🗺️🎲⚔️ The Missing Words of Dawn a D&D one shot adventure

Behind the Die by Charlie Stayton

The Missing Words of Dawn

A One-Shot Adventure for 4–6 characters of levels 3–5

Adventure Summary

In the heart of a bustling market square, chaos hides beneath the noise of haggling merchants and clattering carts. A sacred text—The Words of Dawn, a relic said to bless the city with prosperity—has gone missing. The adventurers must weave through the press of people, uncover hidden truths, and confront those who would twist faith for profit before the relic vanishes forever.

This adventure emphasizes investigation, social interaction, and quick thinking in a crowded urban environment. Combat arises when secrets are revealed and tensions boil over.

Adventure Hook

The adventurers arrive in the great bazaar of Sunspire Market during the Festival of Dawning. A local priestess, Sister Elira, rushes to them in panic:

“The Words of Dawn—our sacred text—is gone! Without it, the blessing at tonight’s festival cannot be performed. Please, find it before sunset. The market is vast, but I sense the culprits are still here.”

Key Locations in Sunspire Market

1. The Fountain of Trade – The center of the market, a marble fountain where performers gather and crowds are thickest. Rumors flow as freely as water.

2. Spice Lane – Colorful stalls of exotic goods. Here, the sharp-eyed can catch sight of secretive dealings.

3. The Velvet Pavilion – A shaded tent where merchants and nobles gamble, scheme, and drink.

4. The Back Alleys – Narrow passages behind stalls. A perfect place for thieves’ guild activity and ambushes.

Investigation Clues

The party can search the market by roleplay, making skill checks (DCs scale by tier, generally 13–16). After 3–4 successful leads, they piece together the truth.

• Witness Account (Perception/Insight, DC 14): A street urchin saw a hooded figure in blue carrying a bulky tome toward Spice Lane.

• Suspicious Deal (Investigation, DC 15): A merchant admits a buyer offered coin for “a book bound in sunrise cloth.”

• Arcane Residue (Arcana/Religion, DC 14): The stolen text radiates divine energy; following the faint trace leads toward the Velvet Pavilion.

• Thieves’ Mark (Investigation/Thieves’ Tools, DC 13): A chalk mark in the back alleys matches the local guild’s sign.

The Villain: Master of Masks

The thief is Varin “Maskhand” Crenn, a disgraced acolyte turned thieves’ guild fixer. He plans to sell The Words of Dawn to a collector, believing faith is wasted on the poor.

Varin’s Motives

• Resentful of the church that exiled him.

• Believes coin is power, not faith.

• Thinks the festival blessing is meaningless—unless he profits from it.

Encounters

Scene 1: The Chase Through Spice Lane

When the party closes in, Varin’s hired cutpurses try to delay them.

• 2–3 Bandits (use 2024 Bandit stat block).

• A chase through market stalls—Dexterity saves (DC 13) to avoid barrels, carts, and animals.

Scene 2: The Velvet Pavilion Showdown

The party finds Varin negotiating with a cloaked buyer.

• Varin Crenn (use Cult Fanatic stats, with added disguise kit proficiency).

• 2 Guild Enforcers (use Thug stats).

• If blood is shed, the crowd panics—creating difficult terrain and possible collateral damage.

Scene 3: Restoring the Words

If the adventurers reclaim the book, Sister Elira begs them to help perform the ritual before sunset.

• Characters can assist with Arcana, Religion, or Performance checks (DC 14).

• Success ensures the blessing over the city; failure causes unease among the faithful.

Rewards

• The Blessing of Dawnlight: Once per day, a character may reroll a failed saving throw, basking in the text’s lingering aura.

• Standard treasure from Varin’s purse: 60 gp, a pouch of sapphires (worth 100 gp), and a silvered dagger.

Scaling the Adventure

• Lower Level (1–2): Replace guild enforcers with regular bandits, reduce chase hazards.

• Higher Level (6–7): Add a rival faction—an Oathbreaker Knight seeking the book for themselves.

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Epilogue

If successful, the adventurers are hailed as heroes of Sunspire Market. Sister Elira offers them blessings, and the crowd whispers their names with reverence. If they fail, rumors spread of their incompetence—and the market grows restless in the absence of divine favor.