The Bell Beneath the Pines
The Bell Beneath the Pines
“Rescue a missing courier before fear turns a kidnapping into a forest war.”
— Hook · rescue
“Reeve Mara Holt places a bloodstained courier badge on the table. Tessa Vale vanished three days ago while carrying medicine to Bellwether Spire, and the only tracks found near the road belong to goblins. Mara offers a modest reward for bringing Tessa home before nightfall and asks the party not to start a war with the forest clans.”
— Hook · rescue
The adventure begins in the common room of the Bent Nail in Brindleford. Reeve Mara Holt has assembled the party after receiving no word from Tessa Vale, a young courier trusted to carry medicine through the forest. Mara can provide a rough map, Tessa's bloodstained badge, and directions to the old watchtower. She warns that frightened villagers expect the party to kill goblins, but asks them to investigate before choosing sides.
Reeve Mara Holt
Reeve Mara Holt requests a private meeting at the Bent Nail after hearing that the party is capable of handling dangerous roads. She offers the quest directly, shows them Tessa's damaged courier badge, and makes clear that she wants Tessa returned alive rather than a simple revenge mission.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The warning bell at Bellwether Spire rings before every disappearance.
- 02Goblins have been seen carrying human tools and scraps of uniform cloth.
- 03A former watchman named Varric Dain vanished after being dismissed from service.
- 04The forest goblins avoid the old tower, even when food is scarce.
- 05Tessa was heard singing near the road on the morning she disappeared.
Tessa and several travelers may die or disappear permanently if the party delays. If the party attacks the goblins without investigating, Brindleford may launch a punitive expedition that creates a lasting cycle of raids and retaliation. The medicine is also needed by the village healer before nightfall.
Background Lore
The hamlet of Brindleford depends on an old watchtower called Bellwether Spire, where warning bells once marked danger along the forest road. Three days ago, apprentice courier Tessa Vale vanished while carrying medicine to the spire. The local reeve fears she was taken by goblins, but the truth is more complicated: a disgraced former watchman has been using the abandoned tower to ransom travelers and blame the disappearances on nearby goblin clans.
Tessa Vale, a young courier carrying medicine to the abandoned Bellwether Spire, disappeared three days ago. Goblin tracks surround the place where she was last seen, and local leaders fear the forest clans have begun raiding the road. The party must track Tessa, rescue her before nightfall, and recover the medicine if possible while avoiding a wider conflict.
