Warden Adventures
S3 using Mutant Future.
In the distant past, they say there was a world without mutants, without the wasteland, but none alive seen it. It is just rumor. Facts are that your grandparent's generation carved the Four Duchies out of the wilds. Civilization exists here and those who are strong enough work the edges of the borderlands to maintain it.
Rumors have started flowing out of the North Duchy of a threat coming from the Barrier Peaks that provide part of the line of defense against the horrors of the Radiated Wastes. The rumors say that walled towns and fortresses along the border have been destroyed by hitherto unknown creatures. Duke Mathus sent out a summons for the heroes of the Duchies to come to the aid of the citizens of the North Duchy.
For days the great heroes of the Four Duchies gathered waiting word from Mathus on the threat and his plans to defeat it. Finally it came, the duke summoned your group and informed you that several unconfirmed reports have related that monsters have been disgorged from a gated cave at random intervals. The entrance to this place is high upon a rocky face, and sheathed in armor. This protection has purportedly frustrated all attempts to explore the space beyond the metal valve - although several search parties have entirely disappeared, so it is possible they entered but never returned. Your expedition must find out exactly what this cave is, what is causing the monsters to come forth, who is responsible, and how to prevent future incursions. The Duke feels assured that you will certainly locate the person or thing responsible for the troubles plaguing the duchy and eliminate him, her, or it from the face of the land.
Your party set forth from the Duke's fortress a sennight ago, and for the past two days have been climbing higher into the crags of the Barrier Peaks. Last night was spent in the keep of the only baron remaining in the area - and he was fulsome glad for your company. This morning, as the eastern horizon turned from pearl gray to rosy pink, a score of the Baron’s retainers guided the expedition towards the unknown area. It is now afternoon, and you have set up camp in a hidden dell but a few bowshots from the strange entrance. The men-at-arms have been detailed to guard the supplies and mounts at the camp while you go onward immediately. They will await your return for four full days before returning to the keep. Gathering your personal gear, you are now climbing the steep slope of the dell’s north side, passing the rim, and forcing your way through a dense growth of trees and undergrowth. There, across a field and beyond a rocky rise, awaits adventure.
