Harpy New Year
Adventure Briefing
For decades, the elf Valerie Lawick lived among a coastal harpy clutch, teaching restraint and coexistence. She died from a fall and her death has fractured the peace. A trio of harpies arrives in the village asking for help. One of their own has seized control and intends to desecrate Valerie’s remains. Unbeknownst to anyone, the instigator among them is a sea hag in disguise, obsessed with turning the harpies to violence. This is a time-limited recovery mission designed to keep most enemies alive. The goal is to reclaim Valerie’s body before the year’s end and save the harpies from a dark fate.
Level Range: 1-3
Tags: Charm Effects, Coastal Village, Starter Quest Connections: Elves, Renewal
Monsters: Axe Beak, Blood Hawk, Brown Bear, Ettin, Giant Crab, Harpy, Kobold, Merrow, Saber-Toothed Tiger, Sea Hag, Winged Kobold
$1 PDF: Ko-fi, DriveThru RPG
Tags: Charm Effects, Coastal Village, Starter Quest Connections: Elves, Renewal
Monsters: Axe Beak, Blood Hawk, Brown Bear, Ettin, Giant Crab, Harpy, Kobold, Merrow, Saber-Toothed Tiger, Sea Hag, Winged Kobold
$1 PDF: Ko-fi, DriveThru RPG
Call & Answer
Whether together already or as individuals, the characters are in the village for New Year celebrations. One week remains before the festival. Preparations are underway, but recent storms have strained the area. A commotion draws attention.
Read Aloud. A trio of scrawny winged figures crowds close to a stocky dwarven woman, voices shrill and overlapping. Their feathers ruffle and talons scrape at the stone. The argument sounds heated but no blows are struck. The dwarf stands her ground, arms folded, jaw set, listening.
Insight or Nature. The harpies show no hatred or immediate threat of violence. This is simply how harpies communicate.
Intermediary. The harpies address Morris Greybeard and she relays. “I’ll translate. They ramble like a storm at sea.”
A Trio of Harpies
The harpies names are Celaeno, Hummingbird, and Bea. They explain the situation as best they can. The exceptionally cruel and ugly harpy who arrived recently is named Aurura. The Quest. The village understood the work Valarie was doing and Morris believes in the importance of recovering her body. Killing harpies must be avoided if at all possible. There are five “peaceful” harpies left in the nest, excluding Aurura. Success means at least three of those five survive. Morris warns that recent flooding damaged the bridge upriver. Repairs are ongoing. The only safe crossing is now the ferry which belongs to a man named Jason. Morris will provide what supplies and information she can if the group accepts the job. The town coffers can spare some coin for this. Supplies. A poorly hand drawn map of the area, a pack mule, tent, 7 days of rations, rope, a climber’s kit, and a potion of healing. Morris can also provide a spyglass if it is returned safely. The harpies provide a magical llama bladder to help against the Luring Song charm effects. (see reference page).
One Week
Morris estimates the round trip is five days with no delays. After the Voris River, move into the lower foothills of the Slatetop Mountains. The nest is a few miles from the coast. Follow the Wilderness Travel rules in Chapter 5 of the DMG. Travel. Weather has been cold and snowy, following a bad wet season. The area is wooded and rarely traveled in winter, with paths covered by snow. The river is two days away. Encounters. Axe beaks, a hibernating brown bear, kobolds with a winged-kobold leader, and a scared saber-toothed tiger.
Get in Line
At the Voris River crossing a nervous farmer (Homer, M, Human) stands at the bank with a cart, arguing with an ettin. The ettin wants the man’s horse as payment, not grasping the dilemma. The Ettin. The heads are named Chair and Sticks. Chair is talkative, awake, and friendly. Sticks sleeps, drooling. Chair brags that they ate the man who lived here because they wanted the job. Jason’s riverside home serves as the ettin’s new dwelling. The structure is badly damaged, bent and broken by the giant’s size. Negotiation. Chair wants to help, as long as payment is given. If Chair is attacked or threatened, Stick awakens to fight too. Vehicles (water). Characters who are proficient may use the ferry with or without the ettin. It take thirty minutes to cross.
The Old Apartment
It is half a day’s travel from the river to the nest. In a shallow caldera at the bottom, sits Valerie Lawick’s permanent expedition tent, reinforced against the weather. Inside is a precise map of the area tacked to the wall and years of notes on her time with the harpies. A healer’s kit with a dose of antivenom is under the bed. Encounter: Mourners. Two of the five harpies are inside, quiet and withdrawn. Though they have spent time with people, instinct pushes them to flee. If badly startled, the harpies try to fly toward the others up the hill. If this occurs, the nest is alerted. If comforted, they may share info about the area and Aurura.
Too Little, Too Late
The harpy nest is at the top of the foothills. The area is covered in bone talismans and snow. Valerie’s body is inside the cave and is already badly damaged. A grotesque bone talisman has been made from her legs. Aurura wields it, using it indiscriminately. Encounter: Aurura. The disguised sea hag directs from as high up as she can reach, using the Lawick Talisman (see reference) whenever possible. She has a giant crab companion that guards her. The three harpies here are frightened into following the hag and have disadvantage on attacks while they can see her. They will fight as long Aurura lives, using their Luring Song to draw characters toward the traps hidden by snow. Arcana or Nature. Aurura is a sea hag. Success reveals information about her intent and abilities, specifically Death Glare. Traps
Investigation or Perception. As an action, find traps within 30 ft.
- Black Ice. (map) DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
- Poisoned Bones. (map) DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 1 piercing damage and be poisoned by bone shards.
It’s All Been Done (Before)
The return trip retraces the same route. If Valerie’s remains are not properly wrapped, preserved, or concealed, it will attract animals. Blood hawks circle the entire time, eating if possible. At the river crossing, the ferry waits on the far bank. Sticks is awake and in charge while Chair sleeps. Sticks is far less interested in fair negotiation. Unless the characters can promise something excellent, he will deny them crossing. Back to the Village. The New Year celebrations go on as planned. Whether early or late, elves arrive for Valerie’s funeral.
Reference Page
Rewards
Pay. The village has 200 gold in its coffers to spare. Morris is unlikely to part with all of it, and assigns value based on talent. Valerie’s Map. Extremely detailed, with marks for hidden nests. Llama Bladder. As an action, squeeze the bladder to produce a terrible noise. Each creature within 120 feet that can hear it may immediately make a saving throw to end one current charm or frightened effect on them. The bladder is destroyed after use.
Lawick Talisman
Wondrous Item, uncommon (requires attunement) This grotesque talisman is crafted from the leg bones of an elf. While attuned to the talisman and holding it, you are deafened. As an action, you can hold the talisman upward. Each creature other than you within 60 feet that can see the talisman is frightened. A frightened creature can attempt a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw at the end of their turn, ending the effect on a success. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw is immune to this property of the talisman for 24 hours.
NPCs
Morris Greybeard
N/G, Female, Dwarf Shipwright Morris is a skilled shipwright and the village’s economic lead. She oversees dock work, repairs, trade accounts, and tax collection. Adventurers are routed through her by necessity. If gold moves or work needs approval, it goes through Morris. Roleplaying Morris
Personality Trait. “I took the work. I can complain about it.”
Ideal. “I’ll do it right, you won’t.”
Bond. “If you prove you’re competent, I’ll trust you for life.”
Flaw. “I work constantly and have no life outside of it.”
Extreme Weather
Cold. Whenever the temperature is at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the cold must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. Creatures with resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures wearing cold weather gear (thick coats, gloves, and the like) and creatures naturally adapted to cold climates. Strong Wind. A strong wind imposes disadvantage on ranged weapon attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing. A strong wind also extinguishes open flames, disperses fog, and makes nonmagical flying nearly impossible. A flying creature in a strong wind must land at the end of its turn or fall.
Harpies
A harpy combines the body, legs, and wings of a vulture with the torso, arms, and head of a human female. Its sweet song has lured countless adventurers to their deaths. Taking glee in suffering and death, the sadistic harpy is always on the hunt for prey. Its sweet song has lured countless adventurers to their deaths, drawing them in close for the harpy to kill and then consume. (see Monster Manual) Divine Curse. Long ago, an elf was drawn to a song of impossible beauty and fell in love with a fleeting divine presence she could never reach. When the gods’ gifts failed her, despair turned to bitterness, and a self-inflicted curse transformed her longing for love into hunger and cruelty. From that act, the first harpy was born, her song forever binding beauty to death. Harpy Song. A harpy’s song is irresistibly beautiful, compelling prey to move toward its source without care. Harpies use it to lure folk into falls, traps, or isolation before striking. Sadistic Cowards. Harpies avoid fair fights and only attack when they hold a clear advantage. When a battle turns against them, they flee rather than adapt, preferring hunger over risk. Gruesome Collectors. Harpies hoard trophies from their victims, favoring shiny objects, bones, and body parts. These remnants are used to decorate nests and hidden in refuse.
GM Advice
This adventure highlights harpies as more than disposable monsters. They are dangerous, emotional, and capable of change. Treating them as potential allies subverts expectations and opens long-term regional consequences and future quests. Valerie Lawick. Inspired by naturalist field researcher Jane Goodall, Valerie’s work has reshaped the region. She treated the harpies as people rather than a threat, believing their origin and behavior were tied to an ancient elven curse rather than simple cruelty. Her research notes explain that the divine curse connection is what first drew her here. Valerie’s death will be a catalyst for change in the area. Elves arrive from overseas to honor her, signaling a wider influence and creating future quest opportunities beyond the village. There is interest by the arrivals to see whether Valerie’s work uncovered a way to break the curse that binds harpies to their nature. Valerie’s notes also reveal that harpies store valuables high above ground and away from obvious paths. Proper looting requires time or flight and is best handled later. Difficulty. Set DCs based on circumstances rather than fixed numbers. Stress, time pressure, weather, and danger should raise difficulty. Failure can still reveal partial information. Sea Hag. Place checks to identify a sea hag influence before the final encounter. Use Nature or Arcana once during mountain travel and again upon reaching the nest area. Additional signs include deaths that do not match harpy behavior and corrupted totems in trees. Levels Beyond First. For higher than level one parties, have the saber-toothed tiger stalk the group during travel, disrupting rest while starving in the cold. At 2nd level, replace the giant crab with a merrow. At 3rd level, use the sea hag (coven variant).
Maps
Ferry at the Voris River
Valerie's Expedition Apartment
Harpy Nest
Harpy Nest Key
