely silent: no animal sounds, no wind through leaves. Trees have grown to resemble humanoid figures, mouths open, eyes wide in apparent terror. When wind comes, trunks and hollows produce flute-like moans.

Rules passed among travelers: don't leave the trail, don't look up. People die there and are never found.

The Ever-Shifting Sinkholes

An area of unstable ground southeast of Desperloch. The sinkholes move — slowly, but they shift over days and weeks, making maps useless. A known hazard for couriers and traders on certain routes. At least one traveling companion has been lost here.

The Idle Hollows & the Lumon Ruins

A wetland region in the central-southern Halcyon Domain. Contains the Lumon Ruins — a structure on an island, hard to reach. Its purpose is unknown. Some report it appears in dreams: doorways of light, water around a glowing entrance. Possibly a place of pilgrimage or dread.

The Astrofoundry

Ruins to the north. Rumored to have been a site of astronomical or celestial ritual in the Old World. Current state unknown.

The Ashen Seas & the Floating Orchard

The ocean bordering the known region. Named for its color. Islands may exist beyond it — as yet unexplored. Just off the coast near Desperloch: the Floating Orchard, a mass of kelp and seaweed with rare, delicious berries — if you can reach them through the creatures that claim the surrounding water.

🗺️ Exploration

Scene 1.1 — Return to Desperloch

Act 1 — The Howling Dark
Coming Home Through the Dark

This scene opens Act 1. The players are returning to Desperloch from a mission outside the walls. The specifics of that mission are left deliberately open — ask the group what they did, or roll on the Mission Table in the Mechanics tab.

GM Note — Scene Purpose
This scene replaces a traditional cold-open. Instead of the GM dictating what happened, the players co-author their first shared experience. It establishes the world's danger, the relief of homecoming, and the Slagwall as a boundary between survival and oblivion. Ask the players to describe the mission — or roll a d6 on the Mission Table (Mechanics tab) and let the result spark conversation.
Read Aloud — The Approach

The jungle thins. You can smell the iron before you see it — that particular tang of the Slagwall, heated by torchlight and baked into the stone by years of forge-fire. The trail beneath your boots is well-worn here, the vegetation beaten back by Vigil patrols. Somewhere behind you: the sounds of the jungle you just crossed. Clicking. Rustling. The occasional low groan that could be wind through hollow trunks — or could be something else entirely.

Ahead, rising against the eternal gloom: the Slagwall of Desperloch. Four to six meters of compressed boulders, ruin debris, and molten iron fused into one brutal barrier. Torches burn along the top. You see the silhouettes of Vigil guards. And beyond the wall — barely visible, but warm and alive — the glow of the Sacred Pyre.

You made it back. Now you just need to get inside.

GM Prompt — The Mission

"You've been outside the walls. What was the mission? What did you go out there to do — and did it go the way you hoped?"

Let each player contribute a detail. Who led the group? What went wrong? What did they bring back — or fail to bring back? If the group needs structure, roll a d6 on the Mission Table in the Mechanics tab.

GM Prompt — What It Cost

"The Halcyon Domain takes something from everyone who walks outside the walls. What did it take from you this time? An injury? A piece of gear? A certainty you used to hold?"

Gaining Entry
Read Aloud — The Slagwall Gate

You approach the eastern gate. The iron-bound doors are shut — as they always are after dark. A horn sounds from the wall: one sharp blast. Arrival. Torches shift above as Vigil guards reposition. A voice calls down from the rampart — gruff, practiced, bored in the way that only people who are terrified every night can sound bored.

Vigil Guard

"Who goes there? State your names and business. Slowly. Hands where I can see them."

The players must identify themselves. The Vigil will not open the gate without verbal confirmation from someone they recognize. A simple Presence Roll (Difficulty 10) lets them talk their way in swiftly. If they carry something valuable from the mission — supplies, herbs, salvage — mention it for Advantage.

GM Note — Horn Signals
One sharp blast = arrival. One long tone = threat neutralized. Two rapid blasts = active danger. Mention these in passing — they will matter later in the campaign.
Ghosthook on the Wall

As the group waits, a figure appears on the rampart — enormous, silent, carrying a jagged blade that catches the torchlight. Ghosthook Branwythe. He watches the jungle behind the players. He does not speak. He never does. But his presence means the Vigil takes this entrance seriously.

Outcome: Quick Entry vs. Delay
If the party gains entry quickly (Success on Presence Roll)

The gate opens. As the players step through, they hear something behind them — a low skittering from the treeline, the snap of a branch, clicking sounds moving through the undergrowth. But the gate is already closing. Transition to Scene 1.2 — Safe Arrival path.

If the party delays at the gate (Failed roll, argument, or exploration)

The jungle does not wait. If the players spend too long outside the wall — debating, exploring, or simply failing to convince the Vigil — the darkness delivers a reminder. Transition to Scene 1.2 — Animal Ambush combat path.

Mission Table (d6)

If the players need a prompt, roll a d6 or let them choose. Each mission draws from the Halcyon Domain's established geography and dangers. Adapt freely.

🎲 1 — Herb Run: The Floating Orchard

The party sailed a makeshift raft to the Floating Orchard — a mass of kelp and seaweed off the coast of the Ashen Seas, bearing rare medicinal berries. Truvo requested the ingredients for a salve against infection. The water creatures were territorial. Someone nearly drowned. The berries are fragile and half-crushed. Reward: Truvo gains enough material for 3 healing doses.

🎲 2 — Courier Run: The Screaming Forest

The group carried a sealed message to Okros — the settlement with the largest Sacred Pyre in the Domain — and had to cross the Screaming Forest. The silent trees. The hollow moaning when the wind came. The rule: don't leave the trail, don't look up. Someone looked up. They won't talk about what they saw. The message was delivered. The reply is a single word scratched on bark. Reward: Trade credit with Okros. GM gains 1 Fear.

🎲 3 — Salvage Run: Monastery Debris Field

Fallen stones from the Luzal Monastery litter the slope between Desperloch and the cliff face. The party was sent to recover usable building material — iron fittings, carved stone blocks, anything the settlement can repurpose. The debris field is unstable. Something was nesting in the rubble. They got what they needed, but one crate slid down the slope and shattered. Reward: Building materials for a Slagwall repair. One player marks 1 Stress.

🎲 4 — Scouting Run: The Ever-Shifting Sinkholes

The Triarch asked for an updated route-map through the Ever-Shifting Sinkholes southeast of Desperloch. The sinkholes move — slowly, but enough to make last month's map a death sentence. The party spent two days marking safe ground with cairns. One cairn sank overnight. The new map is incomplete but better than nothing. Reward: Safe passage route (usable once). One player may clear 1 Stress from the satisfaction of a job done.

🎲 5 — Escort Mission: Displaced Settlers

A small group of displaced settlers — five people, including two children — was spotted by a Vigil patrol near the Griefcleft foothills. The party was sent to escort them safely to Desperloch. The road was longer than expected. The Umbra's wailing was louder than usual. One of the settlers kept stopping to pray to the Veiled Gods. The children are now safe inside the walls. Reward: +1 Hope for each player. The Triarch owes a small favor.

🎲 6 — Recovery: Delver Equipment Cache

A previous Delver expedition into the Luzal Vaults left a supply cache at a secondary entrance — torches, rope, rations, a crate of blue-flame fuel. The entrance collapsed weeks ago, but can be reached overland through a narrow ravine. The ravine was infested. The cache was partially raided by creatures already. What remains is still valuable. Reward: 6 blue-flame torches, 3 days of rations, 40ft rope. Something in the ravine followed them out.

Gaining Entry
Presence Roll — Gaining Entry
  • Presence Roll · Difficulty 10
  • If the party carries supplies or salvage from the mission: Advantage
  • If nobody in the party is recognized by the Vigil: Difficulty increases to 13
Locations
The Slagwall of Desperloch

The outer defensive wall — compressed boulders, ruin debris, and earthen mass fused with molten iron. Approximately 4–6 meters high. Handholds allow skilled climbers to ascend. Vigil guards patrol the top continuously. Gates on the eastern side, guarded and opened only on demand.

The Jungles of Aveidoora

Dense jungle in the Halcyon Domain's eastern region. The canopy is so interwoven that almost no light penetrates. Hanging vines move without wind. The Umbra's mutation has disfigured the wildlife — even familiar creatures are barely recognizable. Paths exist but are reclaimed within days.

Key NPCs
Ghosthook Branwythe
Wildborne Human
he/him
A legendary Vigil hero with few words and a long history behind him. Carries a huge, jagged blade. Known for numerous successful tours through the Domain. Does not speak to those he saves — he simply acts.
Hook: Has no need for conversation. Might he know someone the players are looking for?
Lore
The Vigil

The armed defenders of Desperloch. Trained fighters who guard the Slagwall and the Sacred Pyre. Some moonlight as Delvers — warriors who descend into the Luzal Vaults. The best among them carry near-legendary status. Ghosthook Branwythe is their most famous living member.

⚔️ Combat / Exploration

Scene 1.2 — Animal Ambush

Act 1 — The Howling Dark
GM Note — Two Paths
This scene has two branches depending on how Scene 1.1 ended. If the party gained entry quickly, they witness the creatures from safety and meet Eryn at the gate. If they were delayed and caught outside, they fight — and Eryn meets them after the battle. Both paths converge at Truvo's tent.
Path A — Safe Arrival

Use this path if the party succeeded on their Presence Roll and entered Desperloch without delay.

Read Aloud — What Followed You

The gate closes behind you with a groan of iron and stone. You are inside. The warmth of Desperloch's Sacred Pyre reaches you even here — a faint pulse of heat against the chill. One of the Vigil guards raises a hand for silence. Everyone listens.

From the other side of the wall: skittering. A wet, rapid clicking — like claws on stone, but too many, too fast. Then a deeper sound. Something heavy shifting through the underbrush, displacing branches with a dry creak. Through the arrow slits in the Slagwall, you catch glimpses in the torchlight: dark shapes, low to the ground, with spines of blackened bone along their backs. Eyes like red embers. Dog-sized rats — four, five, more — pouring from the treeline in a frenzied pack. And behind them, barely visible against the bark and shadow: something larger. Armored. Patient. Its surface ripples as it moves, matching the jungle around it — chitin plates shifting like a living camouflage. A tail curls upward, tipped with something wet and sharp.

The Vigil archers take aim. Ghosthook Branwythe watches from the rampart, unmoving. The creatures pace along the wall for a long, awful minute — then melt back into the jungle as quickly as they came. Whatever they were hunting, they did not find it tonight.

GM Note
This is a show-don't-tell moment. The players were minutes away from being caught outside with these creatures. Let the relief sit. Let them look at each other. Then introduce Eryn.
Eryn at the Gate

As the players step away from the wall, a young dwarven woman is waiting by the inner gate path. Wild hair, sharp eyes, arms crossed. Eryn Loathroot — experienced Delver, Garrick's daughter, and someone who clearly expected their arrival.

Eryn Loathroot

"You're back. Good — I was starting to think I'd have to come out and get you."

She glances toward the Slagwall, expression darkening.

Eryn Loathroot

"Those things out there — the rats, the scorpion — they're getting bolder. Used to be you'd only see packs like that deep in the Aveidoora, nowhere near the walls. Now they're right at the gate. My father has old monastery records — texts from the Luzal archives, before the Apostasy. They describe cycles when the Umbra's corruption surges and the wildlife pushes closer to the Pyres. The scholars called it a 'darkening tide.' The last one ended a settlement." She pauses. "That was sixty years ago. Before anyone here was born."

GM Note — Lore Connection
Eryn is referencing the Apostasy and the Luzal Monastery records — contraband texts that Garrick keeps hidden. This plants a seed: the wildlife escalation is not random. It is part of a pattern connected to the Umbra's deeper behavior. The Triarch would not approve of Garrick having those records. This can surface later as tension.

Eryn offers to walk the party to Truvo's tent. She moves fast and talks faster. Transition to Scene 2.1 — Truvo the Healer.

Path B — Animal Ambush

Use this path if the party was delayed at the gate — failed Presence Roll, spent too long talking, or the GM decides the jungle's patience has run out. This is not a punishment — it is a lesson: the darkness does not wait for you to be ready.

Read Aloud — Something in the Undergrowth

A sound. Low and wet — like something heavy dragging through mud. Then another. Then several at once, skittering through the undergrowth in rapid, clicking bursts. The jungle canopy shudders. Something large shifts behind the treeline — a shape that was not there a moment ago, its surface rippling to match the bark and shadow around it.

And then, from the underbrush: rats. Not the kind you find in grain stores. These are the size of large dogs, with spines of blackened bone running along their backs. Their eyes reflect the torchlight — six, eight, ten points of red light in the dark. They're not afraid of you. They're deciding who to take first.

Combat begins. 4 Umbra Rats swarm from the jungle. Behind them — camouflaged against the treeline — a Giant Scorpion uncloaks and advances. The Vigil on the wall provides covering fire: one arrow per round targeting a random enemy (d20+1 vs Difficulty, 1d6 physical on hit).

The gate begins to open once combat starts — it takes 2 full rounds to fully open. On Round 3, the players may retreat inside as a Move action. Ghosthook Branwythe leaps from the wall on Round 2 and engages the Scorpion directly. No roll required — he fights it to a standstill, buying the party time to get through the gate.

After the Fight — Through the Gate
Read Aloud — Through the Gate

The iron doors grind shut behind you. The sound of the locking bar dropping into place is the most beautiful thing you have heard in days. Inside: warmth. The distant crackle of the Sacred Pyre. The smell of cook-fires and thatched roofs and people. The Vigil horn sounds — one long tone. Threat neutralized. Someone is already running toward you.

Eryn at the Gate — After Combat

Eryn Loathroot is waiting at the inner gate — not panicked, but alert. She saw the fight from the wall. Her eyes sweep across the party, taking inventory: who's bleeding, who's shaking, who's pretending they're fine.

Eryn Loathroot

"You fought your way through that? With those things at the gate?" A beat. Something between admiration and concern. "Well. You're either very good or very stubborn. I'll take either."

She falls into step beside the group, her tone shifting — quieter now, more serious.

Eryn Loathroot

"That pack — rats like that, with a scorpion driving them — that's coordinated. That's not just hungry animals. My father has monastery records, old ones, from the Luzal archives before the Apostasy. They describe cycles when the Umbra's corruption surges outward — the wildlife gets bigger, bolder, closer to the Pyres. The old scholars called it a 'darkening tide.' One of those tides wiped a settlement off the map sixty years ago. Nobody here remembers it. But the records do."

Eryn Loathroot

"Whatever you just fought through — that's not the end of something. That's the beginning."

GM Note — Lore Connection
Eryn is referencing Garrick's hidden monastery records — contraband texts from the Luzal Monastery that the Triarch would not approve of. The "darkening tide" concept ties the escalating wildlife to the Umbra's deeper patterns and the Apostasy itself. This plants a narrative seed: the danger is accelerating, and the answers may lie in the same Luzal Vaults the party will eventually enter. Eryn's respect for the party here can be the basis for her wanting to join them later.

Eryn guides the group toward Truvo's tent. Anyone who took damage during the fight is steered there directly — Eryn brooks no arguments. Transition to Scene 2.1 — Truvo the Healer.

Combat — Jungle Ambush

This encounter triggers if the party is delayed outside the Slagwall. It scales by player count. If the party entered safely (Path A), these stat blocks are not used — but they remain available if the GM wants to reference the creatures the party saw from the wall.

⚠ 3-Player Adjustment
3 Umbra Rats + 1 Giant Scorpion. Vigil arrow fire targets the Scorpion first.
⚠ 4-Player Adjustment
4 Umbra Rats + 1 Giant Scorpion. Standard encounter.
⚠ 5-Player Adjustment
5 Umbra Rats + 1 Giant Scorpion. Scorpion starts with 6 HP.
Slagwall Approach — Jungle Edge Tier 1 · Combat

The beaten trail from the jungle to the Slagwall's eastern gate. Vegetation encroaches from both sides. Torchlight from the wall reaches partway — beyond it, total darkness.

Impulses
Obscure Vision, Restrict Movement
Difficulty
12
Jungle Cover Passive
Enemies emerging from the treeline have Advantage on their first attack roll if the PCs are not actively watching the jungle.
Vigil Covering Fire Action
Each round, a Vigil archer fires at a random enemy: d20+1 vs Difficulty. On hit: 1d6 physical damage.
Opening the Gate Passive
The gate takes 2 full rounds to open once combat begins. On Round 3, PCs may retreat inside as a Move action.
Adversary Stat Blocks
Umbra Rat #1 Tier 1 Standard (Umbra-Touched)
Attack
Bone-Spine Bite · Melee · 1d6+1 physical
ATK
+1
Difficulty
10
Major
3
Severe
7
Hit Points
1 2
Stress
1
Pack Frenzy Passive
When another Umbra Rat within Close range is killed, this rat's next attack gains +2 damage.
Skitter Reaction
When targeted by a ranged attack, the rat may move to Very Close range of the nearest PC. The ranged attack still resolves.
Umbra Rat #2Tier 1 Standard
Hit Points
12
Stress
1
Umbra Rat #3Tier 1 Standard
Hit Points
12
Stress
1
Umbra Rat #4Tier 1 Standard
Hit Points
12
Stress
1
Umbra Rat #5Tier 1 Standard
Hit Points
12
Stress
1
Camouflaged Giant Scorpion Tier 1 Heavyweight (Umbra-Touched)
Attack
Stinger · Close · 1d8+2 physical
ATK
+2
Difficulty
13
Major
5
Severe
11
Hit Points
1 2 3 4 5
Stress
1 2
Camouflage Passive
The Scorpion is invisible until it attacks or takes damage. First attack from camouflage has Advantage. PCs may detect it with an Instinct Roll (Difficulty 14).
Crushing Pincers Action
Grab a target within Very Close range. Target is Restrained until they succeed on a Finesse Roll (Difficulty 13) or the Scorpion takes Severe damage. While Restrained, the Scorpion's Stinger attack against the grabbed target has Advantage.
Chitinous Shell Passive
Resistance to physical damage from ranged attacks. Melee attacks deal damage normally.
Venom Sting Reaction
When the Stinger attack deals a Major or Severe hit: the target marks 1 Stress (venom coursing through their body). This Stress cannot be cleared until a Short Rest.
Quick Reference
Fear Spending Guide
  • Spend 1 Fear: The Scorpion uncloaks and makes a free Crushing Pincers grab against the nearest PC.
  • Spend 1 Fear: An Umbra Rat leaps onto a PC's back — the PC is Vulnerable until they use an action to shake it off.
  • Spend 1 Fear: The jungle canopy shudders — one additional Umbra Rat arrives from the treeline.
  • Spend 2 Fear: A vine snaps around a PC's ankle — Restrained until Finesse Roll (Difficulty 12) succeeds.
Quick Attack Reference
  • Umbra Rat: d20 + +1 vs PC Evasion. Hit: 1d6+1 physical
  • Giant Scorpion (Stinger): d20 + +2 vs PC Evasion. Hit: 1d8+2 physical
  • Vigil Archer: d20 + +1 vs target Difficulty. Hit: 1d6 physical
Key NPCs
Eryn Loathroot
Dwarven
she/her
Lively, shrewd young dwarf woman with wild hair similar to her father's. Knows the Luzal Vaults well and is herself an experienced Delver — but selective about when she fights. Loyal to the party, but not without her own interests.
Hook: She wants Velk Dravenmoor found and desperately wants to come along. Can she be persuaded to stay? Her knowledge of the monastery records gives her insights the Triarch does not want shared.
Ghosthook Branwythe
Wildborne Human
he/him
A legendary Vigil hero with few words and a long history behind him. Carries a huge, jagged blade. Does not speak to those he saves — he simply acts. In the ambush path, he engages the Giant Scorpion directly on Round 2, fighting it to a standstill.
Hook: Has no need for conversation. Might he know Velk Dravenmoor?
Lore
Umbra-Mutated Wildlife

The jungle surrounding Desperloch teems with creatures twisted by the Umbra's corruption. Familiar animals — rats, insects, predators — grow to unnatural size and develop bone protrusions, additional limbs, or camouflage abilities. The mutations follow no pattern. Naming them is pointless: the same species can appear completely different from one encounter to the next.

The Darkening Tide

Referenced in old Luzal Monastery records kept by Garrick Loathroot — these texts describe cyclical surges in the Umbra's corruption. During a "darkening tide," mutated wildlife grows bolder and more coordinated, pushing closer to Sacred Pyres and settlement walls. The last documented tide occurred approximately sixty years ago and resulted in the destruction of at least one settlement. The current escalation of wildlife near Desperloch's Slagwall may indicate another cycle is beginning. The Triarch does not acknowledge these records — books from the Old World are contraband in Desperloch.

Death Outside the Pyres

The Umbra calls to the souls of those who die unprotected. The dead — or what becomes of them — serve the darkness. Settlement communities maintain specific rituals for burning or releasing their dead before the Umbra can claim them. Anything killed outside the walls and left unburned may rise again in a different form.

The Slagwall of Desperloch

The outer defensive wall — compressed boulders, ruin debris, and earthen mass fused with molten iron. Approximately 4–6 meters high. Handholds allow skilled climbers to ascend. Vigil guards patrol the top continuously. Gates on the eastern side, guarded and opened only on demand.

Scene 2.1 — Truvo the Healer

Act 1 — The Howling Dark

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Scene 2.2 — The Forum of Desperloch

Act 1 — The Howling Dark

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Scene 2.3 — Garrick's Farmstead

Act 1 — The Howling Dark

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Scene 2.4 — Rascelo and the Gate

Act 1 — The Howling Dark

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🗺️ Exploration

Scene 3.1 — Departure: The Jungle Path

Act 1 — The Howling Dark

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⚔️ Combat

Scene 3.2 — The Luzal Vaults: Waypoint Chamber

Act 1 — The Howling Dark

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🗺️ Exploration / Revelation

Scene 3.3 — The Firmament's Harrow Gate

Act 1 — The Howling Dark

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