Chains Beneath the Gloamspine
Chains Beneath the Gloamspine
“Break the chains before the mountain auction bell rings.”
— Hook · rescue
“Three nights ago, the village of Brackenford vanished behind a wall of smoke and troll tracks. The few villagers who escaped say their families were chained together and driven toward the old quarry, where the noble Fintrolls sort captives for labor and sale. Find the prisoners before the next caravan leaves, or Brackenford will become an empty name on a grave marker.”
— Hook · rescue
The adventure begins in Brackenford beneath a gray dawn. Doors hang open, livestock wander through ash, and thick troll footprints lead north toward the old logging road. Mara Venn gathers the surviving villagers in the ruined meeting hall and offers the party a rough map, a captured manacle key, and the name of the quarry where her family was last seen. Tessa Venn can guide the party through the first stretch of wilderness, though she warns that the Fintrolls use false trails and patrols with trained beasts.
Mara Venn
Mara Venn approaches the party in the ruined village hall after hearing that they have experience with dangerous roads or hostile creatures. She does not ask them to destroy the entire Fintroll faction. She asks them to bring back the villagers alive, especially her husband and daughter, and offers the village's remaining coin, supplies, and local knowledge.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The old quarry is haunted by the voices of people who died beneath the mountain.
- 02Trolls do not buy every captive. Some are marked with red iron before the chief arrives.
- 03A Fintroll trading post operates below the mountain, but its entrance moves whenever the moon is hidden.
- 04The raiders fear fire, but they fear the sound of their own auction bells even more.
- 05A few villagers were left alive because the trolls wanted witnesses to spread fear.
Every delay increases the chance that captives will be separated, injured, or transported beyond reach. A partial rescue may save lives while leaving the wider slave route intact. A complete victory can rally nearby settlements against the noble Fintroll houses, but it also makes the party a target for retaliation.
Background Lore
The noble troll houses of the Gloamspine maintain an old and brutal tradition called the Worth Hunt. Their agents raid surface settlements, seize humanoids judged strong enough for labor, and sell them through hidden slave auctions beneath the mountain. The current raid is led by Varkul Stonehand, an ambitious overseer who hopes to impress his superior by delivering unusually resilient captives from the village of Brackenford.
The village of Brackenford was raided by noble Fintrolls, who kidnapped dozens of villagers and forced them toward an old quarry. The captives are intended for hard labor and eventual sale at a hidden trading post beneath the Gloamspine Mountains. The party must follow the raiders, rescue the villagers, and gather enough proof to make the troll houses answer for the crime.
