The Skygrave Hunt
The Skygrave Hunt
“The sky has chosen its hunting ground, and the ground is running out of blood.”
— Hook · kill
“For three weeks, pteranodons have attacked caravans crossing the Redglass Plains, stealing livestock and dragging travelers from their saddles. Dustmere’s trade route will close if the attacks continue. The settlement will pay well for hunters who can track the flock to its nest and kill the threat.”
— Hook · kill
Mara Venn receives the party in Dustmere’s empty grain hall, where three roof beams have been shattered by recent attacks. A bloodstained saddle hangs from one beam, and a survivor named Nim Arlo waits beside it with a rough map of the plains. Mara offers a reward for proof that the flock is dead, while Tovin Rusk quietly warns that the attack patterns suggest the creatures are being drawn toward something.
Mara Venn
Mara Venn approaches the party in the settlement’s grain hall after hearing that they have experience dealing with dangerous beasts. She offers half the reward immediately for accepting the job and the remainder when they return with distinctive pteranodon beaks, marked flight harnesses, or another convincing proof of the kill.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01A caravan vanished without leaving tracks, but its water jars were found hanging from a stone spire.
- 02The pteranodons never attack during moonless nights.
- 03Old travelers say Skygrave was built to call storms, not beasts.
- 04Sella Quade has been buying maps of the plains from anyone willing to sell.
- 05The flock carries strips of blue metal in its nests.
If the flock survives, Dustmere loses its trade route and may be abandoned. If the signal device remains active, the attacks will spread beyond Dustmere and attract larger, more dangerous flying creatures to the plains.
Background Lore
The Redglass Plains were once a shallow inland sea, and the exposed mineral beds still glitter beneath the dust. For generations, the settlement of Dustmere has driven hardy pack lizards and cattle across the plains. Recently, a hunting group of pteranodons has begun attacking caravans, carrying off livestock, tools, and occasionally people. The creatures nest around a half-buried stone watchtower known as the Skygrave.
Dustmere is a struggling caravan settlement on the Redglass Plains. A flock of pteranodons has begun attacking caravans, stealing animals and killing travelers, and the settlement cannot survive another week of losses. The party is hired to track the flock, find its nesting ground, and eliminate the threat before the trade route closes.
