Memories of Holdenshire: Overview
A monstrous insectile being has invaded the minds of innocent bystanders and psionically press-ganged them into a "cult" deep within the catacombs of Northminster. After the cult plagued the townsfolk for weeks, the brave adventurer Annika Crestveil delved beneath the city and neither she nor the vile insect survived their battle.
Left dazed and confused at the end of another hero's story, the adventurers wake in the Northminster catacombs without memories and soon discover they are wanted criminals. Our "cultists" must find a way to regain their memories and find the real culprits while being hunted down by Annika's brother Tariq Crestveil, the captain of the guard relentlessly seeking vengeance for the death of his sister.
About the Adventure
This introductory adventure is designed for an adventuring party of four to five 1st level characters. Memories of Holdenshire is a Level Up adventure that begins below the city of Northminster and ends in the small town of Hengistbury in the county of Holdenshire. By the end of the adventure, the adventurers should be 3rd level. Memories of Holdenshire can be run independently as its own adventure, a prelude to your own campaigns, or it can be used to lead directly into the much larger Level Up adventure path of To Save A Kingdom. The county of Holdenshire is the central location for To Save A Kingdom but it can also fit comfortably into any larger fantasy setting of your choosing.
Adventure Background
A month ago each of the adventurers were abducted off the road east of Hengistbury by Orfrain Cassar, a highwayman turned unwitting vassal of a psychic extraplanar insect called a khalkos . Orfrain then delivered his prisoners to the khalkos deep in the catacombs underneath the city of Northminster where it psionically enslaved them into its own private "cult", forcing the party to abduct others from the settlement above and making them infamous "cultists" in the eyes of Northminster.
The players will not remember what happened during their weeks of psionic domination and should begin the adventure confused about their circumstances. Their last memories should be hazy recollections of Hengistbury—prior to the adventure or during the first session, the Narrator should work with players to determine what they remember and why they'd either live in or pass through Hengistbury.
A Different Start
If your group prefers not to begin the game without memories, see A Different Start. Also review Level Up's suggested safety tools .
Adventure Overview
The adventure takes place over the course of three acts, each of which is designed to take 1–2 regular sessions of play, give or take a session depending on the speed of the players and the length of each session.
Act I: The Cult Who Knew Too Little
For adventurers of 1st–2nd level
The adventurers have been scandalously abducted, their minds taken from them by a powerful extraplanar monster and their actions the past few weeks not their own. Just before the adventure begins a famed hero, Annika Crestveil, delves into the Northminster catacombs and does battle with the insidious khalkos . Both Annika and the khalkos die in their fight, and the adventure opens as the heroes find themselves waking up in the catacombs with no memory of recent days, trying to piece together what happened.
Upon reaching the surface, the adventurers find to their surprise that they are wanted criminal "cultists" being hunted by the town guard. They meet Belton Freedew, a charming member of the criminal underground willing to smuggle them out of the city for a price. After completing a few dangerous tasks for Belton, the players narrowly escape the city in a high-speed wagon chase and they set out into the wilderness in search of Granny Appleseed, a wise woman capable of restoring their lost memories. The adventurers advance to 2nd level at the end of this act.
Act II: On the Lam
For adventurers of 2nd level
With Captain Tariq hot on their trail, the roads are no longer safe and the party must forge ahead through lawless and wild territories. The adventurers run into numerous encounters as they avoid the guards and explore the wilderness, surviving against the elements and crafting new identities with help from Belton. Eventually they arrive in the Weirwood and meet Granny Appleseed—and after some cooking and riddles they learn that to restore their memories they'll need to return to Hengistbury where it all started.
Act III: Evil's True Face
For adventurers of 2nd–3rd level
The party arrives in Hengistbury and bids farewell to Belton as they settle in and attempt to regain their memories. The little town is far from quiet and after some needed rest the adventurers must defend the townsfolk from kobold attacks. Eventually their memories return and each of the PCs recalls being abducted on the east road, and upon inspection they find a smashed wagon—and that Belton never made it to his destination. The party then tracks down Orfrain Cassar's lair where they find both Belton and Captain Tariq captured within. In a grotesque twist of their final confrontation, Orfrain's head bursts to reveal the sickening khalkos larvae within. The adventurers squish the psionic vermin and make peace with Captain Tariq, advancing to 3rd level at the end of this act.