E1 — Meeting Danum Karland – The Price of Prophecy (Production)

Old Macridi Locations

Karland's Sawmill

Blighted Timber, a Silent Logging Camp, and a Job Downriver

The eastern edge of Old Macridi is dominated by the steady percussion of saw teeth, turning gears, and timber striking timber.

Karland's Sawmill sprawls beside Profit's Flow, its broad processing sheds opening directly onto a timber collection basin. Workers guide enormous trunks from the water with hooked poles while belts, winches, and saw frames turn raw Palakar timber into carefully sorted lumber.

For such a large operation, surprisingly little raw timber waits in the yard. Nearly everything that arrives during the night is processed during the following day's single shift.

One log, however, has been dragged well away from the others.

A dark stain runs through the fresh-cut wood.

Where pale sap should bead along the grain, something thick, black, and oily slowly gathers instead.

Karland's Sawmill is one of Macridi's most iconic commercial sites. The mill deliberately accepts only enough timber to maintain a single work shift running from dawn until dusk. During evening and nighttime hours, logging crews in the southern Palakar place magical lights upon selected felled trees and send them into Profit's Flow. A late-night crew at the mill collects the glowing timber and stages it for processing the following day.

The system is efficient without requiring the sawmill itself to operate around the clock, and generations of workers have refined it around Macridi's conservative logging agreements with the Palakar Forest.

The mill is owned by Prophet Danum Karland (LN male human expert 2/ranger 4), an experienced timber merchant whose practical knowledge of the Palakar extends well beyond lumber prices. He knows its logging territories, river routes, seasonal conditions, old agreements, and the habits of the crews who work beyond Macridi.

That experience is exactly why the timber accumulating beside his mill concerns him.

The problem did not begin as a crisis.

First there was one strange log: healthy-looking darkwood with thick, oily black sap buried inside the living grain.

Then another appeared.

Then several more arrived over the following deliveries.

The numbers are still small compared with the enormous volume of timber passing through Karland's mill, but the affected logs are appearing often enough that he can no longer dismiss them as an isolated curiosity.

Worse, his records indicate that they do not all come from the same cutting site.

Karland does not know whether the number of affected trees will continue increasing. He strongly suspects it will.

That uncertainty worries him more than certainty would.

Karland does not believe he has proven that Reiver's Right caused the blighted timber.

Most of the affected logs currently reaching his mill originated from other cutting areas in the Palakar.

Reiver's Right matters because it presents a second unexplained problem at exactly the wrong time.

The logging camp was reopened roughly a decade ago after a long period of inactivity and has since operated as a substantial commercial cutting site downriver from Macridi.

Now its shipments have stopped.

Messages have stopped.

Its workforce has stopped appearing in town.

Karland does not know whether the silent camp and the black sap are connected. He wants someone competent to go there and find out rather than allowing Macridi's merchants to assume that two strange events must be unrelated simply because that explanation is convenient.

Mill Services

Common Lumber — Market price by grade and quantity
Seasoned Hardwood — Market price
Custom Milling — 5 sp and up
Timber Identification — 2 sp per sample
River Freight Loading — 5 sp per commercial load
Darkwood — Limited availability; existing contracts take priority

Karland does not expect the party to leave for Reiver's Right immediately. He specifically recommends four stops in Old Macridi before they depart.

Location	Why Karland Sends Them There
The Iron-Root Apothecary	“Take a shaving from that log to Morwenna Iron-Root. She knows Palakar plants better than anyone I'd trust with this. I know timber. She may be able to tell you what the timber has been exposed to.”
The Veridical Scriptorium	“Reiver's Right was reopened years ago with outside money, and I couldn't tell you who truly controls it now. The Scriptorium can. Ask about the recent ownership, the reopening agreements, and any older contracts attached to the site.”
Fanciful Inquiries	“Go see Sorzmig Koob. She keeps better maps of the Palakar than most people keep of their own houses. Get something showing Reiver's Right, the river approaches, and the North Road before you leave town.”
The Gilded Ledger Tavern	“If you want to reach Reiver's Right quickly, you'll want a boat. Ask around the Gilded Ledger for Captain Sella Varn and the Long Dividend. She's difficult, but she knows Profit's Flow.”

Contract Terms

Advance Payment: 30 gp upfront for supplies and preparations in Old Macridi.
Completion Bounty: 200 gp when the party returns with reliable evidence establishing what happened at Reiver's Right.
Secondary Objective: Determine whether anything discovered at Reiver's Right appears connected to the strange corruption appearing in Palakar timber.
Special Provision: Karland will reimburse reasonable anti-blight or medical preparations purchased locally for the expedition.

Once Karland is satisfied that the party understands what he actually knows—and, more importantly, what he does not—he formally offers the job.

Travel to Reiver's Right. Determine why the logging camp has gone silent. Find out what happened to its workforce. Look for any evidence connecting the site to the strange corruption appearing in Palakar timber. Return to Karland with what you discover.

Karland does not ask the party to cure the Palakar Forest.

He does not ask them to identify the ultimate source of the blight.

He does not know that anyone at Reiver's Right is involved in a conspiracy.

At this stage, Reiver's Right is simply the strongest unanswered lead he has.

Karland wraps a shaving from the black-streaked log in heavy waxed cloth and pushes it across the table.

“Take that to Morwenna Iron-Root. See whether she recognizes anything I don't.”

He taps one finger against the contract.

“Then visit the Scriptorium. Find out who reopened Reiver's Right, who owns it now, and what agreements came with the place. Sorzmig can sell you a proper map.”

He glances toward Profit's Flow beyond the mill yard.

“And unless you enjoy walking, go to the Gilded Ledger and find Captain Sella Varn. Her barge is called the Long Dividend. She knows the river, and water is the fastest way down.”

Karland looks back toward the isolated log.

“I'm not asking you to tell me what's wrong with the whole forest.”

“Find out what happened at Reiver's Right. Bring me facts.”

Karland's Sawmill establishes the question. It should not provide the answer.

The characters can establish two important facts here:

First: the strange black sap was present while the affected trees were still alive.

Second: the affected timber comes from multiple cutting areas rather than one isolated grove or crew.

Karland then gives the party a concrete frontier assignment: investigate the newly silent logging camp at Reiver's Right.

The Old Macridi locations deepen that investigation without solving it. Morwenna can examine the physical sample. Fanciful Inquiries provides maps and route knowledge. The Veridical Scriptorium reveals the important history of Reiver's Right's ownership and contracts. The Gilded Ledger provides the most direct route toward Captain Sella and transport downriver.

Do not reveal the excavation, the buried Blight Seedlings, the infernal source of the corruption, or the conspiracy here.

Those discoveries belong later.

The intended progression is:

strange timber → evidence of a wider problem → a paid job at Reiver's Right → preparation in Old Macridi → wilderness danger → silent logging camp → evidence of forbidden excavation → infernal conspiracy.

Karland sees enough to know that someone needs to investigate.

He does not know what they are going to find.

That is why he hires adventurers.

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Sawmill Challenges

Challenge 1: Examine the Blighted Timber

Karland has set aside several affected pieces for examination. From the outside, the logs appear healthy. Only fresh cuts reveal dark streaks and thick black sap running through otherwise sound wood.

A character can examine the timber to determine what the corruption reveals about the trees before they were felled. Other characters can Aid when appropriate.

Check Nature DC 16, Crafting DC 17, or Forestry Lore DC 14

Critical Success The corruption was already spreading through the tree while it was alive. The surrounding wood remains strong and healthy-looking, with no ordinary rot, boring insects, or familiar tree disease capable of explaining the black sap. More importantly, the character notices that the darkened channels form a subtle but repeatable pattern beneath the bark and through the living grain. Having studied it closely, the party can recognize the same form of corruption if they encounter it again. Reward: Karland pays the party a 10 gp consulting bonus for the discovery. For the remainder of this investigation, the party automatically recognizes clearly visible examples of the same blight as related to the timber examined here, though determining its cause or source still requires appropriate investigation.

Success The black sap was present before the tree was felled. This is not contamination caused by river transport, storage, or the sawmill. Reward: Karland considers that conclusion useful enough to give the party a 5 gp voucher for the Watchmaker's Loft, redeemable toward tools, surveying gear, repairs, or other practical equipment for the expedition.

Failure The character confirms that something unusual has affected the timber but cannot determine when the corruption entered the wood.

Critical Failure The strange grain and oily residue provide no reliable explanation for how or when the damage occurred.

Challenge 2: Compare the Logging Records

Karland keeps careful records of where contracted crews cut timber. He has already noticed enough irregularity to become suspicious, but the characters can compare collection marks, crew assignments, cutting areas, and delivery dates to determine whether the affected logs share an obvious source.

Check Survival DC 16, Society DC 17, or Logging Lore DC 14

Critical Success The affected logs came from several clearly separated cutting areas and arrived through different crews and shipments. No single grove, logging crew, or shipment can explain them. Whatever is happening is not confined to one isolated cutting site. Reward: the character produces a concise list of the affected cutting areas, collection marks, and delivery dates. Karland gives the notes to the party; presenting them at Fanciful Inquiries or the Veridical Scriptorium grants a +1 circumstance bonus to one relevant check made to investigate the pattern or compare it against maps or records.

Success The character confirms that the affected timber originated from more than one logging area. The problem cannot be traced to a single crew or shipment. Reward: Karland copies the relevant cutting locations and collection marks for the party, giving them concrete locations to compare against maps and other records elsewhere in Old Macridi.

Failure The records are too dense and scattered to establish anything beyond Karland's existing suspicion.

Critical Failure The character cannot identify a reliable geographic or commercial pattern in the available records.

Challenge 3: Negotiate the Contract Terms

Primary Check Diplomacy or Society DC 17, or Mercantile Lore DC 15

The party can negotiate for additional compensation by emphasizing the uncertainty of the mission, the disappearance of the Reiver's Right workforce, and the possibility that they are entering an unknown wilderness hazard.

Critical Success Karland respects the party's argument. He increases the advance from 30 gp to 40 gp and adds a 20 gp hazard bonus to the completion payment if they return with useful evidence from Reiver's Right.

Success Karland agrees that the job carries unusual risk and increases the advance from 30 gp to 40 gp. The 200 gp completion bounty remains unchanged.

Failure Karland stands by the original contract: 30 gp in advance and 200 gp upon successful completion.

Critical Failure Karland finds the argument unconvincing and refuses to renegotiate, but he does not withdraw or reduce the original offer.

Challenge 4: Question Karland About Reiver's Right

Primary Check History or Society DC 17, or Reiver's Right Lore DC 15

The party can question Karland about what he remembers of Reiver's Right and its return to operation. Karland knows the commercial history better than the legal details, and he is careful not to pretend otherwise.

Critical Success Karland recalls that Reiver's Right remained unused for years before being reopened roughly a decade ago with substantial outside financing associated with wealthy interests from Kerse. The legal arrangements surrounding the camp have changed since then, and Karland cannot confidently identify who ultimately controls it today. He strongly recommends examining the ownership records and agreements at the Veridical Scriptorium. Reward: Karland remembers the approximate reopening date and the name of one commercial concern associated with the original financing. The party can use those details to narrow the Scriptorium search, gaining a +1 circumstance bonus to the first relevant Society, Legal Lore, Mercantile Lore, or research check concerning Reiver's Right's recent ownership.

Success Karland explains that Reiver's Right was reopened roughly a decade ago after a long closure and that outside money was involved. He does not know the present ownership structure and directs the party to the Veridical Scriptorium for the actual records. Reward: knowing the approximate reopening period gives the party a clear starting point when searching the Scriptorium's records and avoids wasting time on the site's much older history.

Failure Karland can provide little beyond the camp's recent commercial history. For anything involving ownership, contracts, or the site's earlier agreements, he recommends the Veridical Scriptorium.

Critical Failure The conversation turns up several contradictory stories about the old camp, but Karland warns the party that he would not trust any of them without checking the written records.

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E1 — Meeting Danum Karland

Karland's Sawmill

Timber & Processing

Karland's Offer

Sawmill Challenges

Challenge 1: Examine the Blighted Timber

Challenge 2: Compare the Logging Records

Challenge 3: Negotiate the Contract Terms

Challenge 4: Question Karland About Reiver's Right

Iron-Root Apothecary — Morwenna Iron-Root

Veridical Scriptorium — Records of Reiver's Right

Fanciful Inquiries — Maps & Routes

The Gilded Ledger — River Transport