The Slateback on the North Road
The Slateback on the North Road
Read aloud
A grain wagon never reached Brackenford, and its surviving driver says a stone-plated beast tore it apart on the North Road. Roadwarden Mara Venn offers a purse for the creature's death and proof that it will not return. The next supply cart is already on its way.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 11. Track the Slateback to the ruined tollhouse.
- 22. Kill the creature before it reaches another wagon.
- 33. Optional: Investigate why the creature kept returning to the tollhouse.Optional
The clock
The next grain wagon reaches the North Road within one day. If the party takes too long, it passes the tollhouse while the Slateback is still active.
Scenes
- 0:00A Road Under Threat
- 0:35Tracks Through the Wreckage
- 1:20The Tollhouse Ambush
- 2:20The Broken Markers
- 3:05The Guardian's Last Stand
Cast
- Mara VennQuestgiver and Brackenford's roadwarden
- Tovin ReedWitness and surviving cart driver
- Sergeant HarlWild card and impatient volunteer hunter
- Edda FenAlly and retired keeper of the North Road…
The hook
Set the scene
Mara Venn meets the party in Brackenford's cramped road office. A broken wagon wheel leans against the wall, and Tovin Reed sits nearby with a bandaged arm. Mara gives the party the promised terms: payment for the creature's death and proof, with a bonus if the road can be reopened before the next grain wagon arrives. Tovin can describe the attack and point out that the beast seemed to circle the tollhouse rather than pursue fleeing people.
How Mara Venn asks
Mara Venn offers a practical contract in Brackenford's road office.
She asks for the creature's death and proof, and promises extra pay if the party investigates quickly enough to protect the next wagon.
Rumours
Scenes
about 4 hours0:00
35 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Road Under Threat
Brackenford's road office, with the damaged wagon wheel and Tovin's account as evidence.
Mara explains the contract, Tovin recounts the attack, and the party chooses what information to trust or pursue. Harl offers to join the hunt, but can be persuaded to stay behind.
NextThe party follows Tovin's directions to the last wagon wreck and begins searching for a trail.
0:35
45 min
exploration
2. Tracks Through the Wreckage
A muddy stretch of the North Road scattered with grain, broken cart pieces, and gouged marker stones.
The party studies the wreck, follows tracks, and can question nearby workers or examine the old road markers. Careful investigation reveals that the creature's path repeatedly turns toward the tollhouse.
NextThe trail leads to the abandoned tollhouse, where the party can approach openly, quietly, or by the stream.
1:20
60 min
combat
3. The Tollhouse Ambush
The ruined tollhouse and cracked road beside a shallow stream.
The party reaches the tollhouse and decides how to handle Harl, the rubble, and the creature's defensive position. Signs of recent movement around the culvert let observant characters anticipate the Slateback's approach.
The Slateback at the TollhouseNextWhen the Slateback is driven toward the culvert or temporarily withdraws, the party can follow it beneath the road.
2:20
45 min
skill
4. The Broken Markers
The narrow culvert below the tollhouse, where old stone markers frame a sealed arch.
Edda's clues, the humming stones, or the creature's repeated attention to the arch reveal that the culvert is more than a drainage channel. The party can inspect, shore up, or leave the seal before facing the guardian.
NextA surge of water or the Slateback's return forces a final confrontation in the confined passage.
3:05
50 min
combat
5. The Guardian's Last Stand
The flooded culvert and chamber before the sealed arch.
The party finishes the contract and chooses what to tell Brackenford. Their report determines whether the settlement treats the tollhouse as a cleared road hazard or as the beginning of a larger problem.
The Culvert's Last GuardianNextWith the creature dead or the party forced to withdraw, return to Mara for payment and the next decision.
Behind it
What people believe
A stone-plated predator known as the Slateback has been attacking wagons on the North Road outside Brackenford.
Roadwarden Mara Venn hires the party to track and kill it before the next grain shipment arrives. Survivors report that the creature repeatedly returns to the abandoned tollhouse, where the road and a drainage culvert have begun to crack and shift.
Background
The hill settlement of Brackenford depends on the old North Road to bring in grain and medicines.
For three weeks, a hulking creature called the Slateback has attacked carts near the abandoned tollhouse, leaving crushed wagons and deep gouges in the road. Locals describe it as a bear-sized beast plated in dark stone, though no two witnesses agree on its exact shape.
The stakes
If the Slateback survives, it may destroy the next grain wagon and deepen Brackenford's food shortage.
If it dies, the road is safer in the short term, but the damaged seal beneath the tollhouse loses its guardian.
Encounters
2The Slateback at the Tollhouse
Combat
A ruined tollhouse beside a cracked road, scattered cart wreckage, low stone walls, and a shallow stream. The rubble provides cover, while slick stones and the stream create hazardous footing.
Foes
The Slateback, a custom stone-plated road predator
ComplicationThe Slateback uses the broken road and tollhouse rubble for cover. If the party approaches noisily, it begins in a defensive position; if they approach quietly, they can choose the opening distance or attempt to draw it away from the culvert.
ScalingFor a smaller or less experienced party, reduce the creature's resilience and remove its ability to knock multiple characters prone in one action. For a larger or stronger party, add two lesser stone-mites that harry ranged characters. Use system-neutral equivalents rather than assuming a specific official stat block.
The Culvert's Last Guardian
Combat
A narrow, damp culvert beneath the tollhouse. The ceiling is low, the floor is uneven, and a sealed stone arch stands behind the creature. Rising water can divide the battlefield or threaten unattended gear.
Foes
The Slateback, a custom stone-plated road predator
ComplicationLoose stones fall when the creature slams the ground. Characters can use intact road markers as cover or spend an action to stabilize a nearby section before it collapses.
ScalingIf the party is depleted, the Slateback begins wounded and the culvert remains dry. If the party is well-rested or has strong advantages, the creature can call up a brief shower of stone fragments as a hazard, not as an additional monster.
Cast
4Mara Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver and Brackenford's roadwarden
WantsProtect Brackenford's food supply and prevent panic from driving the remaining merchants away.
“I need the road safe before the next grain wagon comes through. Bring me proof it is dead, and Brackenford will pay what it can.”
Tovin Reed
Witness and surviving cart driver
WantsConvince someone to investigate the creature's behavior before the settlement sends more people to their deaths.
“It was not hunting us. It was trying to get past the tollhouse, like something had it cornered.”
Sergeant Harl
Wild card and impatient volunteer hunter
WantsKeep his family fed and prove that his veteran skills still matter.
“If it comes down the road again, I will put a bolt through its eye. Do not ask me to wait while people starve.”
Edda Fen
Ally and retired keeper of the North Road markers
WantsKeep the sealed culvert beneath the tollhouse closed, even if that means concealing evidence from the town.
“The old stones are not a den. They are a door, and something has been pulling at it from the other side.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A custom roadwarden's token that identifies its bearer as a trusted helper of Brackenford.
One practical supply bundle chosen by the GM, such as climbing gear, healing supplies, or travel rations.
On a win
The Slateback is dead, and the party returns with convincing proof.
Mara pays the agreed reward and reopens the North Road under guard. If the party shares what they found below the tollhouse, Brackenford can begin preparing for a danger more serious than a road predator.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party retreats, cannot locate the Slateback, or fails to kill it before it escapes.
- The next grain wagon is lost, and Brackenford must ration food. Mara still offers a reduced payment if the party returns with useful evidence or another way to secure the road.
- The party delays too long or leaves the trail without warning Brackenford.
- Harl's volunteer hunters attempt a reckless pursuit. One is injured, and the party must decide whether to rescue them or continue after the creature.
- The party destroys the creature in a way that collapses the culvert or abandons the site without checking the old seal.
- The sealed arch beneath the tollhouse cracks further. Strange sounds begin under the road, creating a new danger that the town cannot ignore.
Complications (d6)
- 1A fresh rockslide blocks the main approach to the tollhouse. Clearing it takes about an hour, or the party can risk a narrow goat trail above the slope.
- 2A wounded pack mule bolts through the area, dragging a broken harness that can snag a character or alert the Slateback.
- 3Harl fires a crossbow at a shape in the brush, revealing the party's position and forcing the Slateback to choose whether to charge or retreat.
- 4A cart axle trapped beneath rubble bears the crest of a nearby merchant house. Recovering it intact could earn a favor, but the noise may draw danger.
- 5The road's old marker stones begin to hum when the party passes. Each character must decide whether to investigate the sound or continue before it attracts the creature.
- 6A hard rain swells the culvert stream. The lower passage will flood soon, limiting time to search or forcing the party to find another route.
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