Beyond the Trap Line
Beyond the Trap Line
Read aloud
Mara Vennor grips a muddy trapper's glove in both hands. “Harl went missing yesterday on his northwest line. His tracks leave the route, and there's blood on a branch. Please find him before nightfall.”
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Track Harl from the last checked trap to the ravine.
- 2Reach Harl and deal with the immediate danger.
- 3Rescue Harl and bring him home.
- 4Identify and mark the dangerous animal run.Optional
The clock
Nightfall is about two hours away. If the party spends too long searching or arguing, reduce remaining daylight and make the return journey more hazardous, but do not make Harl's rescue impossible.
Scenes
- 0:00A Trapper Missing
- 0:15Where the Line Ends
- 0:40The Safe Way Down
- 1:00The Bear at the Shelf
- 1:35Home Before Dark
Cast
- Harl VennorMissing veteran trapper and rescue target
- Mara VennorQuestgiver and Harl's sister
- BrindleHarl's hound and a living clue
- Fen AlderLocal witness and optional guide
The hook
Set the scene
At Mara's home on the edge of Millhaven, she lays out Harl's glove and explains that he failed to return from his northwest trap line yesterday. She can show the party where he usually enters the woods and describes his dark green wool coat, fur cap, and scar through his left eyebrow. Harl's last traps were checked, and the first tracks are easy to follow.
How Mara Vennor asks
Mara comes directly to the characters after asking around Millhaven.
She offers the best local information she has and asks them to leave at once, while there is still daylight.
Rumours
Scenes
about 2 hours0:00
15 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Trapper Missing
Mara Vennor's small home at the edge of Millhaven
Mara gives the party Harl's last known route and describes his coat, cap, and habits. The checked traps make the first stretch easy to follow. She asks them to return Harl before dark.
NextMara directs the party to the northwest trailhead and the first checked traps.
0:15
25 min
exploration
2. Where the Line Ends
Harl's northwest trap line and the brush beyond it
The party follows the trap line until Harl deliberately left it. The provided signs are clear: broken brush, a hard downslope step, and dried blood on a waist-high branch. A successful Wisdom (Survival) check reveals that the blood is Harl's and that his tracks were hurried but purposeful. Failure costs time, not the trail. Brindle's pawprints and occasional bark reinforce the direction.
NextThe signs lead to the lip of a narrow ravine, where the party can hear Brindle below.
0:40
20 min
skill
3. The Safe Way Down
The unstable edge of the ravine and a narrow descent route
From the ravine lip, the party spots Harl on a shelf below, his leg pinned beneath a fallen pine. Brindle stays close. A careful look identifies a firm descent on one side and loose ground on the other. Fen can provide rope if previously contacted or if the party calls for help. A group effort, rope, or equivalent practical method is enough to reach the shelf safely.
NextAs the party reaches the shelf or starts moving the pine, brush rustles above them.
1:00
35 min
combat
4. The Bear at the Shelf
The ravine shelf beneath the fallen pine
The bear approaches, drawn by blood and noise. The party can fight, drive it off, distract it with food, or back away and let it leave. If they fight, keep Harl out of reach by placing him behind the fallen pine; Brindle can be calmed with Harl's reassurance or a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. Afterward, free Harl with a coordinated lift, leverage, or Strength check. A failed attempt costs time and strains the rescuers but does not make rescue impossible.
The Ravine's ClaimNextWith the animal gone or kept at a distance, the party can free Harl and begin the return to Millhaven.
1:35
20 min
social
5. Home Before Dark
The northwest trail back to Millhaven, ending at Mara's home
Harl can walk with support once freed, though he needs frequent rests. Brindle stays at his side. On reaching Millhaven, Mara welcomes them home and Harl explains why he left the line. The party can share the ravine's location with Fen or help mark a safe descent.
NextConclude with the reward and any local follow-up the party chooses.
Behind it
What people believe
Harl Vennor, a veteran trapper, vanished yesterday from his northwest trap line near Millhaven.
His tracks leave the marked route, and a smear of dried blood marks a branch at waist height. Find him before nightfall and bring him home.
Background
Near Millhaven, old charcoal-burner cuts and shallow ravines break up the northwest woods.
Harl Vennor knows the trap lines well, but recent rain has softened the steep banks and hidden several old animal runs. This is a compact, system-agnostic adventure using familiar D&D 5e 2014 creatures and checks; any check DCs below are suggestions, not special rules.
The stakes
Harl is injured and pinned in a ravine.
If the party wastes the remaining daylight, the descent becomes harder and his condition worsens, but competent and timely action can bring him home alive.
Encounters
1The Ravine's Claim
Combat or avoidable social encounter
A narrow, brush-choked ravine with a steep loose bank, a fallen pine, and a shallow shelf where Harl is pinned. The bear approaches from the brush at the ravine's upper end. A rope from a sound tree or careful descent avoids a fall.
Foes
Brown bear
ComplicationBrindle's barking and the scent of blood have drawn a brown bear to the ravine. It is defensive rather than malicious. A calm approach, food, noise from a safe distance, or a clear escape route may avert combat. If it fights, it retreats if badly hurt or if the party gives it space.
ScalingFor a less durable or depleted pair, the bear is already limping and has 25 hit points. For a stronger or well-rested pair, use its standard 34 hit points and have it arrive after the party begins the rescue.
Cast
4Harl Vennor
Missing veteran trapper and rescue target
WantsHarl wants to get back to Millhaven under his own power and ensure his dog is safe. He is embarrassed that he left his marked route and will minimize his injuries.
“I heard Brindle baying beyond the line. I should have known better than to hurry down that slope.”
Mara Vennor
QuestgiverQuestgiver and Harl's sister
WantsMara wants Harl found before nightfall and can identify his gear and likely habits. She worries that a rescue party will mistake ordinary signs for danger.
“He knows every safe track out there. If he left his line, he had a reason.”
Brindle
Harl's hound and a living clue
WantsHarl's hound, Brindle, is loyal to him and will stay beside him, but may bark at strangers until it recognizes Harl's reassurance.
“I was following the dog. Then the ground gave way. Keep your voices low; the bear's close.”
Fen Alder
Local witness and optional guide
WantsOld Fen, a charcoal burner who uses a nearby hut, wants to keep people clear of the unstable ravine. He will point out a safer descent if approached calmly.
“That bank is ready to slide. Don't rush down it just because you can see him.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
Harl gives the party a sturdy 50-foot hempen rope he keeps as a spare, if they did not use or damage their own.
On a win
Harl is freed and returned to Millhaven alive, with Brindle at his side.
Mara's relief is immediate, and Harl admits he should have left a clearer sign when he turned off the line. If the characters marked the ravine route, local trappers can avoid the unstable bank.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party fails a tracking or navigation check while following the signs
- The party loses time and the bear reaches Harl's shelf before they do. Harl is frightened but not immediately attacked; the rescue becomes more urgent and the bear encounter begins at close range.
- The party attempts the steep descent without securing a rope or choosing a safe route
- A rescuer takes a short fall, suffering minor damage appropriate to the table's rules, and must spend time checking their gear before continuing. The rescue remains possible.
- The party abandons Harl or cannot free the fallen tree pinning his leg
- Harl remains stranded until the party can return with better equipment or help. He and Brindle have enough water nearby to survive the night, but exposure worsens his condition and the party's reward is reduced.
Complications (d6)
- 1A fresh shower washes away the clearest pawprints. The party can still follow snapped twigs and Harl's boot marks, but loses about 20 minutes.
- 2Brindle barks from below, drawing the brown bear toward the ravine lip before the party has chosen its descent.
- 3A hand-sized patch of the slope shears away under a rescuer. A nearby character can grab them with a timely hand or rope; otherwise they slide several feet and take a bruising fall.
- 4Harl's old whistle rolls into a brush-filled crevice. Retrieving it takes a few minutes, but its distinctive two-note call can calm Brindle and help Harl locate the party.
- 5A low branch snags a rope or pack strap during the descent. The party must stop to free the gear or continue with that item dangling and noisy.
- 6Fen arrives with a coil of rope, but warns that the nearest tree is deadwood. The party can use his rope, but must find a sound anchor before lowering anyone.
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