Miniatures forge adventure
A remarkable local in the area by the name of Shadenis is a student of the arcane who often aids the nearby towns with his magic. Shadenis lives close to town in a wooden cabin next to a narrow stream in the forest. The location is about an hour away from the nearest town but only a few minutes from a trade road that crosses the forest. Shadenis enjoys the silence of the forest and the smell of greenery, mountain flowers, and petrichor.
Shadenis is an accomplished conjurer who devotes his days to mastering the art of bringing forth arcane energies and beings from beyond the fabric of the planes of existence. For the past few months, Shadenis has tried to conjure valuable metals like gold and silver in a way that allows the metals to stay permanently in the Material Plane. His arcane formulae for the special spell are almost complete. Shadenis has been able to produce a pound of silver and a few ounces of gold over the past week. The spell is still unstable and produces unwanted results half of the time but Shadenis thinks it is only a matter of time before the spell works as intended.
An unfortunate development led Shadenis to abandon his research two days ago. Shadenis has the habit of speaking out loud when he comes up with new ideas or magic theories. It turns out that a pair of goblins approached his home and heard him speak to himself. The goblins did not understand any of it. But they saw the mage create a small piece of gold after enunciating a long stream of arcane words. It was clear that the mage had a way to make gold out of thin air.
The goblins broke into Shadenis’ home and tried to subdue him but the mage defended himself with magic fire and killed one of them. The other one escaped by jumping out a window and ran back to the lair to alert the rest of the goblin pack. The goblins, motivated by the promise of free silver and gold, came out en masse and reached Shadenis’s cabin a few hours later. They attacked at dawn. Shadenis did his best to defend his home but the goblins were too many to handle. He managed to send an animal messenger to request assistance from the nearby town. The major hears the cry for help and looks for a group of strong travelers or mercenaries willing to go check up on Shadenis.
Shadenis ends up tied and gagged in his cellar while the goblins go through his spellbooks and notes. He can hear them upstairs eating his food and drinking ale. Fujo, the goblin chief, tries to read and cast the spells in the book with no success.
Minis you can use for this adventure
Area Descriptions
1. Makeshift Bridge
The narrow stream is 3 feet deep. Crystal clear water flows down from the mountains beyond the forest. A few miles downstream, this water is the main supply for corn and barley farms.
2. Collapsed Outbuildings
A damaged lean-to warehouse and a collapsed privy outhouse are next to Shadenis’ cabin. Both structures feature fire and blunt damage. The mage damaged both structures while defending his home the day before. 3 goblins are guarding the area; they attack on sight. One of them has a wooden whistle to alert the others inside the house.
3. Cabin Porch
The one-story stone cabin features a 5-feet-tall wooden porch. The main entrance door is ajar, barely hanging from broken hinges.
4. Main Room
The mage’s usually ordered room is in disarray as three goblins go about their business inspecting and eating everything. A trapdoor with a hand ladder to the cellar is hidden under the rug. Two goblins sit by the hearth and drink ale. Both are dressed in Shadenis’ clothes which are too large for them. Another goblin sits on the rug with a spellbook and a pen in hand. It writes illegible scribbles on the arcane book.
5. Mage’s Quarters
The small room has little furniture. The order and arrangement portrays Shadenis’ organized behavior. The three goblins outside have ignored this room so far. A safe box under the bed contains 120 gold coins. It opens with the command word “Shoosh”.
6. Basement
Chief Fujo reads a spellbook and asks Shadenis how to perform the gold-making spell. Fujo thinks he can master the spell tonight but Shadenis knowingly disagrees. Three goblins and a warg protect Fujo.
When confronted, Fujo threatens to kill Shadenis if the adventurers do not back off. If the adventurers attack, Fujo attempts to fulfill his threat. If Shadenis survives the encounter, the mage offers to teach his money-making spell as it is now. The spell is incomplete but it can create up to 10 gold coins every week.

