The restless spirit of a tormented warlord howls through the mountain winds, threatening to unleash catastrophic storms upon the village at its feet — only those brave enough to reclaim his legendary blade can decide his fate.

Welcome to “The Howling Gorge” 5E adventure! Within these pages, you’ll discover everything necessary to embark on this thrilling quest, complete with detailed descriptions of locations, encounters, NPCs and stat blocks, maps, and handouts.

This adventure also features a versatile and scalable system, allowing Game Masters to easily adjust the difficulty and complexity of encounters to suit their players’ preferences and skill levels. Whether you have a party of advanced players or beginners, you can tailor the challenges to ensure an exciting and engaging experience for everyone involved. The scalable system guides modifying creature statistics, making it simple to customize the adventure to fit your party’s level.

In “The Howling Gorge,” a party of 4-6 characters (levels 3-5) is summoned to Galespire, a village gripped by supernatural storms and the eerie howls of Garumn — a legendary warlord whose spirit is bound to his blade and interred deep within the gorge that bears his name. Elder Mowen tasks the heroes with venturing into the Ironspike Mountains to retrieve the blade, as previous adventurers who attempted the same journey were never seen again. What the characters do with the blade once found will determine the fate of Galespire and Garumn’s restless soul. The adventure is divided into five parts.

Part 1: The Village’s Plea

The players arrive in storm-battered Galespire, where Elder Mowen addresses a crowd of frightened villagers in the central square. Gathering information from key NPCs — the young shepherd Faelon, who witnessed a ghostly figure on the mountain, and Old Eydis, a village elder with deep knowledge of Garumn’s legend and survival wisdom — the party pieces together the myth of the blade and its power over the storms. A sudden supernatural tempest drives everyone to shelter at The Gales Rest inn, and the following morning the players stock up on mountain gear from the merchant Halvor before setting off into the Ironspike Mountains.

Part 2: The Ironspike Mountains

The ascent through the Ironspike Mountains tests the party across a series of environmental and combat challenges. They encounter the Silver Falcons, a beleaguered adventuring group pinned down by a Frostclaw Bear, and earn allies and rewards by intervening. A three-stage icy cliff climb demands repeated Athletics checks with falling hazards at each stage. As night falls and the party makes camp on a high ledge, a ferocious snowstorm sweeps in — and the only shelter is a cave already occupied by four Mountain Goblins whose leader wields crude but potent arcane magic.

Part 3: Garumn’s Gorge

Descending into Garumn’s Gorge, the players are enveloped by a hauntingly oppressive atmosphere — spectral visions replay scenes of Garumn’s final battle, and those who study them carefully gain an edge on future lore checks. Natural hazards including rockslides and chilling wind gusts challenge the party’s endurance as they push deeper. Two Spectral Warriors block a narrow pass at the gorge’s heart, and a vast frozen lake must be crossed — carefully, as cracking ice and freezing water threaten the unwary — while two Frost Guardians rise from the depths to defend the far shore.

Part 4: The Garumn Cave

The restless spirit of a tormented warlord howls through the mountain winds, threatening to unleash catastrophic storms upon the village at its feet — only those brave enough to reclaim his legendary blade can decide his fate.

Part 1: The Village’s Plea

The players arrive in storm-battered Galespire, where Elder Mowen addresses a crowd of frightened villagers in the central square. Gathering what they can from the locals — a young shepherd who has glimpsed a ghostly figure on the mountain, and a village elder steeped in the legend of Garumn — the party pieces together the myth of the blade and its power over the storms. A sudden supernatural tempest drives everyone to shelter for the night, and the following morning the players stock up on mountain gear before setting off into the Ironspike Mountains.

Part 2: The Ironspike Mountains

The ascent through the Ironspike Mountains tests the party across a series of environmental and combat challenges. They cross paths with a beleaguered adventuring band pinned down by a fearsome beast, and can earn allies and rewards by stepping in. A treacherous icy cliff climb tests the party stage by stage, and as night falls and they make camp on a high ledge, a ferocious snowstorm sweeps in — and the only shelter is a cave already claimed by mountain goblins whose leader wields crude but dangerous magic.

Part 3: Garumn’s Gorge

Descending into Garumn’s Gorge, the players are enveloped by a hauntingly oppressive atmosphere — spectral visions replay the warlord’s final battle, and those who study them carefully gain an edge on the lore to come. Rockslides and chilling winds wear at the party’s endurance as they push deeper, spectral warriors bar a narrow pass at the gorge’s heart, and a vast frozen lake must be crossed with great care before its guardians rise to defend the far shore.

Part 4: The Garumn Cave

Beyond a massive runic stone door, the players descend into Garumn’s ancient tomb complex — past a war altar that rewards sharp-eyed characters, through a frost-trapped corridor, and into the Blade Chamber, where Garumn’s weapon waits encased in ice and defended by frost-bound guardians. Freeing it demands a puzzle drawn from the warlord’s own history, and every wrong move seals the party deeper in the cold. Once the blade is in hand, the players face a defining choice in Garumn’s Tomb: lay the blade reverently in the sarcophagus to pacify the warlord’s spirit, or claim it for themselves and face his wrath.

Part 5: Aftermath

The adventure concludes with four meaningful outcomes, shaped entirely by the players’ decisions. Returning the blade earns the party a hero’s welcome and Galespire’s full celebration. Keeping it brings subdued gratitude, partial rewards, and the promise of future trouble as the blade’s power draws unwanted attention. Destroying the blade yields the greatest honors and the truest peace. And failing to appease Garumn leaves the storms raging and the villagers in panic, setting the party on an ongoing quest of the GM’s design.

Release Date: 2024 Format: Digital (PDF)

Items Included

The Howling Gorge 5E (PDF)
A B&W Printer-Friendly Version (PDF)
Maps
Illustrations (Generated with Midjourney)
Monster Stat Blocks

The Howling Gorge (5E) – Adventure for Levels 3-5

The restless spirit of a tormented warlord howls through the mountain winds, threatening to unleash catastrophic storms upon the village at its feet — only those brave enough to reclaim his legendary blade can decide his fate.

Part 1: The Village’s Plea

Part 2: The Ironspike Mountains

Part 3: Garumn’s Gorge

Part 4: The Garumn Cave

Part 1: The Village’s Plea

Part 2: The Ironspike Mountains

Part 3: Garumn’s Gorge

Part 4: The Garumn Cave

Part 5: Aftermath

Items Included