The Iron Road to Hollowmere
The Iron Road to Hollowmere
“Carry the sealed truth through a road that wants you dead.”
— Hook · escort
“Marla Venn places a cold iron case on the table and asks you to carry it to Grayhaven before sunset. She offers good coin, but her warning is sharper than her promise: do not open it, do not lose it, and do not believe anyone who claims to know what is inside.”
— Hook · escort
Read aloud: Rain ticks against the shutters of the Briar Glen coaching house as Marla Venn sets a black iron reliquary on the table. Its surface is engraved with a crown split down the middle, and frost spreads beneath her gloved fingers. Outside, a distant bell rings once from the direction of Hollowmere, though the old watchtower there has been abandoned for years. Marla asks the party to leave immediately and promises 150 gold pieces upon delivery to Grayhaven.
Marla Venn
Marla approaches the party in a guarded coaching house, pays half the promised reward up front, and insists that speed matters more than secrecy. She refuses to open the case or explain why the royal seal has been scratched away.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The Hollowmere bell rings whenever someone dies on the King's Road.
- 02Bandits have been robbing travelers but leaving their bodies untouched.
- 03A woman in an iron mask has been seen walking beneath the old watchtower.
- 04The royal seal on Marla's case was deliberately scraped away.
- 05Goblins near the ravine have started collecting pieces of black metal.
If the escort fails, Captain Vale's patron can break Hollowmere's seal and use the underground breach as a weapon. If the party succeeds without uncovering the truth, the immediate danger ends but the royal conspiracy remains intact. If they expose the sacrifice and free Seraphine safely, they gain powerful evidence but become enemies of influential officials.
Background Lore
The old King's Road between Briar Glen and Grayhaven has become dangerous since the watchtower at Hollowmere fell silent. The road passes through a wooded ravine where smugglers, frightened villagers, and something much older compete for control. A sealed iron reliquary must reach Grayhaven before sunset, but its contents are more dangerous than its escort has been told.
Marla Venn, a former royal courier, needs a sealed iron reliquary escorted from Briar Glen to Grayhaven before sunset. The King's Road is threatened by bandits, goblins, and dangerous weather, while rumors claim the abandoned watchtower at Hollowmere has begun ringing its old warning bell. The party must protect the case, keep their witnesses alive, and deliver the package before its unknown contents become a public disaster.
