Into the Wolfswood

"Into the Wolfswood"  is the first episode of the Dungeons and Dragons campaign Sword of the Godslayer.

Synopsis
The Prince of Zephyrus, after repelling an invasion from the neighboring Kingdom of Auhros, calls upon the boldest adventurers across Windcoast to join in an adventure to find a long lost ancient artifact.

The Citadel of Windcoast
Four adventurers, Azula, Lira, Nicolas and Robrecht arrive at the Citadel of Windcoast, after hearing of the Prince's call for adventure. Inside the Hall of Heroes, they are greeted by colorfully dressed man named Minos. He introduces himself as the Prince's liaison and explains to the four the nature of the expedition that they will undergo.

Sword of the Godslayer
The Sword of the Godslayer is a legendary sword used by the ancient king of Zephyrus, Markelus, to slay the tyrant god Eon who ruled across the continent during the dark ages. His death brought forth peace and prosperity across Windcoast, and elevated Zephyrus as the mightiest kingdom on the continent.

Five hundred years ago, barbarians invaded the City of Zephyrus. The royal family hid into exile while the guardians of the sword escaped the city along with the artifact. The guardians and the artifact were never heard of since.

The kingdom managed to drive the barbarians out, but Zephyrus never fully regained its might. The people believed that with the lost of the sword, the kingdom has fallen out of grace of the gods. The kingdom's enemies eventually grew in number, the greatest of which is the Kingdom of Auhros. The two kingdoms fought for years, and just recently, Auhros came close in defeating Zephyrus when they managed to besiege the latter's capital for weeks.

Fortunately for Zephyrus, their Prince successfully defended the city's walls, on a great cost. The two settled on a truce and Auhros withdrew. The Prince, however, decided that its time to finally locate the sword and return the kingdom to the gods' favor.

Minos tells the four adventurers that they will be rewarded with fortune, fame or lands once they have successfully returned the sword. He gives them access to the Citadel's armory and stables, and tells them to meet him in a village by Mt. Visiga where they will get their first lead as to the location of the sword.

The Wolfswood
The adventurers left the Citadel and made their way to the Wolfswood. At nightfall, they decided to make camp and take turns in taking the watch. By dawn, Lira heard a noise from deep into the woods. She decided to follow it and found another camp not far by. Noticing that they are resting, she returned to the others and woke them up. Lira, Azula and Nicolas agreed to head towards the other camp, while Rob stayed behind to watch over theirs.

As the three sneaked over to the other camp, a voice called out to them and told them to stop. The three shrugged it off and continued. Just then, an arrow flung towards them and hit Nicolas' shield. Another arrow wounded Lira and she took a shot of her own bow towards the source of the arrow. Lira climbed up a tree, and the two were greeted by an imposing figure behind them.

Forest Thugs
The group found themselves surrounded on all sides, a thug with a massive mace, an acolyte and two scouts. Lira managed to kill the acolyte, and Azula smashed one of the scout's head with her war-hammer. Nicolas killed the other scout, but was wounded by the Thug. As they are fighting up close, Rob arrived and cast a spell on the thug. Nicolas killed him with a final blow from his lance.

As the four composed themselves, they heard another figure reveal himself. Minos walks out of hiding and applauds them approvingly.

Godslayer Expedition

 * Azula
 * Lira
 * Minos
 * Nicolas
 * Rob

Next Episode
This episode is followed by "Arrival at the Village", as the group uncover their first clue to the location of the Godslayer.