Save the Wagons!

An encounter for four to five charaters of levels 1-3

Written By
Jeff C. Stevens

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Jeff C. Stevens

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Copyright © Jeff C. Stevens 2017

Save the Wagons!

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 Dungeon Master’s Map with Key

Save the Wagons!

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Kenku Hideout - Player Map

Kenku Hideout - DM’s Map

Save the Wagons!

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 Save The Wagons!
By Jeff C. Stevens
• Exploration / Combat
• An encounter for a party of four to five
characters of 1st to 3rd level. You may add
additional Kenku for higher level characters.
• Possible locations: anywhere
Encounter Synopsis
A caravan of four canvas covered wagons is
traveling the Savage Frontier, making its way to
another town or settlement within the region.
Giants recently came through the area and
trampled the homes and gardens of the members
of the caravan. The caravan is now under attack
by bandits. Kenku (CR ¼; MM, p194) bandits!
Kenku use mimicry to communicate. Keep this
in mind if you have any of the Kenku speaking
during the encounter. They may not speak in full
sentences.
Mimicry. (MM, p194) The Kenku can mimic
any sounds it has heard, including voices. A
creature that hears the sounds can tell they are
imitations with a successful DC 14 Wisdom
(Insight) check.
Unless otherwise noted, all NPCs have the
statistics of a Commoner (CR 0; MM p345)
The Encounter
As the party is traveling, and before they
reach the encounter, have them roll a DC 12
Wisdom (Perception) check. On a success, they
hear screams originating from further ahead.
Perhaps just over the crest of a hill in the road,
or from around a wooded bend.
Read or summarize...
A group of four canvas-covered wagons is
stopped on the road ahead. Several hooded
creatures wearing cloaks can be seen
brandishing swords and holding bows while
they keep the caravan from moving.
Continued next column....
Save the Wagons!
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It appears two of the caravan passengers
are running around in the clearing. A
woman screams as she runs from a bandit
who is tracking her with his bow. The other
passenger, a dwarf by the looks of him, carries
a crossbow and is running toward a small
outcropping of stone as a sword wielding
bandit chases him.
Two bandits appear to be yelling at a man
who is standing next to the first wagon. Two
more bandits stand over a body that lays next
to the second wagon. No activity appears
around the third wagon. One more bandit
stands over another body that lays next to the
fourth wagon.
What’s Going On?
The section below explains what is happening
at each wagon and area of the map.
A: Marcus Hapleman, human farmer, is in
his late 40’s. He and the other members of the
caravan are tired of the recent giant activity.
They decided to pack up and head for a safer
area. Now he must deal with these blasted
bandits. To make matters worse, he has no idea
what they are saying. “I can’t make out a darn
thing they are sayin’!”
B: Two Kenku bandits are standing over the
body of the late human carpenter Earl Yarst.
Another Kenku is on the other side of the wagon
and is considered hidden. He will remain hidden
and use his mimicry to try to coax a hero to him
and use his Ambusher trait. He may yell “Help!
Help!” in a human voice of your choosing, or he
may yell something else. That is entirely up to
you. Use whatever you think might lure the party
to him.
C: Two Kenku are inside the canvas covered
wagon. They are rummaging through it and
looking for valuables. If the party attacks any
of the other Kenku bandits, have these Kenku
roll a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check once
per round. On a success, these Kenku hear the
commotion outside and prepare to surprise the
adventurers. They will begin using their mimicry
skills to make the sound of a crying baby in
hopes of luring the heroes to one of the
openings. One Kenku covers the rear entrance,
the other covers the front entrance. Both have
their swords at the ready and will use their
Ambusher trait.
Ambusher. (MM, p194) The Kenku has
advantage on attack rolls against any creature
it has surprised.
D: A dwarf man lays on the ground with
an arrow sticking out of his back. Grim
Bottlebeard, dwarf blacksmith, leaped from
his wagon when the bandits came upon them.
He was about to pull a dagger and confront the
bandits, but he ended up being shot in the back.
The bandit that shot him now kneels next to his
body and is rummaging through Grim’s pockets.
Grim’s brother, Grale, ran when he saw his
brother fall. Grale is currently running for the
small outcropping of rocks and hopes to pick off
the bandits with his crossbow.
E: Willameana Sruggins, half-elf seamstress,
was driving the third wagon. She is an anxious
woman and, when the bandits attacked, she
became frightened and started to run. She is
now being chased by a Kenku who is tracking
her with his bow. Willameana is very confused
and keeps darting from one direction to the
other. Thus, the Kenku is having a very hard
time finding his shot. Once the encounter
begins, if this Kenku is not dealt with, he will
find his shot in 5 rounds and successfully hit
Willameana, killing her outright.
F: Grale Bottlebeard, dwarf blacksmith,
witnessed his brother’s death and is now making
his way for a small rock outcropping. He plans
to pick off several of the bandits from a safe
location with his light crossbow. A Kenku bandit
chases Grale with a sword. The bandit will
catch up to Grale in 2 round and attack Grale on
the 3rd round. Each of these creatures moves
toward the rock outcropping on each of their
turns. Grale is slightly more seasoned in combat
and uses the stats of a bandit (MM, p 343).
If engaged, the Kenku change their focus
to the adventurers. The passengers are then
able to find safety at the rock outcropping and
inside the wagons.
The Aftermath
If the passengers are rescued, they will offer
a reward of 5 gp total. They do not have a lot of
coin to spare. The wagons contain items that
they need to perform their trades – blacksmith,
farmer, and seamstress.
The passengers will gladly accept an escort
to the next town. Or, they may decide to turn
around and head home. I leave this decision
to the DM. You may award an additional 200
XP if the party escorts the caravan to its final
destination.
If any of the Kenku are captured and
interrogated, the adventuring party may learn
that the Kenku have a hideout nearby. If they are
interrogated, remember that the Kenku speak in
mimicry and may not form full sentences. Their
voices may change while they answer a question
and they may use sounds rather than words.
You may use the next textbox as an example of
the Kenku’s answer. Alternate voices between …
and make the sounds listed in ().
“Hideout...hidden path…to the north. Over…
(make sound of rushing water)…up (crunching
sound of rock)…(knock, knock, knock).
The Hideout
Use the Kenku Hideout map if the adventures
hunt for the hideout.
Four more Kenku bandits are in the hideout.
Place them as you wish. The hideout is stocked
with two weeks of rations for 6 medium sized
humanoids. 75 gp, 93 sp, 44 cp, and two small
emeralds (25 gp each) can be found in the
locked, wooden chest. A successful DC 10
Dexterity check with thieves’ tools unlocks the
chest.
In addition, there are three short swords,
two short bows, and 48 arrows in the closet. A
forgery kit (PHB, p 154), and a set of thieves’
tools (PHB, p 154) are located on the table.
The DM’s map includes a secret room. You may
use this room if you wish.
Save the Wagons!
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 Save the Wagons!
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