The Bloodstone Lands: Adventure Path – Episode 1
This Adventure Path is a rework of the original Bloodstone Adventures H1, H2, and H3 using an alternate timeline.
Overview
This adventure begins in the spring of 1356 DR, one year before the death of King Virdin at the Ford of Goliad. Damara has been at war with Vaasa for nine long years ever since Zhengyi the Witch King appeared and claimed that land as his own.
Quickly amassing an army of monsters and demons, Zhengyi marched his army on the lands of Damara through the Bloodstone Pass. Damara quickly assembled its armies and fought back the savage hordes, closing off Bloodstone Pass and severing contact between the two kingdoms.
This did not stop Zhengyi. Every year as the snows thawed he attacked Damara, overwhelming the hastily erected fortifications and marching his armies into Damara once again. Every year the ever dwindling forces of Damara beat them back and repaired the fortifications in Bloodstone Pass.
In the ninth year of war things look bleak. Trade with the Moonsea has stopped, unable to get through Vaasa and the Bloodstone Pass. The Treasury coffers are shrinking, and the army is now mostly made up of mercenaries paid for by the revenues from the Bloodstone mines and the rare gemstones they unearth.
When spring arrives in 1356 DR the miners march to the Bloodstone Mines; to join the dwarves living there, and begin work but they are chased off by monsters. The mines have been overrun and Damara is in grave danger.
NPCs
Gareth Dragonsbane (LG hm Paladin 2): A paladin of Ilmater sent from Heliogabalus by King Virdin himself. He entrusts the paladin to resolve the issue in the Bloodstone mines and have them reopen as soon as possible.
In truth, King Virdin sent the inexperienced paladin because he feels he can trust no one else in his court. He feels he is being watched all the time and his secret endeavours always seem to fail. By sending an inexperienced member of the Royal Guard on a suicide mission he is certain no one will try to sabotage his attempt to reopen the Bloodstone mines.
Gareth Dragonsbane is brave and true. He is the youngest member of the Royal Guard of Damara and is dedicated to his king and the people of Damara. He is vaguely aware of something evil at the heart of Damara but is unsure of who, or what may be the cause. He will begin by hiring the party to help him clear out the Bloodstone mines.
Beginning the Adventure
The adventure should begin with Gareth Dragonsbane wandering into Bloodstone Village and whatever establishment the party is staying in and asking the owner if he knows of any capable sellswords in town.
Gareth can offer the party a fee of 1 gold piece per person per day for their efforts, and his eternal gratitude. He also mentions that the party will receive an audience with Baron Tranth if they are successful and that noble contacts can bring many benefits.
Once the party agree they can outfit themselves at the local store which should have most mundane equipment under 1 gp in value.
A Gather Information check will reveal the following information from the local population.
Roll Result
10 The mines are a half days travel through the Bloodstone Pass towards the lands of Vaasa.
12 Because of the war with Vaasa the wolf population has exploded. Only travel in large groups and always be on your guard.
15 Dwarves lived in the Bloodstone mines working all year round. What could have happened to them?
20 The miners that escaped said they were attacked by the dead come back to life. When they escaped the mines they were chased by wolves with black fur and red eyes.
25 Several miners that perished while escaping the mines have been seen wandering the pass with rotted skin and gaping wounds.
Journey to the Mines
The journey to the mines is not so important. The weather is cold and wintry, but travel through the pass is possible at this time of year. A number of possible encounters include a blizzard, a pack of wolves (3-5 depending on party size), a group of 4 zombified miners, or a band of goblins (8-10) from Vaasa that snuck past the defences at the Vaasan end of Bloodstone Pass.
The Mines of Bloodstone
The mines are reached by a shaft in the foothills of the Galena Mountains. It is easily visible from the valley floor as the dwarves have fashioned a stone entrance to the shaft into the mountainside and a trail leads up the eastern slopes to the mine.
1-The Entrance: The entrance to the mines is a stone archway that opens onto a tunnel leading steadily into the ground. Normally this entrance would be sealed by a stone hatch from the inside during the winter time and guarded the rest of the year by two or more dwarves.
Now however the hatch is open and the dwarves are nowhere to be seen.
A DC 15 Perception check reveals signs of a struggle and some dried blood stains on the hatch and on the rocky floor around the entrance. There are however no bodies to be found.
Descending through the entrance leads to the Central Shaft.
2-The Central Shaft: This ten ft wide shaft is equipped with mine-track sleepers running down the centre of the tunnel. Water from the surface drips into the tunnel from the ceiling in irregular places and rivulets of water wind their way down into the depths.
There are a number of torch sconces on the wall but all the torches have been extinguished (the torches are still present and usable though).
The central shaft slopes down gently for hundreds of feet out of distance of the torches. Every 30 ft or so is a side room or branching shaft extending to the left or right.
3-Storage Room: This room was one of the original exploratory shafts and was later widened to serve as a storage room. Mine carts, pickaxes, shovels, rope, torches, and other essential mining equipment can be found here.
Apart from a few rats it doesn’t look like this room has been disturbed since the miners fled the mine a month ago.
4-Abandoned Shaft: Another exploratory shaft delved early by the humans, it was abandoned after several hundred feet as its yields were non-existent.
Sheltered at the far end is a dwarf in torn chain-mail armed with a heavy steel shield (he dropped his axe in his last fight). He is badly wounded (1 hp) and attempting to hide from all creatures in the mine, he will retreat from the party as they approach until they can assure him they are not zombies or in league with the priest.
He was a member of an attack squad that attempted to liberate the mines last night. They were overwhelmed by the power of the priest and his zombie and orc servants. This should give the party a clue that the priest has been involved in combat and used up many of his spells already, therefore it is a good time to strike before he can rest.
If the party can heal the dwarf and give him a weapon then he will gladly join them in liberating the mine. If the party are all non dwarves then he introduces himself as Gharrin of Orothiar Hold. If another dwarf is present then he is Gharrin of Clan Orothiar of Orothiar Hold.
5-Abandoned Shaft: Another exploratory shaft abandoned by the humans. This shaft contains a zombie shambling along its length searching for a way out. This zombie is the animated remains of one of the miners that were killed by the monsters inhabiting the mine. He was animated by the priest that now lives in the bottom of the mine, and was sent to menace the surface lands of Bloodstone Pass. Fortunately for the people above this zombie got lost and cannot find its way out.
The zombie has a single silver piece in his pocket and a rusted dagger at his belt.
6-The Slag Pool: The water from the surface gathers in this large cavern halfway down the Central Shaft. Here the miners clean the ore and gem lodes brought up from the working shafts below before they are carted to the surface.
The room also serves as a meeting point and eating area for the dwarven and human miners that work here.
Scattered around the floor are picks and shovels, some of them broken. Dried blood stains the floor, but again there are no bodies. This is evidence of numerous battles that break out between the miners and the monsters that lurk in the mines as the dwarves attempt to reclaim them. A single serviceable dwarven waraxe can be found with a DC 15 Perception related check, this axe belongs to Gharrin
After 5 rounds in this room a group of 8 zombies crawls out of the slag pool and attacks the party. 5 of the zombies are human and are unarmed and unarmoured. 3 of the zombies are dwarven and are wearing leather armour (which is badly rotted from spending so long underwater).
Branching off the Slag Pool is a shaft descending deeper into the miner. Another shaft on the opposite side of the room (next to the Central Shaft entrance into the room) leads towards the dwarven settlement in the opposite side of the valley, but this shaft has been collapsed by the dwarves after they were attacked in the mines.
7-The Deep Shaft: This shaft is now the working section of the mine. Minetrack sleepers only extend partway down this shaft and an upturned ore cart lies at the end of the sleepers. Wooden beams help prop up the ceiling and parts of the shaft are in a state of semi-collapse after some of the beams have been broken.
The shaft is much steeper and contains large volumes of water dripping from the ceiling and running down into the depths.
8-Orc Guardpost: This wide mine shaft has been altered by the orcs that now lair here to serve as a guard room. Two orcs and two wolves will be on guard here at all times. However 50% of the time the orcs are arguing or eating or sleeping and so the party may be able to surprise them or sneak past. The wolves however are always alert and so make active Perception related checks for these if the party enter the room.
The orcs are level 1 warriors and are armed with battleaxes and wooden shields, they are wearing leather armour and carry between them 6 silver pieces and a bloodstone gem they found on a miner worth 20 gp.
9-Orc Lair: This hastily hollowed out room was constructed by the orcs following their capture of the mine and now serves as living quarters for the group.
Its construction was not well executed and any combat in the room has a 10% chance of triggering a cave-in (8d6 damage, Reflex DC 15 for half damage). A Perception or appropriate Knowledge check at DC 20 will allow a PC to recognise the danger of a cave-in which they may then try and trigger deliberately if they wish.
At any point in time there are 1-5 orcs in this room. They are level 1 warriors and armed with battleaxes, wooden shields, and leather armour. There is a 50% chance that each orc will be asleep and so will be unarmed when the party arrive.
There are 3 chests in this room taken from the dwarves that the orcs now use to store their personal treasures. They are not locked (the locks are smashed) and contain a total of 26 gp, four bloodstones worth 15 gp each and a suit of chain-mail that needs repairing before it can be used.
10-Natural Cavern: The latest working shaft of the mine opened up into a large natural cavern of over 100 sq ft. In the centre of the cavern floor was a huge geode of bloodstone gems. The dwarves were working here when they were ambushed and their corpses now guard this room.
At the opposite end of the cavern is a newly constructed opening and room beyond it that serves as a shrine to Orcus.
Inhabiting the room are 20 dwarven zombies. They are armed with picks (1d4 damage, x4 crit modifier) and wearing leather armour.
11-Shrine of Orcus: Beyond the natural cavern is a newly constructed room that houses a shrine to Orcus. In the fair corner opposite the entrance is an altar to the demon lord which consists of a stone plinth with a bowl shaped depression at the top used to catch the blood of victims sacrificed over the altar. Around the top of the altar are the skulls of victims sacrificed to Orcus (currently the skulls of 3 dwarves and 2 humans, all miners).
In this room resides Duarthel, the priest of Orcus who invaded the mines and slew the dwarves inside with his orc and undead servants. He is a level 5 priest and his spell roster should focus on cursing opponents and raising the dead, Fortunately for the party he has cast animate dead today, used up all of his third level spells and half of his second level spells and only has 1 turn/channel energy ability use left for today.
Duarthel is armed with a masterwork mace (a black mace with a head that resembles a skull) and is wearing chain-mail. In the room is a locked chest (DC 20 to open) that contains some personal effects; a dried heart from one of the victims, a jewel encrusted skull (worth 50 gp) and a letter.
The letter text is as follows.
Duarthel,
For the glory of the Blood Lord you must travel to the Bloodstone mines in Bloodstone Pass and ensure not another gemstone leaves that place. I am sending a band of warriors to aid you, use them wisely and do not fail me or our lord lest you suffer an eternity of pain and suffering.
And do not let me catch you storing these letters again or I will have your tongue replaced with a blood-sucking lamprey.
Lucky

The Bloodstone Lands Adventure Path: Episode 2
After clearing out the Bloodstone Mines the party should have discovered (if they managed to open the lock) a letter revealing that someone deliberately orchestrated the attack on the mines.
Gareth Dragonsbane believes some sort of conspiracy is working against Damara and they should all try to find the source else Damara will surely fall. He requests the party accompany him to Baron Tranth in Bloodstone Village and deliver the letter into his hands so he can see for himself what transpired in the mines.
NPCs
Baron Tranth (LG hm Aristocrat 2/ Fighter 1): The aging Baron Tranth is a member of the Bloodfeathers dynasty of Damara. Related to the brother of King Veldrin II of Damara, Baron Tranth and his children have a claim on the throne should the current King Virdin die without issue.
Baron Tranth is loyal and steadfast to the crown of Damara and would only press his claim to preserve the kingdom. He is deeply worried for the safety of his people and especially his daughter Christine. The troubles with Vaasa threaten to sweep away the Bloodstone Barony and Baron Tranth wonders if he should not send his daughter away to Impiltur for protection.
He is wearing Half Plate armour and wields a +1 longsword that has belonged to his family for generations.
The Baron’s Guard (LN hm Warrior 1): These guards are wearing chain-mail and carrying longswords and heavy steel shields. They are loyal to their lord and would never willingly betray such a kind and honourable man.
Overview
The journey from the mines back to Bloodstone Village should take half a day and be uneventful. By the time the party arrive in the town it should be approaching evening time.
Bloodstone Village (Town, 3,000): The settlement of Bloodstone Village has fallen on hard times. Once a thriving trade town of Damara, it used to house a population in excess of 7,000 people and almost all trade between the Moonsea region and Damara passed through it.
Since the war with Vaasa the trade has completely dried up, caravans can no longer get through Vaasa’s untamed wilderness and Zhengyi’s forces raid anything passing through its borders. The annual raids by the forces of the Witch King have also badly affected the town and those that didn’t leave when the trade dried up soon fled the marauding orcs and worse that came each winter.
The only reason to remain in Bloodstone Village was to mine Bloodstone gems from the mines or provide services for the miners and their families. As a result the population has dwindled dramatically. Only a third of all housing in town is occupied and of that third, half are empty for 6 months of the year as the miners go to work.
The services in Bloodstone Village are almost non-existent. There are a few pubs (once empty houses that now sell moonshine), a single inn (an old warehouse now converted), and a bare minimum of trading posts (most of them will only trade rather than take cash). The residents are poor and defeatist in attitude but stubborn in their refusal to submit. They know Vaasa will conquer and kill them one day but they will stay nonetheless.
The town is surrounded by a wall of tree-trunks, sawn to the size of a man and driven into the frozen ground with a platform nailed atop it. In the centre of town is the Baron’s Keep which is little more than four stone walls, a thick oak door and a stone house inside.
Audience with the Baron
Obtaining an audience with Baron Tranth is not difficult. The Keep is guarded by a total of 5 guards, two men the main door, and everyone is so bored that they will gladly admit anyone that requests it just for something to do.
Upon reading the letter and listening to the party’s account of events at the mine, the Baron agrees with Gareth Dragonsbane, someone or someones are conspiring against Damara. The Bloodstone gems are the last major source of revenue for Damara and are crucial to the war effort against Vaasa. The Bloodstone Mines are the only place in Damara to mine those gems. Whoever targeted the mines knew exactly what they were doing and when to strike so it would be an easy target.
Baron Tranth begins urging the party to travel to Helgabal with this information and inform the king. However he is cut off when one of his guards comes rushing into the audience chamber and announces Bloodstone Village is under attack. The dead are walking again and pouring out of the graveyard into the streets.
The Baron requests the party aid him in rescuing the town and dealing with the undead threat directly. He and three of his guards will accompany the party and he will allow them to borrow from his armoury which contains longswords heavy wooden shields and chain-mail suits.
The Church
The church grounds lie mostly inside the walls of Bloodstone Village (some of the graves from before the war lie outside the walls), the church is dedicated to Ilmater and around the church grounds are almost 300 sq ft in area with the church at the centre and the rest of the land used as a graveyard.
The Graveyard: The graveyard itself occupies most of the church grounds and is a mixture of old graves in the centre near the church and new graves towards the edge (the abandoned houses were knocked down and those killed during the war with Vaasa are buried inside the walls). The graveyard itself is surrounded by a small wooden fence that could barely keep rabbits out.
Every 10 rounds there is a 50% chance that 1-3 zombies and 1-3 skeletons will be encountered. They are all unarmed and unarmoured and in various states of decay.
If the encounter percentage rolled is a multiple of 10 (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) then the undead encountered claw their way out of the ground, attempting to grapple the party members as they pass over the graves. The guards are grappled first and any remaining undead will grapple the party members (chosen at random).
If a grappled target escapes the grapple then the undead creature claws its way out of the ground on the following round (full round action) and starts attacking the party as normal. Undead creatures cannot be attacked while they are under the ground.
The Church: The church itself resembles a real life church with a large set of sturdy wooden double doors and coloured glass windows around the outside of the building. At one end of the church is a tower with a bell and steeple.
The great double doors on the outside of the church are locked and barred from the inside (DC 20 open lock, Hardness 5, Hit Points 20, Break DC 23). Continue with the encounter percentage check for every 10 rounds the party remain outside the church building.
To gain entry the party will need to break down the door (because it is barred from the inside) but they might waste time unlocking it first. Alternatively they could shatter a window (Hardness 1, Hit Points 2, Break DC 5). Or they could try climbing the tower and gaining access through the stairs that lead to the Chancel below (Climb DC 20).
The Nave: Once inside the church they are greeted to the signs of mayhem that lead to the undead infestation of the church. The priest’s new assistant (transferred from Helgabal) was a secret worshipper of Orcus carrying a single use magic item with a powerful animate dead spell. Once he unleashed the spell the assistant set about slaughtering the priest and the 10 worshippers that had barricaded themselves inside the church.
The benches in the aisles have been smashed and lie barricaded against the windows and doors. Body parts from the 10 worshippers are strewn about the Nave as they were shredded by the assistant in sacrifice to his god.
The hands and feet of these victims are now animated as a crawling claw swarm that attacks the party within 5 rounds of them entering the church.
The Chancel: This section of the church contains stair leading up to the bell tower, a door leading to the vestry, and the altar where the priest led his congregation in worship.
The altar is a simple white stone plinth with a metal bowl atop it. The altar is now desecrated with skulls placed around the edge of the altar. The priest lies sprawled backwards over the altar with his throat cut, his mouth stuffed with the flesh of his slaughtered congregation and his blood drained into the bowl beneath his head.
If no one attempts to consecrate the altar or perform holy rituals over the remains then within 5 minutes the priest will turn into a ghoul and attack any living being nearby. The priest carries 2 potions of healing and a vial of holy water on his person as well as a gold ring worth 48 gp.
The Vestry: Barricaded inside the Vestry is the apprentice of this church Silase Wrent; a fine upstanding young man of excellent character according to all in town. Unknown to them he was secretly a worshipper of Orcus who had been instructed to insinuate himself into the town and at the appropriate moment unleash hell.
The door to the Vestry is locked (Hardness 5, Hit Points 15, Break DC 18, Open Lock 15). Silase has the only key and it is in the room with him.
Silase is a level 1 priest with Strength 16, Wisdom 14, and he is armed with chain-mail, a bastard sword (wielded two handed)  and an obsidian orb the size of a fist (worth 5 gp) that once contained a single use of an enhanced animate dead spell (but has now been cast).
Silase will fight to the death because he knows he will be welcomed to undeath by Orcus for his loyal service. If he should be captured alive then he will reveal (under torture only) that he was sent here by the leader of his cell. They used to congregate in Helgabal’s graveyard wearing black masks to preserve their identities, he never saw his face.
The Aftermath
Following the battle at the church, Gareth Dragonsbane sets about cleansing the site and eradicating the undead.
Baron Tranth requests the party return with him to his keep so they can discuss what should be done next. It is clear to the Baron that there is a conspiracy in Damara; the party should keep their eyes and ears out for any signs of strange activity.
When the party reach the Keep the doors are open and the two remaining guards are slaughtered. Even worse the Baron’s daughter; Christine, is missing and a note is left on her bed asking for a ransom to be delivered to the old Sleeping Bear Inn on the far side of town.
The Baron implores the party to deliver the ransom and try to find out who has his daughter and if possible return her safely to him.