Day 1: The weather seems fair. The canyon's beautiful this time of year. We left Swainbrook around noon. The journey shouldn't be bad - the winter has yet to set in, and we've made the journey plenty of times already. The bandits know to keep away. 
Day 2: I forgot how good the taste of camp rations could be over a crackling fire. The caravan's a bunch of new folk - a bit green in the thumb, and by the gods, they won't stop complaining. They'll harden up soon. 
Day 4: We passed the waterfall close to dusk. The way it stretches over the horizon makes these trips worth every moment. If only I could have seen it with clear eyes, though - I didn't sleep much last night. The Buskins' dog started howling. I guess it ran away before anyone could shut it up, though. It wasn't with us in the morning Poor thing. 
Day 9: The trail hasn't lost its beauty, though I feel something's amiss. The folks I took along aren't happy. Rumors are spreading. Apparently that old bag of bones wasting space in one of our caravans said we're doomed. I didn't listen to her. Nobody does. 

Hello, all! For those of you I haven't already met, I'm Plum. I'm looking to add another campaign to my rotation of forums games. I have found one-shots and miniature adventures to be far more sustainable on forums than fully fledged campaigns. I have been stewing over a small adventure for the past few months, and I am glad to finally have my schedule somewhat freed enough for me to invest enough time into running it. 

This rugged adventure draws on the themes of a haunting, deadly, terrifying excursion through the wilderness and beyond, drawing on themes of expansion, frontiers, manifest destiny, and mystery in a fantasy setting. 

Feel free to give my other two active campaigns a glance if you're interested in seeing if my DMing style will work for you here and here. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
-This is intended to be a mix of a One-Shot and a mini-campaign. 
-I will be updating the thread with major updates every two to three days - combat, however, will go by much quicker. Please only apply if you can confidently post at the stated pace. 
-OOC chat will be handled on a separate discord chatroom for convenience. 
-I do not have content sharing enabled through DDB. 
-If you need to step away from forums or posting for some time, you are more than free to do so - just make sure to inform me! Communication is key, especially in forums games. 

DISCLAIMER:
-Disturbing scenes and horror are common tropes in this adventure. Please only apply if you are comfortable with those themes - however, if you've been accepted and something seriously bothers you, please let me know and I will adjust the campaign accordingly. 

SETTING INFORMATION / CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND:
-I prefer not to limit the players with their options for character creation - therefore, I won't be specifying any specific campaign setting. All I ask is, if your character was born elsewhere, for you to explain how your character found their way to this caravan. 
-While the setting of the campaign must be kept in mind, this is still dungeons and dragons, and this is still a fantasy setting - meaning magic has a place, even in the rugged wilderness.
-SWAINBROOK: A bustling frontier shantytown where anyone's dreams can be realized! After being sprung up in nearly five years, this town has become a hubbub for anyone looking for a change in fortune. Pockets tend to be zipped tighter than the laws of this fledgling town. 
-GOLDSHIRE: The village farther West than any man has ever walked! A village even newer than Swainbrook - established nearly two years ago, a mine rich in gold was found lying underneath the hastily built cabins. Since its discovery, migrants have flocked to the village non-stop, chasing fortune, fate, and fame. Or, in some cases - escaping it. 
-This finally brings it to the party! A notorious adventurer and guide, Giles Malstrimmon, is offering his expertise in navigating the alpine pathways and rocky canyons spanning the distance between Swainbrook and Goldshire known as Jackdaw Ridge. Nearly past his prime, Giles hopes to make one final journey to Goldshire before the winter sets in - gathering several caravans worth of adventurers, travelers, and prospectors seeking protection and security during their journey. 
-For one reason or another, your character has decided to accompany Giles on his journey - whether your character hopes to escape the justice of law, line their pockets with gold, or see sights never seen before, the decision is yours. With bags packed, rations collected, and weapons at the ready, your characters will encounter peril and mystery as the journey takes several, unexpected turns.

CHARACTER CREATION:
-Characters will start at 9th level and eventually progress to eleventh during the final stages of the adventure. In the interest of balance, only official content is allowed. Unearthed Arcana will not be permitted.
-ABILITY SCORES: Roll one set, rerolling ones ONCE. If you aren't happy with your rolled stats, feel free to take Point-Buy or Standard Array instead.  
-BANLIST: Marked races. 
-BACKSTORY: I require enough to obtain a good sense of who your character is, their views, goals, and aspirations, and - more importantly - you as a player. As I invest a significant amount of my free time into making these campaigns fun, I request at least a baseline of investment from my players! Beyond that, feel free to be as in-depth or minimal as you want. Your character must additionally make sense for the setting. You should have a compelling reason for your character to be in this situation. 
-EQUIPMENT: You have a cumulative 3 slots to 'purchase' magical items - Uncommon items count as one slot, Rare items count as two, and Very Rare items count as three. For example, a character can have a +3 Longsword (3 slots), or they can have a +2 Shortsword (2 slots) and +1 Longbow (1 slot), and so on. I cannot filter through and list all of the items which can be problematic, so certain items will be disallowed and I will ask you to change your item loadout, should you be accepted to the campaign. Word of advice? Don't plan your character around a specific item. 

APPLICATION TEMPLATE:
-Character Name:
-Character Class / Subclass:
-Character Alignment: 
-Backstory: 

I will likely be closing applications some time on Monday. Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. 

Thank you for reading - happy character creation!
-Plum

Name: Lil Snowtree

Class: Cleric

Alignment:: Chaotic Good

Backstory: Lilah "Lil" Snowtree is an aasimar cleric. Born to human parents, Lil was raised to believe that all other races, especially tieflings, were evil. And then, at age 14 she did the unthinkable: Fell in love with a tiefling. Her parents disowned her and told her she'd never become an adventurer. Lil didn't listen to them. Lil ran off and went on several quests with the tiefling, Nameia Music. At the age of 16, Nameia died. 17-year-old Lil vowed to never go on a quest again, until now. Who knows what Lil's reasons are? Maybe it's a tribute to her lost love, maybe she's proving her worth. Whatever the reason, Lil is adventuring again.

APPLICATION TEMPLATE:
-Character Name:  Roywyn Gobblefirn 
-Character Class / Subclass: Bard/College of Eloquence 
-Character Alignment: Chaotic Good 

-Backstory: Simply put, Roywyn was the oldest of five kids of a dependable quartermaster.  From a young age, Roywyn was taught the ways of a sailor and the respect that goes being upon a vessel.  Though Roywyn was a dependable sailor with her intelligence and musical talents, she was fairly lazy.  She would always find a way to get other workers into doing work she should be doing, where she would be free to hang out in the local taverns or play cards.  One day, her lazy nature possibly cost her the life of her father after she was instructed with a checking the anchor, passed it to someone else, and they were negligent.  Her father and his crew disappeared from sea and were never seen again.  Broken-hearted and guilty, she left home to find her own way to atone for the loss of her father, to become a better person so that she may have the courage to head out to sea and forge a destiny he would be proud of.   

-Ability Scores: Ability scores: 9 14 15 13 12 8  Point Buy or Standard Array

Character Name: Tazxan Kerrhylon

Character Class / Subclass: Ranger/ Drakewarden

Character Alignment: Neutral Good

Backstory: Tazxan comes from an old clan of dragonborn that can trace their ancestry back to a long dead Red Dragon by the name of Kerrhylon, taking their clan name from the wyrm. They made a name for themselves as great warriors in the past, making their fortunes as sellswords and adventurers for generations. Like many before them, his parents were well traveled adventurers, having him as they traveled. Due to this Tazxan learned the trade from a young age, being raised by the group of adventurers his parents traveled with. It was only natural that he would become an adventurer himself.

Upon growing old enough to set out on his own, Tazxan took to the less traveled roads so that he could make a name for himself and see places he hadn't growing up. Due to being inexperienced he traveled with another member of his clan whom had traveled with him in the past. As the two traveled the older Dragonborn began to teach him various skills in order to survive and how to harness the draconic blood in his veins. One such power he learned was to form a bond with a magical drake that could be called upon to be a companion to Tazxan and his allies.

Over several years the two traveled together, forming their own band of adventurers he was saved by who took up various jobs wherever they could. Things went well for them but as it is said all goo things must come to an end. The group was ambushed by a rival band, claiming that Tazxan had stolen a job they had also been hired for. After a bloody battle with both sides suffering several losses, only Taxzan and his drake survived with the magical beast carrying a barely  conscious dragonborn to the nearest town. After taking several weeks to recover he took to the roads once more, taking a job to escort a group of miners to Goldshire. 

 Ability scores: 13 18 11 14 13 16

Ability scores: 13 11 14 13 13 16

Ability scores: 17 14 11 16 16 13

Alright, let's roll first and see what Destiny inspires on me:

Ability scores: 14 16 12 16 13 12

APPLICATION TEMPLATE:
-Character Name:Khessa Cabbagefield
-Character Class / Subclass: Fighter(Champion) 6 / Wizard(Evocation) 3
-Character Alignment: Chaotic Good
-Backstory: Khessa was born to a peasant family, in a small village. At the age of 20 she is kidnapped, with her family, during a raid of drow slavers. With some luck she manages to free herself, along with some other slave from her village. After a a dangerous journey in the underground, during which she is forced on several occasions to defend herself in the hostile and unfamiliar environment (risking her life, but also honing her fighting skills), she manages to lead the slaves back to the surface. With her family still lost in drow hands, she became an adventurer. Since then, she has always tried to help the the defenseless (waiting to be able to help, some day, her family) and to satisfy the curiosity of the world that she had always had... She will be willing to join the expedition both to see sights never seen before and to find friends or allies to be able, one day, to go back to the underdark and free her kidnapped family.

Ability scores: 14 16 15 15 11 10

Quote from Gaiou >>

Ability scores: 17 14 11 16 16 13

Character Name: Mirru Mirra

Character Race: Tiefling

Character Class / Subclass: Sorcerer/Aberrant Mind

Character Alignment: Neutral

Backstory:

Mirru was born between a witch and a Demon Lord of the Abyss. The witch devoted everything to her dark master. But a fiend's favour is unstable and undependable. One day, the demon stopped answering her mother's call and ceased to visit them. The witch became desperate. As an ultimate offering, she decided to sacrifice their only child. 

That was the time I, Mirra stepped in. I used my telepathic power to imitate our father. Mother believed her lover was back. She let her guard down. I shoved the foolish woman into the portal she had opened. The demons of the Abyss enjoyed our offering. We heard the laughter of our demonic father.  He was pleased and proud of us. Mirru was horrified, cried and grieved over our mother. I… I felt nothing. Just calmly calculated how to earn our living after losing our only parent. Adventurer didn't seem like a decent job. But what other choice, orphan girls have?

People may call us parasitic twin.  But who is the parasite and who is the host? That's a question even we can't answer. 

Character Sheet

https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/Gaiou/characters/60939262

Quote from Jereru >>

Alright, let's roll first and see what Destiny inspires on me:

Ability scores: 14 16 12 16 13 12

 Alright. Character crunch still in progress, but here we go:

Character Name: Mark Callaway
Character Class: Sorcerer (Divine Soul) 1 / Cleric (Twilight) 8 
Character Alignment: Neutral Good 

Backstory: The night. Where many perils lie, where hope sinks, where outcasts hide. Where quiteness relaxes, where the day rejuvenates, where dreams become real.

Mark was born in a small settlement which would look like any other. The village, which we will call Twilight here, had a special quirk - its inhabitants followed an ancient religion, a cult to darkness and fear: Mother Night. Twilight was governed by the High Priest, and he conducted all rituals and matters of the cult - and thereby of the town. Sacrifices to the Night, blood offerings, secret pacts... all of that was part of the cult to Mother Night, and all of that was forgotten the following morning, everybody acting as if nothing had happened.

Mark carried a special sign - hence his name. He was born exactly at midnight, and had a black, round mark on his right shoulder. The mark of the new moon, they called it, and it was though he was bound to be an important figure in the cult. From an early age, he was strictly taught all the cult lore and rituals, and he learned. But the child was brighter - pun intended - than what his masters had thought, and he had more hidden power than suspected.

He found out there were different ways. He'd been taught about blood and sacrifice, but he discovered the other side - quietness, control and rebirth. He had a dream conversation with Mother Night, and where others saw a mean, old, bloodthirsty crone, he saw a nurturing force, a caring mother. Mother Night accepted all kinds of gifts and worships, and Mark was as beloved to her as the High Priest. Of course, the others weren't too keen on this new turn of the ancient cult, and he had not the power nor the will to go against them, so he went away.

Mark felt a terrible sense of guilt for all the things he and his people had done. He set himself on compensating these deeds by delivering the good side of Mother Night to others in need. Wondering the land, he acted as an adventurer, guardian and healer, trying to show how to make good use of a gift no matter its origin.

Recently, he came to the Swainbrook area. Learning about a party preparing a dangerous trip to a place called Goldshire, he thought that if there was anything to gain he could very well use it to replace his supplies and, at the same time, he'd have yet another chance to give for all that he's already taken.

I'll put this on a different post, for easier reference.

For mundane equipment, do we get something extra apart from starting gear?

Is Gold Buy allowed? (I'm not really planning on doing it but some others might)

Ability scores: 13 14 9 10 10 9

Ability scores: 17 15 12 15 15 10

-Character Name: Treestrider
-Character Class / Subclass: Rogue/Scout
-Character Alignment: Chaotic Good
-Backstory:  Treestrider is a warforged constructed by an army in a faraway land as an assasin and sniper. He fell in love with the wilderness he encountered during the war, and when granted his freedom, fled there.  He has wandered the continent since then, sticking to the fringes of society, helping the helpless, occasionally enriching himself. He hasn't passed this way before and this Goldshire seems like a good place to be for now.

Ability scores: 12 14 12 7 12 16

-Character Name: Manny Greenbottle
-Character Class / Subclass: Monk (Way of the Ascendant Dragon) 8 / Cleric (Light Domain) 1
-Character Alignment: Chaotic Good

Hi, working up a character now. Here is the initial roll for stats:

Ability scores: 11 10 9 13 11 15

...wait for it... uh, yeah, I'll take that! Back soon with a character concept.

Here is my character. Thank you for running a game on here, I've done it, and it was difficult. Also, those rolls (above) were insane, and the result at 9th level is an amazing archer... 

Character Name: Sass (formally Brenassa D'al Sureia)
Character Class / Subclass: Wood Elf Ranger 5 (Hunter/Archery) / Rogue 4 (Inquisitive)
Character Alignment: Chaotic Good
Backstory: Sass was an exemplary member of the royal guard of an elven monarch, until she fell afoul of the queen's daughter's charms. Scapegoated when discovered, she was banished, and it took her a long time to overcome the betrayal, both of love, and of her homeland. She drank hard, fought hard, and made a name for herself as a mercenary killer with an almost legendary skill with a longbow. But she never found a home. Her temper grew shorter as her heart grew lonelier, and in a bar fight that spilled out into the streets, in a blind, drunk rage, she killed a bystander with an errant arrow. She served a hundred years—a mortal's lifetime—for the death, but as a full-blooded elf, lived through the long sentence. The years spent behind bars sobered her, she studied, especially in the later years of her sentence, when she was allowed more freedom, and she learned a measure of wisdom. But when she was released—after a generation of her jailors had died—she still found her reputation, now almost mythical, looming over her. The tragedy of the archer who never missed, and yet did, her arrow turned by the gods seeking vengeance or justice, or she was cursed by a devil or a demon or worse, depending on who told the tale. She has come to the ends of the earth, as it were, to escape it. She is wiser, but still a wiseass, friendlier, but still alone, more careful, but still brash, kinder, but still a hardass.

For magic items, I'd happily take the Oathbow, but if that is too much, then a trio of Longbow of Warning (or a Longbow +1 if a weapon of warning does not count as a magic weapon for overcoming immunity to non-magical weapons), Studded Leather +1, and a Cloak of Protection.

Quote from Jereru >>

I'll put this on a different post, for easier reference.

For mundane equipment, do we get something extra apart from starting gear?

Is Gold Buy allowed? (I'm not really planning on doing it but some others might)

 I meant to specify this in the introductory post. Apologies!

You're free to snag any combination of armor and weapons you prefer under the 'Armor and Shields' section and 'Weapons' section in the Player's Handbook, cumulatively worth no more than 500 gold pieces. 

Keep the applications coming!

Stats: Ability scores: 13 13 12 14 14 12

-Character Name: Periwinkle Bobbit
-Character Class / Subclass: Warlock of the Genie 9
-Character Alignment: Chaotic Good (but not Chaotic Stupid)
-Backstory: Of all the people to get their hands on an ancient being of thunder and air, to rescue from its cramped prison, and to bind it to their service for seven years and seven days, Periwinkle Bobbit would not be any reasonable djinni's first pick. Or their second. Or their third, for that matter. But she was the one the spirit Ninurta had to deal with. After all, it was she who discovered his prison. There must have been some magic in that old top hat she found, for when she placed it on her head, she was filled with the sky-cracking powers of an elemental powerhouse. Well, 'found' is pushing it. 'Borrowed' is a little better, and some might even say 'stole,' though of course Periwinkle would never do such a thing. It's just... well, that fancy looking fellow with the funny staff and the battered old hat looked better with his bald head exposed to the elements anyways. She was merely aiding his appearance, which was rather quite tacky all around. Anyways, after finding out that it was more than just an ordinary hat, she promised to free the djinni trapped inside, in exchange for his (reluctant and often indolent) service. The time agreed on was seven years and seven days, because djinni are like that sometimes. Five of these years have passed since Periwinkle obtained the aid of the djinni, and since then she has spent every waking moment seeking pleasure and excitement, using the djinni's power to aid her in this pursuit, obtaining a few nice items and a coin or two as a side effect of it all. She has decided to spend these last years she has with Ninurta's power exploring the outer reaches of civilization, delving farther than anyone has delved before, and it is this that has taken her to the road twixt Swainbrook and Goldshire.

Here goes:

-Character Name: "Whistler" (aka Caleb Greenfield, aka "Old Man Whistler")
-Character Class / Subclass: Fighter (Psi Warrior) - with a roguish feel; no plans to multiclass
-Character Alignment: Neutral Good - but not afraid to dirty his hands a bit if it gets the job done
-Backstory: Whistler's family history is a bit thick, but he grew up learning to work and help the family make it in a new city they had fled to when he was young. While a sharp mind, he was also a calm, skilled body and after various occupations found himself a bounty hunter. It was an exciting life... he got to travel to other cities, fight, even do a bit of adventuring. He became known for his uncanny accuracy with throwing implements, and for almost always successfully bringing in his targets. As the years passed, he traveled less, took less stringent jobs, and adventuring? He'd stopped that a while back. But then, almost miraculously, he began developing psionic powers out of the blue. At least, that's what he's always told everyone. Thinking it might be his last chance at building a nest egg, he decided to restart his training and try his hand at adventuring again... and found that his work experience, physical skills, and subtle, growing edge gave him what he needed to "advance" in the field quickly, despite his age. Now, nearing what he feels is the peak of his adventuring career, Caleb has decided to finally head to Goldshire to see what new trials and treasures await.

Stat Rolls: 14 17 14 13 15 11 or Point Buy

Character Sheet: https://ddb.ac/characters/61010580/rCILoO

No idea what I'm doing... but bored so may as well make up a character :D

Ability scores: 14 13 12 13 13 8

If the rolls above allow I'm kind of intending on making a Monk/Warlock multi class.  It'll probably suck, I'm no number cruncher or anything...  But I like the idea of my monk having a familiar :)

-Character Name: Gorm D'iabhal  (Most think Gorm is the Tiefling and D'iabhal the familiar and Gorm just goes with it, keeping the familiar's true name secret.)
-Character Class / Subclass: Monk 5 (thinking Way of the Sun Soul) and Warlock 4 (The Celestial) ((Keeping things light...))
-Character Alignment: Chaotic Good - Mainly because they are impetuous and don't always think through their actions...
-Backstory: Hired on as a bodyguard for a prospector who came here to strike it rich, Gorm quickly found the prospector was more interested in gambling away what little money they did make than paying their bodyguard.  So Gorm is fairly new to the area and making money however she can scratch it up, but definitely looking for something with a bit better prospects than this dirt old town.  

Now...  Let's see what the stats are!  lol

https://ddb.ac/characters/61066244/HFsKxE

Went with Ring of Protection and Dagger of Warning...