Season 1 Episode 1: Dust in the Wind
Opening Summary
The Greyhawk Wars may have ended, but peace has not yet returned to the Flanaess. Along the dusty roads south of the Wild Coast, small caravans move quietly through scrubland and broken stone-some carrying honest trade, others cargo better left unexamined.
One such caravan creaked along a narrow road beneath a dull sky, its guards watchful and its wagon heavy with secrets. Hidden beneath canvas and crates in the back rode two unwilling passengers: the grey elf rogue Rai’venen and his half-elf sister Chariot. Days earlier they had been struck from behind in an alley and awakened bound inside the wagon. The guards spoke little, but their laughter carried one unmistakable truth-these travelers were not guards of trade.
They were slavers.
But fate had other plans for this lonely road.
The Adventure Unfolds
Unknown to the caravan, they had already attracted the attention of a mischievous observer. Hemorna, a pixie druid with a taste for pranks and curiosity, had been shadowing the wagon for several days. From tree branches above the road she watched their movements, occasionally leaving small annoyances behind-misplaced gear, strange knots of rope, and other unexplained troubles for the guards.
Further along the road, a lone traveler unknowingly stepped into the caravan’s path.
Tin-Head Gil, a weathered fighter with a dented helmet and patched gear, had made camp beside the road. When the caravan approached, one of the riders offered him a coin and a job guarding the wagon. Work had been scarce, and Gil accepted without asking too many questions. A man with an empty coin purse rarely turns away silver.
Meanwhile, some distance ahead, two other wanderers found themselves crossing paths.
Ulfgar, a towering firbolg shaman, had been traveling south following the path of strange storms that had begun appearing across the region. Watching the skies for signs of their movement, he encountered Tyrigg, a dwarf paladin whose travels had brought him from the Iron Hills in search of a place called “High Point.”
Unfortunately for Tyrigg, the name turned out to be something of a joke. The land here was anything but high.
Their conversation-interrupted occasionally by the stubborn behavior of Tyrigg’s ram Goat-was cut short when both travelers heard a faint cry carried by the wind.
Following the sound led them to a rocky hollow where an old stone well sat half-buried in the earth. As they approached, four ragged men fled the scene, leaving behind a bundle of colorful cloth and a young boy trapped nearly twenty feet below.
Bruised, exhausted, and barely able to climb, the boy had clearly been abandoned there.
Ulfgar lowered a rope and hauled him out with ease while Tyrigg examined the bundle left behind. It unfolded into a patchwork coat stitched from bright scraps of fabric—something clearly made with care.
The boy explained little at first, but one thing became immediately clear.
He had been expecting someone.
And someone soon arrived.
A Dangerous Bargain
A wagon rolled toward the hollow accompanied by mounted riders and armed guards. Their leader introduced himself only through his intentions-he had come to collect the boy.
The man, a caravan master named Harlan, claimed the boy had been legally sold into service. A document supposedly proved it. His job, he insisted, was merely transport.
Tyrigg and Ulfgar were not convinced.
The dwarf questioned the legitimacy of the claim while the firbolg’s towering presence made the guards visibly uneasy. When the supposed contract was finally produced, Ulfgar examined it briefly-then calmly tore it in half.
The debate shifted quickly from paperwork to steel.
Weapons were drawn, but neither side seemed eager to spill blood just yet. Voices rose, arguments circled, and the tension thickened like a gathering storm.
Unfortunately for Harlan’s caravan, the real trouble was already happening behind them.
Chaos at the Wagon
Back at the wagon, events had begun to unravel.
With a bit of persuasion-and a surprising amount of gullibility-Gil had been convinced to loosen the bonds of the prisoners he was meant to guard. Soon Rai’venen and Chariot were free and quietly reclaiming their gear from a storage box beneath the wagon canopy.
At the same time, Hemorna had crawled beneath the wagon and begun digging at the earth under one of the wheels, hoping to leave the caravan stuck should things turn violent.
Her digging kicked up a cloud of dust that soon rolled out from beneath the wagon like a miniature sandstorm.
Into this confusion walked Rasha, the caravan’s half-orc enforcer, carrying the rescued boy over her shoulder.
She never saw Rai’venen.
The grey elf struck from the shadows in a blur of steel. Two blades flashed through the dust-filled air, and within seconds Rasha collapsed, lifeless, beside the wagon.
The boy tumbled free.
From beneath the wagon, Hemorna watched the body fall directly in front of her, eyes wide as the rogue disappeared back into the swirling dust.
Lore & Discoveries
- Slavery remains common throughout the Pomarj and surrounding territories.
- Caravan routes near Highport are frequently used to transport captives inland.
- Strange and unusual storms have begun appearing across the region—something Ulfgar is determined to investigate.
Notable Creatures & NPCs
- Yusef – A battered young man rescued from an abandoned well.
- Harlan – Caravan master involved in transporting slaves.
- Rasha – Half-orc enforcer slain during the encounter.
- Brannick and Edric – Guards serving under Harlan.
What Comes Next
With their enforcer dead and their wagon sabotaged, Harlan’s caravan chose the path of profit over revenge. A tense exchange of gold allowed the slavers to withdraw without further bloodshed.
The unlikely group now found themselves standing together on the road: a rogue and a witch newly freed from captivity, a wandering pixie, a firbolg storm-watcher, a dwarf paladin with a stubborn ram, and a tin-helmed mercenary reconsidering his employer.
Behind them, the dust of the departing caravan slowly settled.
Ahead of them, dark clouds gathered across the horizon.