The Coldest of Blood-Chapter Three of the Red Star Rising Campaign

The days loom dark as the wagons roll on toward Prondadol. Nearby, the fetid, stinking Blackrot Bog is a constant reminder of the shadows that lie upon your hearts. In the sky, Zaraghast – the dreaded red star – burns day and night; bringing much fear to you and your fellow members of the Blue Veil. It was a horrid omen, this red face of death in the heavens. Now you have lost one of your leaders, and two others are gravely injured. Then, as the wagons near the King’s Causeway – which is the long, wood-and-stone bridge that traverses the bog – a terrible storm sweeps in. Before it breaks, you will need to make camp; or face the fury of the blizzard while on the causeway. There is no option. Though your instincts would have you avoid it, you must pull from the road and set camp at the edge of a small forest that borders the bog. Known as the Mistwood Hollows, it has a fearful and dark reputation. But as the troupe prepares the site, Vestia and Brayan come to you. The prints of more than a few Ogres have been seen at the edge of the wood. Not knowing where they are, and how many they are, will put the sheltering troupe at serious risk. Before the storm hits, you have a job to do – enter the dark woods beside the road and locate the Ogres. Observe the creatures, count their numbers, and report back.

What follows is a fearful and intense journey beneath a shadowy canopy of Dumal-Wood and Shadepine as the snowstorm closes in on the troupe’s location. Quickly thereafter, the hunters become the hunted, as ghastly creatures track the party. But the woods hold more than just evil denizens; a foreboding tower reaches up like a blackened fang towards the darkening sky; A strange spirit walks the paths; and a long-lost secret will soon be discovered.

But back at camp, something has gone terribly wrong.

Death comes on the howling wind in “The Coldest of Blood.”