Setup & Hook

Loiza, a well-liked carpenter of the humble town of Modaig, has recently gone missing.

Before running this adventure, ask your players who would like their PC to have an older sibling who lives in the town. Loiza will be the sister of the PC whose player volunteers.

Loiza has a similar physical build and hair color to the chosen PC. She is 6 years older, has the same last name (unless the PC changed their name), and is bolder & more content in personality than the PC.

She is woodsy and loves taking solo trips up into the Einfelst Wilds to visit the Easarin hot springs between carpentry jobs.

Her last trip was supposed to take no more than 3 days, but it’s now the morning of the 5th day. Someone of authority in Modaig who is close to both Loiza and the party (or at least close to the chosen PC) has asked them to investigate.

Adapt this NPC to fit your game. You can use the PC's existing parent or someone else the party already knows. If you’re playing a one-shot or starting a new game, use one or more of the Modaig Authority Figures from the Dramatis Personae section.

You can start the adventure by jumping straight into the party's trek through woods as they reach Easarin, or you can begin by roleplaying the interaction between the quest giver and the party.

Loiza, Missing

While enjoying the hot springs, Loiza looked down to find half of her body stained dark purple. She had become corrupted by the ooze that seeped into some of the hot spring pools as it slowly makes its way down the East Einfelst river.

After quickly getting dressed, she searched the area for signs of what the stain would mean for her and where it came from. Only a few hundred feet away from the springs, Loiza found a Goldwood tree being tampered with.

Steffan the logging scout was scraping and coring the Goldwood, looking for a dawn core. When Loiza arrived unexpectedly, he immediately saw her purple stained skin and his face couldn't hide the look of recognition: The left half of Steffan's own face was stained too.

Loiza confronted the logger about the stain and ooze, demanding answers about the cause and the consequences. Steffan is deeply financially invested in the success of the lumber camp and when he realized Loiza would not let him go without an answer, he knew he could not let her leave to tell others. Armed with his tree-felling axe, Steffan attacked Loiza. The conflict ended in her murder. However, Steffan didn't escape unscathed: Loiza inflicted a bad puncture wound to his stomach before dying.

Bleeding, Steffan dragged Loiza's body Northwest into the dense forest where he planned to dispose of her as he retreated back to the lumber camp where he could tend to his wounds.

He never made it back and is slowly dying there. The party can encounter him if they follow his trail into the dense forest.