The Ember on the Lantern Road
The Ember on the Lantern Road
“Carry the last light through a road that wants to grow over the world.”
— Hook · escort
“The last lantern on the road dies as you watch, and a traveler stumbles from the darkness carrying a sealed iron box. He begs you to escort it to Briarwatch before sunrise, warning that whatever is hunting him can follow the ember inside.”
— Hook · escort
Read aloud: The road ahead is a black ribbon between leaning trees. Iron lanterns stand at regular intervals, but every one is dark, their glass filmed with soot from the inside. Behind you, Tomas Reed grips a dented iron box against his chest as something heavy moves through the brush. He looks toward the nearest dead lantern and whispers, "If we do not reach Briarwatch before the ember cools, this road will belong to the forest forever."
Elira Voss
Elira Voss approaches the party at a roadside inn after hearing that they have experience handling dangerous journeys. She offers modest payment, supplies for the road, and the promise of local support if they can escort Tomas to Briarwatch. She refuses to explain why the ember must be carried by hand until the party agrees to take the job.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The old lanterns were lit with fire taken from beneath the hills.
- 02People who hear bells under the road sometimes vanish before dawn.
- 03The Thornbound Seer was once a human road warden.
- 04Briarwatch has no working stairs, yet its beacon was seen glowing three nights ago.
- 05The forest creatures leave travelers alone if no one carries iron.
If the escort fails, the Lantern Road becomes a permanent wilderness corridor controlled by hostile plant creatures and fey spirits. The villages lose trade, food shipments, and outside aid, while the forest's corruption spreads toward Briarwatch and the surrounding settlements.
Background Lore
For generations, the villages beneath the Briarspine Hills have relied on the Lantern Road, an old trade route marked by iron waystones. Three nights ago, every lantern along the road went dark at once. Since then, strange thorn growth has spread across the path, travelers have vanished, and distant bells have been heard beneath the earth. The road's keeper, an aging warden named Elira Voss, believes the route can be restored if a living ember from the First Lantern is carried to the ruined watchtower at Briarwatch.
The Lantern Road has gone dark, cutting off the villages beneath the Briarspine Hills from trade and communication. Tomas Reed carries a living ember from the First Lantern, and he needs protection while delivering it to the ruined watchtower at Briarwatch. The party must escort him through a corrupted road, survive attacks from thorn-grown creatures, and decide whether to restore the old beacon or negotiate with the mysterious Thornbound Seer who claims the lantern has harmed the forest.
