Author's Note
Welcome to this Adventure April creation! I'm starting with a soft disclaimer that I'm not very mechanically-minded, so this adventure will largely be built on vibes and storytelling opportunities — and I look forward to developing this plotline over time, beyond the time constraint of this challenge. Whether I manage to complete this plot before the challenge deadline or not, you can look forward to some fun lore along this storyline now, or in the future!
This adventure isn't tied to any TTRPG systems, so the field is wide open for finding fun ways to adapt this adventure into a game, whether it be solo or with a group!
I hope this article becomes a fun and fabulous vector for exploring some hidden corners of the world of Ayun Sovos!
Swords on the Wind
It's not as hazardous as it sounds. This adventure begins with the discovery of a lost diary:
Minnow's Swordiary!
The journal is filled with entries following the travels and findings of an adventurer named Minnow, who appears to have taken a special interest in swords. She had written about all of the different swords she caught wind of, whether they be from personal experience, overheard stories and rumors, or tales from myth.
Though the entries themselves are quite interesting on their own, the detail that captures the attention in this scenario is this: the entries stop rather abruptly, just as Minnow seems to be closing in on an investigation she seemed to be quite invested in.
"What happened to Minnow?"
What We Know So Far
Based on Minnow's journal entries, a few pieces of information and hints shine through that the party can follow:
Minnow is an adventurer who has taken a special interest in swords across the world!
She's driven by curiosity and will find any way to weasel her way into wherever information can be found.
The Reliquary League knows about her library snooping, but doesn't seem to mind.
In taking up combat training again, she's taken notice of a mysterious phenomenon - a disappearing sword that only she seems to notice.
She's ventured to dungeons in search of the ways one might support a heist (materials, crafts, relics, etc.).
She's reached out to stealthy groups and rogues and collectors for their ideas and wisdom.
She's taken the investigation into her own hands!
Plot from this point on shouldn't be read by players!
This is where storyteller content begins — plot progression, story elements, and characters are introduced below!
Tracing Steps
The journal doesn't offer too many direct hints as to where Minnow ended up, but it did point in numerous directions for folks to visit and inquire with! Give each group a visit and see what information they offer regarding her last known whereabouts, where she had been digging her nose into, and what plans she may have shared.
The Reliquary League
One of the most prominent leagues of
Avsovos, famed for its impressive libraries and involvement in investigations and expeditions centered on magical artefacts and relics.
Minnow was frequently snooping in their libraries, despite not being part of the League.
The Whispering Talon
A guild of strygi rogues who pride themselves on stealth and discretion, known for being excellent couriers and collectors.
Minnow sought them out for their insight on what stealthy methods could whisk away an object with such speed.The Chemclaws
A tight-knit gang of rogues best known for their poisons and toxins.
Minnow visited them briefly in her investigation, wondering if chemicals could have been used in the case of the disappearing sword.
Follow the Threads
Each group may send adventures on a separate adventure — some might even ask for favors before offering up any information to the party. Complete various errands, find some materials, information, and more along the way, then return to the groups for the information the party initially approached them for!
Enter the Forests
Each group Minnow visited offered a wide array of different information, but they seemed to center around one location in the end: The great forests of the northeast. This dense, coastal forest is shrouded in mystery, and this quest just added a new layer to that mystery for the party.
This is where the main adventure begins — make sure the party is well prepared for a venture into the forest, far from the cities and villages where they can find easy shelter and supplies.
Within the forest, all manner of beasts can pose a threat to the party. If the party isn't too well-suited to combat, think of ways the party could circumvent combat through stealth, creativity, or agility. Having a wilderness guide would be extremely helpful!
The City of Gales
The adventure through the forest ultimately leads to an incredible discovery: A forgotten city, whistling and humming with the winds that blow through this section of the forest. The gales are rather intense, knocking the party from their feet if they're not too careful out in the open. The party may enter the city gates with ease, finding it to be an eerie quiet. Not a soul in sight — at least not at first!
Birds of a Feather
Mysterious wards float around the silent city, a collection of puzzles for the party to decode and dispel. Some information from the Reliquary League could have provided the party a hint for these puzzles, and some insight on what purpose they serve.
After solving the puzzles, the empty streets shimmer and grow lively. Previously abandoned and crumbling roads transform into well-kept stone, and the barren cityscape fills with life and... people!
These folks are unlike any of the denizens the party had (probably) met before. They're something more mystical than the common creaturefolk that populate the charted lands of Ayun Sovos, larger and more primal. Their winged forms are lithe and strong, and their legs and hands bear powerful talons. These are the legendary harpy-folk of Ayun Sovos myth, and the party has found themselves in one of their hidden cities.
Potential Catnapping?
The harpy-folk are not hostile to the party, though they are apprehensive about their sudden appearance. Something tells the party that, by solving their puzzles, they've earned their place in their hidden city. The big question for the party is still: Where is Minnow? What happened to her?
Not too many of the harpies know of Minnow, but mentioning the elusive catfolk and her sword-quest eventually attracts the attention of some mysterious parties who do know of her whereabouts.
The keepers of the harpy libraries and relics inform the party that they have been working alongside Minnow for a brief time — a timeframe that lines up with the close of Minnow's journal entries — but that they lost track of her just that morning while surveying the nearby lake.
Fishing for Minnow
The lake at the edge of the city is large and serene, in spite of the winds kicking waves to the banks and shoreline. A commotion quickly draws the party's attention, upon which they quickly find a catfolk-in-distress, locked in battle with an immense catfish. She dances with the aquatic beast in and out of the water, vaulting around the overhanging tree branches along the lake's central island as the fish fights to keep her from escaping beyond the water's edge.
The party's intervention makes escaping a much easier task, and the rescue of Minnow makes her an instant friend. She's a bit embarrassed if she finds out that you read her diary, but she's quick to rope the party into her quest!
Origins of the Sword
Meeting with Minnow teaches the party that the mysterious sword and its disappearance was tied directly to the harpies, and finding the harpies taught Minnow that the sword in question was actually an ancient artefact of their people, crucial to their rituals.
Returning to the city with Minnow, the party is able to have a proper chat with the city's relic-keepers and better understand the lore behind this finding. Minnow begs the party to go back with her to the city where the sword is being held to petition for its release back to the harpy-folks.
Declining the quest bids the harpies to request that the party never return once they depart from their city, though they will allow them time to do as they wish prior to their departure. The party could decline, if this is no consequence to them, but both Minnow and the harpies promise great rewards for bringing their quests to completion.
Returning the Artefact
If the party accepts the quest from Minnow, they venture back out of the forest to the city in Minnow's diary and consult the keepers of the sword. The owners don't seem too keen on giving it up just like that — they take quite a bit of convincing. It could be money, favors, or a suitable replacement, or an extraordinarily persuasive tongue, but retrieving the sword isn't wildly difficult.
Once the party retrieves the sword, they may accompany Minnow back to the City of Gales — a much safer trip back, with Minnow's shortcuts and trails — or they may send her off on her own. Either way, the promised rewards will be theirs, but sending Minnow off on her own delays the delivery of any rewards by quite some time.
Adventure Complete!
Fishing for Minnow
Quests Completed
Main quest: Returning the Sword
Rewards
Harpy Feather (x10) added to inventory.
Gold Piece (x50) added to inventory.
Harpy Ritual Dagger added to inventory.
Minnow's Swordiary added to inventory.
City of Gales access unlocked.
Hi readers :) Thanks for making it all the way down here to the comments! This is an update at the moment Adventure April closed, so you might expect to see some changes if you're here reading in the distant future! There is a LOT I can do with this article still — more detail to add, maps to make, characters to introduce. Storylines to weave in, all of that jazz! However, I'm proud of the adventure I put together during the challenge period! Lots of world lore started cooking in the creation of this adventure, and I hope this can really become something gorgeous and shiny once I can edit this again! Let me know if there's anything specific you'd want to explore in here, or some ideas for direction and adventure assets that would best serve this article as a ttrpg adventure! Much love!
Craft a bright new world, in Ayun Sovos!