Bittermire Vale
A zone for 1st level characters to begin adventuring
Bittermire Vale is meant as a quick way to begin a campaign with a minimal amount of preparation for the first session, but enough locations to keep them busy until a major story hook takes them away to new areas.
Background
Bittermire Vale was formed when a glacier carved a deep rift in the heart of the Kazamak’s Grave Mountains, leaving behind a valley where the peat bog known as The Muck formed. Nestled within the bog are two small communities: Pithwick, a town known for its skilled blacksmiths, and Mudhaven, a village of hardy farmers and peat cutters.
The adventuring party is hired to escort a human trader named Diliza Muss to her home village of Mudhaven. She reveals that she began her business by selling peat she and her family dug from the area known as the Muck to the nearby town of Pithwick. As they approach the village, they hear the yells of people and a horse in distress. Two commoners are perched on a boulder, fending off giant rats, and the group rushes towards the commotion to offer assistance.
First Battle
A horse and two commoners are under attack from five giant rats. The commoners are standing atop a boulder defending themselves from two rodents while the horse does the same from the remaining three.
The Fight
The rats are desperately hungry but will retreat to their burrow under the rock in the north-eastern corner of the map when wounded. The horse and commoners will take the dodge action in the fight.
Aftermath
If the commoners survive, they will thank the players and offer them a nice bottle of whiskey worth 5 gp as a reward. The rat’s burrow contains small bones of creatures they have eaten and a collection of shiny rocks (4d6 in number) veined with minerals worth 1 sp each.
The remainder of the escort goes smoothly and Diliza pays the party 10 gp each.
Further Adventures
The party are now free to explore the Vale, although they might want to rest and recharge before they decide where to go first. Diliza may have mentioned a few of the locations on the trip to Mudhaven.
Weather and Environment
Bittermire Vale experiences a chilly and damp climate characterized by frequent rainfall and banks of fog naturally gather and are trapped by the mountains that flank the valley.
- Mist – Every day there is a 2 in 6 chance that the Vale will be foggy. Anything farther than 30 feet away is considered to be lightly obscured.
- Mud – The mud and peat in the center of the valley is thick enough that it is considered difficult terrain.
Flora and Fauna
The Bittermire Vale is home to a few distinct creatures in addition to plants and animals common to any wetland environment.
- Acrid Moss – A dark green moss that is ubiquitous in the Vale. Despite its name, the moss adds a pleasantly bitter flavor to drinks it is added to. Once harvested, it decays and becomes poisonous after 12 hours.
- A character with proficiency in cook’s utensils can use them to make a tea which gives anybody who consumes it advantage on saving throws to avoid exhaustion for the next 8 hours.
- Bogfish – These aquatic creatures are actually eels that live in ponds. They are edible, but the main reason they are caught, is to process them into oil.
- A character with proficiency in alchemist’s supplies can use them to extract enough oil from one bogfish to fill a lantern. This oil will fuel the lantern twice as long as other oils.
- Fen Zombie – A zombie or ogre zombie with the plant creature template applied. They gather in groups crouched and motionless, appearing like nothing more than clumps of rotting vegetation until somebody gets within arm’s reach of one. As soon as one becomes alerted, the remainder of the horde awake and converge on the unlucky traveler.
- A character with proficiency in weaver’s tools can use them to harvest clothing and leather the zombie was wearing to make a cloak. Anybody wearing the cloak will be treated by undead creatures with 3 or less intelligence as non-hostile unless they attack. The cloak rots away and becomes useless after 24 hours.
Locations
Fogwood Grove
Located in the southeastern region of Bittermire Vale, this dense forest is perpetually blanketed in a misty fog making exploration confusing and eerie. At the edge of the trees, lives an alchemist named Granny Trollhook. The people of Mudhaven call her a hedge-witch and visit her hut not only for poultices and remedies, but also to sell her herbs or other foraged goods from the forest. She is willing to pay 5 to 10 gp for rare or exotic alchemical ingredients.
Icyvein Mine
Icyvein Mine is a sprawling underground network of tunnels and chambers located near Pithwick, known for its rich deposits of iron and other precious metals. The mine is a dangerous place, with miners constantly facing the threat of cave-ins, flooding, and creatures from the depths of the Kazamak’s Grave Mountains. The kobold mine boss, Tiktik, frequently seeks the services of adventurers to help map out uncharted regions of the mine or to protect mining teams working in perilous tunnels.
Mudhaven
This village is located at the southern edge of the Muck and is fortified with earthen ramparts and wooden palisades for protection. The village is home to farmers, peat cutters, shepherds, and pony breeders who rely on the fertile land and the hardy animals that thrive in the surrounding landscape, and nearby stands an impressive burial mound that serves as the final resting place for the village’s deceased. Although travelers are rare in Mudhaven, Elspeth, the water genasi innkeeper of the Smokey Fire Pub, has two rooms available she is willing to rent at a price of 1 gold per night.
Pithwick
Nestled at the entrance to the Vale, Pithwick is a growing town that acts as the gateway to the wilderness at Bittermire Vale’s interior and is a hub of commerce and trade where merchants, travelers, and adventurers converge. The town’s skilled smiths are supplied with metals from the nearby Icyvein Mine, which they deftly craft into a variety of goods and tools. The town’s primary export is a variety of smoky whiskey, made from the peat and barley harvested in Mudhaven. Accommodations in Pithwick range from simple rooms at the local taverns to luxurious suites at the Croaking Toad Inn, the town’s most expensive lodging option at 10 gp a night but includes a lavish dinner and a bottle of whisky aged 6 years.
The Muck
Located in the central portion of the valley, the Muck is a peat bog with spongy and acidic soil that surrounds the large body of water, Slugdewallow Lake. Amidst the dead trees and unhealthy vegetation, lurk fen zombies that patiently wait for unsuspecting living creatures to venture too close. Foraging for food and water in the Muck is difficult and the mud makes the entire area difficult terrain. Wisdom (Survival) checks to gather food and water are made at disadvantage, but tracking is done with advantage.
The Watchtower
Guards at the top of this tower watch the roads between the mine, Pithwick, and to a lesser extent, Mudhaven. The sergeant in charge, a human named Zavier, has posted a bounty for wolf skins. He will pay 5 gp for each hide.
Hidden Locations
Gleamspore Caverns
Somewhere in the mountains in the east is the entrance to a series of connected caverns known for the bioluminescent mushrooms that grow in the cold, damp labyrinthine tunnels. Bugbears of the Green-Tongue tribe guard the large patches of the mushrooms from the other creatures that would consume them.
Abyssal Fang Den
In the forest in the north portion of the vale is a camp of gnolls from the Abyssal Fang tribe. They have just moved into the area and are cautiously exploring and scouting the area for settlements and trade routes to raid. The have painted their fur and branded their skin with demonic runes that show their devotion to their demonic gnoll deity.
Example Quests
- Granny Trollhook has posted notes around Mudhaven and Pithwick requesting assistance in driving a vicious pack of wolves away from her area of Fogwood Grove. She offers two potions of healing as a reward for the head of the lead wolf, a crooked fanged beast she calls Snarl.
- The peat cutters of Mudhaven offer a bounty for fen zombies. A dwarf named Rik Stonegrip will guide the party for a full day to areas where the undead have been seen to gather. Upon returning to Mudhaven with Rik alive, the party would receive 3 gp per fen zombie destroyed.
- Tiktik, the mine boss of the Icyvein Mine, placed notices looking for adventurers to explore a newly opened tunnel. Tiktik offers a +1 spear in reward as initial scouts have reported an underground lake and groups of Sahuagin were seen in the area.
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