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Elira Vale waits beside the watchtower’s lantern glow, a folded map spread across the rail. Her voice is low and urgent as she points toward the dark line of the Wyrmwood Reach.

Details

Elira Vale hires the party to recover a magical item hidden beneath an old ruin before dark forces reach it first. She explains the ruin lies in the Wyrmwood Reach and says the trail leads straight to the outer hall below. She can answer basic questions about the mission and warns that the relic must be brought out quickly. Quote: “Get below the ruin before anything else does, and bring the item back into the light.” Treasure placement: Elira gives the party 18 Gold Pieces and one Phial of Clarity before they leave for the ruin.

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Broken flagstones and old wizard sigils mark the ruin’s outer hall. Fresh scuffs cross the dust, and a small winged shape watches from the shadowed rafters.

Details

Attached monsters (use these exact stat blocks): - Quantity: 1; Monster: Pseudodragon. Room guidance: A Pseudodragon belongs here because it has made this high, dry hall its lookout perch and is guarding the trail of signs left by recent trespassers. It begins open to interaction and wary rather than hostile, because it is assessing whether the party is friend or threat to the ruin. The creature circles the hall, chirps at the marked stones, and will not attack unless cornered or harmed. The obvious clues show that the item is still deeper below and that both the cracked stairwell and the concealed side passage connect onward from this room. Searching the hall reveals a wizard-marked direction sign pointing toward the lower chambers; a successful Spot check can also reveal a safer footing line around the broken tiles. Treasure placement: Searching this area reveals 38 Gold Pieces.

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A split stair drops into darkness between leaning walls and cracked steps. The air is cold here, and the passage narrows where the stone has broken under old weight.

Details

Attached monsters (use these exact stat blocks): - Quantity: 2; Monster: Hobgoblin. Room guidance: Two Hobgoblin are stationed here because the stairwell is the most direct descent and a good place to delay anyone pressing deeper. They begin immediately hostile and are positioned to block the stair, shout warnings, and hold the choke point long enough for allies below to prepare. If the party approaches openly, the hobgoblins see them at once and the encounter starts in full view. If the party tries to sneak up the stair, use Stealth to gain the first action; otherwise normal initiative begins. After the fight or parley, the party finds boot prints leading down and a dropped signal cord showing that this stair connects to the lower approach. Treasure placement: After the encounter, the party can recover Scroll of Warding from the guarded area.

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A heap of fallen stone has split away from the wall, leaving a narrow gap just wide enough for careful travelers. Cool air breathes from beyond the rubble, carrying a faint smell of moss and old dust.

Details

Attached monsters (use these exact stat blocks): - Quantity: 1; Monster: Sprite. Room guidance: A Sprite belongs here because it hides in the sheltered crack and knows the ruin’s secret routes better than any trespasser. It begins fearful and open to interaction, darting between stones to test whether the party means harm. The sprite has been keeping watch over the hidden passage and can show that this route is a reliable shortcut into the lower chambers. If treated kindly, it points out how the passage reconnects to the lower reliquary approach; if threatened, it flees deeper but does not block the way. Searching the rubble reveals a carved marker from the same wizard seen in the outer hall, confirming that this passage was meant as a deliberate link, not a dead end.

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The corridor widens into a low chamber lined with broken niches and cracked reliquary shelves. A deep hush hangs over the stone, as if the ruin itself is listening.

Details

Attached monsters (use these exact stat blocks): - Quantity: 1; Monster: Shadow. Room guidance: A Shadow belongs here because this approach is steeped in old burial magic and dim, sealed stone where it can lurk between niches. It is defensive of the final chamber and begins aggressive and threatening, emerging from the darkness to keep intruders from the sealed cache room. The party can see the dark shape at close range as it rises from the floor and walls, so there is no surprise roll. The route forward is still clear: the reliquary approach leads to the sealed cache chamber, and the chamber door can be opened once the guardian is dealt with or driven back. After the encounter, searching the chamber reveals a broken reliquary seal and the exact stone panel that opens the final room. Treasure placement: Searching this area reveals 94 Gold Pieces.

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A heavy stone seal marks the final chamber, its edges scored by old tools and newer scratches. Beyond it waits the prize the wizard hid below the ruin.

Details

Attached monsters (use these exact stat blocks): - Quantity: 2; Monster: Wolf. Room guidance: The magical item is stored here in a sealed cache that can be opened once the party reaches this room through the lower reliquary approach. The chamber is simple and direct: the item sits in the cache, and taking it changes the ruin’s exits by stirring the creatures below and making the return route dangerous. The seal is already discoverable from the approach, so the party is not blocked by a hidden requirement. Once the item is removed, two Wolf rush the exit route because they lair in the lower ruin and are drawn by the scent of disturbance and prey. They begin hungry and aggressive, trying to drive the party back or seize the prize, but they may be distracted by thrown meat or forced aside. Searching the chamber after taking the item reveals a second wizard mark on the cache lid, confirming the relic is genuine and meant for the next step of the trail. Treasure placement: After the encounter, the party can recover Scale Armor +1 from the guarded chamber.