The backstory for the DM tells the tale of the remote village of Holtston, which maintains a precarious existence with (or so the residents believe) the divine favour of Pelor whose good offices are secured by an annual wagon-load of tribute delivered to a temple of that deity about one hundred miles away. The one time in living memory that the wagon didn't get through, the village nearly perished. So far this year they have already sent two wagons, but neither have arrived nor have their escorts been seen again. All is revealed for the DM, but the party will have to find out what is going on and why...

The adventure is basically a series of encounters along the road between Holtston and the Temple of Pelor, which passes through a great and wild forest. A few hooks are provided to get the party to Holtston, when the arrive the third - and last that the people can afford - wagonful of tribute is about to depart, in the charge of a young ranger. The settlement and the young ranger (who is only 1st level, poor dear) are detailed, followed by assorted encounters that the party will have assuming they step up and offer to assist in escorting the tribute wagon.

This adventure is interesting in that the main antagonist is way too powerful for the party to handle, unless they get exceptionally lucky... but there is limited opportunity for negotiations (you may wish to have him listen to proposals and judge them on their merits, as there's just a bald statement of what he's after in the text) and it is possible to drive him off... but he'll still be around and causing problems in the future if that's how the party resolve the situation. There's also the opportunity to track him to his home, rather a nice one deep in the woods. Plenty of scope to take the adventure in various directions depending on character actions - neat!

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Reviewed: 29 June 2016