The Luminous Thief of Elderroot

Description

Adventure Summary

A 4-6 hour D&D 5e one-shot for 4-5 characters of 4th level. In the logging town of Bellweather, townsfolk are losing beloved memories. The trail leads to an ancient forest temple buried beneath luminous fungi, where two rival factions each claim to be saving the town from the other.

Background

The Elderroot Temple was once a shrine where druids preserved the memories of the dying in crystal-capped fungi called mooncaps. Recently, a hidden vault cracked open, releasing spores that draw memories into the temple. Two factions found it first. The Verdant Choir, led by Maelis Thorne, wants to seal the vault and return what memories they can. The Obsidian Hand, led by Captain Rusk Vane, wants to bottle the spores and sell them as tools for interrogation and blackmail. Each faction has stolen memories to blame the other.

The Hook

The characters arrive as Bellweather’s mayor forgets her own son’s name during a public meeting. Children forget lullabies. A blacksmith forgets how to hold a hammer. The town offers 500 gp and a bag of holding from its old adventuring chest if the party can end the thefts. The freshest victim, a baker named Tella Morn, remembers only one image: blue-white mushrooms glowing beneath stone antlers.