First Night in Thistle Hold
Session 1: First Night in Thistle Hold
Urban Adventure — Level 2
For 2–4 players. Estimated play time: 2–3 hours. This session takes place the day after the party arrives from the Titan crossing. It assumes the events of "The Road Through the Titans" have occurred — adjust NPC references if running standalone.
Overview
The party has arrived in Thistle Hold with almost nothing. They need money, information, and a reason to stay. This session gives them all three — through a night that starts with odd jobs, escalates into a murder investigation, and ends with the party holding a secret that multiple factions want.
There is one combat encounter. The rest is exploration, conversation, and decision-making. Thistle Hold is a town of ten thousand people living on top of each other at the edge of a cursed forest. It has its own dangers, and none of them require leaving the palisade.
Act 1: Morning — Getting Bearings
The party wakes in whatever lodging they could afford the night before. They're broke, hungry, and surrounded by strangers.
Read Aloud: Morning in Thistle Hold
You wake to the sound of Thistle Hold waking up around you. Boots on wooden boardwalks. Cart wheels on packed earth. Someone arguing in a language you don't recognize — barbarian, maybe. The smell of bread from somewhere close, and underneath it the permanent smell of the town: pine resin, horse, woodsmoke, and something faintly sour drifting from the direction of the forest.
Outside, the streets are already full. Treasure hunters in leather armor check their packs. A Templar in polished plate walks past a barbarian in furs and neither acknowledges the other. A goblin — three feet tall, ears like sails, enormous dark eyes — scurries between legs carrying a bundle of herbs twice its size.
You have maybe six silver pieces between you. Breakfast costs two.
The Job Board
Outside the Queen's Legation — the official Crown building where Explorer's Licenses are issued — a wooden board displays posted jobs. The party can browse:
Available Work:
1. Warehouse Guard — Merchant Alfreda Govori needs two bodies to watch her warehouse near the east gate overnight. Pays 5 shillings each. "Nothing ever happens. Usually." *(This is the hook — see Act 2.)*
2. Rat Problem — The Winged Ladle inn has a cellar infestation. Innkeeper says they're "not normal rats." Pays 1 thaler total. *(They're ordinary rats. The innkeeper is dramatic. Easy money — 30 minutes of game time, DC 10 Perception to find the nest, squish them, done.)*
3. Explorer's License Escort — A first-time treasure hunter named Peldo has his license but no party. He's looking for experienced escorts into Bright Davokar. Pays 10 thaler each for a day trip to "check out some old stones." *(This is a direct lead into the Bright Davokar encounter. Peldo can replace or supplement Edrell the cartographer.)*
4. Missing Person — A note pinned with a barbarian knife: "My brother Tomas left for Davokar 14 days ago. Contract was 7 days. He has not returned. I will pay. Find Keva at Blackbrew." *(Long-term hook. Tomas is dead — his body can appear in Wild Davokar later. Keva becomes a contact and a source of barbarian knowledge.)*
Free Exploration
Before the party commits to a job, give them time to explore. Thistle Hold is a small town — you can walk end to end in twenty minutes — but it's dense with character. Key locations to steer toward:
The Salons of Symbaroum — The largest tavern in town. Three stories of drinking, gambling, and entertainment. Two more floors of "private enterprise." The owner, Mistress Delora, is a former treasure hunter who retired rich and opened the most successful business in Thistle Hold. She knows everyone and everything and trades in information as much as ale.
• *Roleplaying Delora:* Elegant, amused, and dangerous. She wears silk in a town of leather. She calls everyone "dear" and remembers every face she's ever seen. She does not give information for free.
The Sun Temple — A stone building near the center of town. Modest compared to the grand temples in Yndaros and Templewall. Father Sarvola runs daily services and offers healing to anyone who will sit through a sermon first. Two Templars stand guard outside at all times.
• If the party met Brother Iovar during the Titan crossing, he's here. He greets them warmly and introduces them to Sarvola. This earns the party access to free healing (once) and a quiet warning from Iovar: "Be careful who you work for in this town. Not everyone serves the light."
The Ordo Magica Charter Hall — A converted warehouse near the north wall, identifiable by a blue banner with the order's eye-and-star symbol. Magister Kullinan Frey runs the local chapter — a distracted, intense man in his forties who is perpetually short-staffed because his scholars keep disappearing into Davokar.
• If any party member is a spellcaster, Frey takes interest immediately. He offers free access to the Charter Hall's small library in exchange for "occasional consultations." This is how the Ordo Magica hooks into the party.
The Town Watch Garrison — Captain Marvello runs a hundred and fifty watchmen who are overworked and underpaid. He's gruff, honest, and frustrated. If the party mentions Garrik's letter or the bandit map from the Bright Davokar encounter (if they've done it), Marvello perks up. He can't pay much but he can offer favors — looking the other way, passing along rumors, early warning about trouble.
Act 2: Evening — The Warehouse Job
The party takes the warehouse guard job (steer them here if they're drifting — Alfreda's posting is the best-paying work that doesn't require leaving town).
Setup
Alfreda Govori is a spice merchant who imports goods from southern Ambria and sells to treasure hunter expeditions. Her warehouse is a two-story wooden building near the east gate, packed with crates of dried food, rope, lantern oil, medical herbs, and one locked chest she doesn't mention.
She meets the party at sundown.
Read Aloud: The Briefing
Alfreda is a small, sharp-faced woman in an expensive cloak that's seen better days. She walks fast and talks faster. "Simple job. Watch the warehouse. Nobody gets in. I've had two break-in attempts this month and the Watch is useless — no offense to the Watch, they have bigger problems. You sit inside, you stay awake, you keep my inventory intact. Dawn comes, you get paid. Questions? No? Good."
She hands you a key, points at the warehouse, and walks away before you can respond.
The Warehouse
Ground floor: Crates stacked to the ceiling along the walls. A central aisle. Two doors — front (street-facing, locked) and back (alley-facing, locked). One window on each wall, shuttered. A small table with two chairs and a lantern. The locked chest is in the far corner, hidden behind crates. It's iron-banded with a heavy padlock.
Second floor: Storage loft accessible by a ladder. More crates, a few empty barrels, and a window overlooking the alley.
What's in the locked chest: 200 thaler worth of Twilight Thistle extract — an extremely rare and valuable substance from Davokar that has legitimate medical uses but also disguises the symptoms of corruption in the undead. This is why people keep trying to break in. Alfreda doesn't know what the extract does — she was hired to store and transport it. She thinks it's expensive medicine.
The Night
#### Hour 1: Quiet
Nothing happens. Let the party settle in, explore the warehouse, notice the locked chest if they investigate. DC 14 Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) or DC 18 Strength to open the chest. Inside: six glass vials of dark green liquid, each labeled with an alchemical symbol the party won't recognize without a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check — Twilight Thistle extract, incredibly valuable and incredibly suspicious.
#### Hour 2: The Visitor
A knock at the front door. A young man — Nesto, early twenties, nervous, wearing a town watch uniform — asks to come in. He says he's doing rounds and checking on the warehouses. This is a lie.
• DC 12 Wisdom (Insight): He's sweating despite the cold. His eyes keep darting to the back of the warehouse.
• DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation): His Watch uniform is borrowed — the stitching on the shoulder patch is fresh, and the fit is wrong.
Nesto's story: He's not a watchman. He's an errand runner for a man named Gelden, who works for an unnamed patron who wants the contents of the locked chest. Nesto was sent to scout the warehouse and report back. If the party lets him in and he sees the chest, he leaves politely and reports to Gelden. If the party turns him away or catches his lie, he panics and runs.
• If the party chases and catches Nesto: He gives up Gelden immediately. Gelden is a freelance thief who operates out of a rented room above The Dump. Nesto doesn't know who hired Gelden. He was paid 5 shillings to wear a uniform and knock on a door.
#### Hour 4: The Break-In
Whether or not Nesto reported back, Gelden comes at midnight. He's not subtle.
Gelden brings two hired thugs. They approach from the alley and attempt to force the back door.
• DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) to hear them working the lock before they get in.
• If the party is alert, they have one round to prepare before the door opens.
• If the party is not alert, the door opens and Gelden's crew is inside before anyone reacts.
Combat: The Break-In
Enemies:
• Gelden — Use Spy stat block (CR 1). Carries a shortsword and a hand crossbow. Will flee if reduced to half HP. He's a professional — this is a job, not a crusade.
• 2 Thugs — Use Thug stat block (CR 1/2). They fight until Gelden flees, then surrender.
Tactics: Gelden orders the thugs to engage while he goes for the chest. He has his own lockpick set and can open it in 2 rounds if uninterrupted. If the party blocks his path to the chest, he fights them directly. If he gets a vial, he runs.
Environment: The warehouse is cluttered. Crates provide half cover. The lantern oil on the table is flammable (and the warehouse is wood — starting a fire in here is a very bad idea that the party may have anyway). The ladder to the second floor can be kicked over to prevent pursuit.
If Gelden escapes with a vial: He disappears into Thistle Hold's alley network. The party can track him (DC 16 Survival in an urban setting) or find him later through investigation.
If the party captures Gelden: He's cagey but breaks under pressure (DC 14 Intimidation or a compelling argument). He was hired by a Twilight Friar — a Black Cloak he knows only as "the man with the silver ring." The Friar wants the Twilight Thistle extract destroyed. He believes it's being used to hide corrupted individuals in Ambrian society — people who should have been detected and purged. He hired a thief because the Church can't be seen stealing from a merchant warehouse. The Friar didn't tell Gelden any of this — Gelden figured it out because he's smart and paranoid. He shares it because he's caught and wants to walk away.
Act 3: Morning — Consequences
Dawn comes. Alfreda arrives to find her warehouse either intact or in various states of disarray. She pays the party their 5 shillings each regardless — a deal is a deal. If the party tells her about the break-in, she's alarmed but grateful. If they tell her what's in the chest, she goes pale.
The Choice
The party now holds a piece of dangerous information: someone in Thistle Hold is storing Twilight Thistle extract, and the Church wants it gone. This creates a three-way faction pull:
Tell the Church (Brother Iovar or Father Sarvola):
• The Church rewards the party with 10 thaler each and a standing invitation to the Sun Temple. Iovar becomes a real ally.
• The extract is confiscated and destroyed.
• Alfreda is investigated. She's innocent but her business takes a hit. She resents the party.
• The unnamed person who stored the extract in Alfreda's warehouse is now exposed — and they will remember who exposed them.
Tell Ordo Magica (Kullinan Frey):
• Frey is fascinated. Twilight Thistle extract has enormous research value. He offers 20 thaler each and access to the Charter Hall library.
• The extract disappears into Ordo Magica's research collection.
• The Church finds out eventually. Iovar is disappointed. The party has chosen a side.
Tell no one and keep the information:
• The extract stays in Alfreda's warehouse. The party knows what it is and where it is.
• This is leverage. Against the Church, against whoever stored it, against Ordo Magica. Leverage is the most valuable currency in Thistle Hold.
• But leverage attracts attention. The Twilight Friar with the silver ring is still out there, and he'll try again.
Tell Mayor Nightpitch:
• If the party has a connection to Nightpitch (via Garrik's letter from Session 0), they can bring this to the Mayor directly.
• Nightpitch handles it quietly. The extract disappears. No faction gains or loses.
• Nightpitch now sees the party as useful — discreet, capable, and willing to bring problems to him instead of making noise. This is the beginning of a patron relationship. He'll have work for them. The kind that doesn't go on the job board.
Wrap-Up
Read Aloud: Second Morning
Your second morning in Thistle Hold. You're richer by five silver each — barely enough for breakfast. But you have something more valuable: you know people. You know the Salons. You know the Charter Hall. You know the Watch Captain's name and the Sun Temple's door. You know there's a Twilight Friar who hires thieves and a merchant who doesn't know what she's storing.
And outside the palisade, past the last row of wooden buildings, the forest waits. You can see it from any north-facing window — a wall of dark green, ancient and enormous and patient.
Thistle Hold has its own dangers. But the real ones are out there.
When you're ready, you'll go.
Rewards
• 5 shillings each from Alfreda (the job payment)
• 10–20 thaler each depending on faction choice
• Contacts established:
• Alfreda Govori (merchant — supplies and logistics)
• Mistress Delora (information broker at the Salons)
• Gelden (captured thief — potential informant or recurring antagonist)
• Faction contact deepened (Church, Ordo Magica, or Nightpitch depending on choice)
• The Twilight Friar — an unnamed Church operative who becomes a recurring background threat or eventual ally depending on how the party plays the extract situation
• Quest hooks active:
• Peldo's Bright Davokar trip (leads to "The Overgrown Threshold")
• Keva's missing brother Tomas (leads to Wild Davokar)
• Kullinan Frey's research needs (leads to "The Singing Ruin")
• Kala's search for Clan Odaiova (long-term barbarian storyline)
GM Notes
• The extract subplot is a faction loyalty test disguised as a warehouse guard job. The party's choice here should have real consequences in later sessions. Don't let it be forgotten. Whichever faction they chose — or didn't choose — should respond accordingly.
• Thistle Hold should feel alive and crowded. Describe NPCs constantly — treasure hunters arguing over maps, barbarians selling pelts, goblins running errands, Templars watching everything. The town has six thousand residents and four thousand daily visitors. It's loud, messy, and electric with opportunity.
• Let the party explore at their own pace in Act 1. Some groups will spend an hour just wandering the town and talking to people. That's good — they're building their understanding of the world. Don't rush them into the warehouse job. Let them discover it naturally.
• Gelden is more useful alive than dead. A captured thief who knows Thistle Hold's criminal networks is a long-term asset. If the party kills him, that's their choice — but make him personable enough that they consider keeping him around. He's sarcastic, pragmatic, and surprisingly honest for a thief. He steals because it pays, not because he enjoys it.
• The Twilight Friar with the silver ring can be revealed later as a significant NPC — either a genuine corruption hunter doing difficult work or a zealot whose methods are becoming as dangerous as the threats he fights. Leave that decision for later sessions based on how the campaign develops.