Bloodied Embroidery

a 4th level adventure

for fifth edition

Credits
Writing Artwork
Valentine Voisin Freepik

Proofreading Fonts Used

Jack Than Htike, Skyler Springer Crimson, Lato, Cinzel,
& Julie Winger Calligtostrophe, Alphahate

Layout Special Thanks

Valentine Voisin Kevin Hlaing, Khin Thawdar Khine

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD
5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/
systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licens-
es/by/4.0/legalcode.

1
 Below a small bridge, a man wades with difficulty through the filthy waters of the canal, searching. Anything
useful could do, or anything that could be sold for a small profit. In one of the floating piles of trash held in place
by the bridge’s large metal grate, he soon spots a golden shine. The discarded junk is a formless monster of a mass,
and it takes great effort for the man to reach his treasure. A closer look has him freeze: the shine is that of a golden
ring, attached still to a hand, attached still to a body, bloating and graying below the murky waters.

Overview
The Fiend
About two months ago, a shape-shifting fiend calling herself “Izeline” arrived in town. To such a creature, corrupting the pur-
est of souls is the sweetest of treats. Izeline’s favored targets are care-takers: kind, selfless, and easily moved by a helpless child.
Disguising as a little girl and pretending to be lost, she meticulously manipulates her chosen victim. As their bond deepens,
she incites them to perform deeds of corruption. It starts small, such as stealing food for her, later escalating to harming inno-
cents after she pretends they have hurt her. Invading their dreams, she paints the world as filled with cruel people deserving
of punishment. When all genuine want to protect and nurture is replaced by self importance and vigilante impulses, the soul
is ready to be fed upon.

The Hideout
Izeline leads her targets to her hiding place, a former riverside house. Under the fiend’s charm, the poor woman
watermill by the river. From this hideout, she feeds on her is now captive in her own mind and home, which she has
victims, wraps them in bed sheets which she weighs down not left for several weeks except for short appearances
with heavy rocks, and dumps them in the river where they in her front yard to keep the neighbors unsuspecting. As
will be carried downstream below the surface. Ninette’s mind finds small ways to break through, she
This watermill is the residence of Ninette, one of the expresses distress calls through embroidery, her hobby.
fiend’s first targets. A remarkably sharp old lady, she Sewn patterns are found on the sheets discovered with the
quickly found out Izeline’s true nature, rendering all cor- victims. Beyond serving as a lead to the murderer, these
ruption attempts useless. Though Izeline did not take the will help the party realize that someone is in immediate
woman’s soul, she takes pleasure in tormenting her, and danger.
found a valuable asset in Ninette’s conveniently located

Dramatis Personae
• Old Ninette. Being almost constantly under Izeline’s • Constable Robeca Tritz. Trying to act tough but still a
charm has taken a toll on this old woman. Inside, she is rookie, Robeca was assigned to this case to “get her sea
screaming for help, but under the control of the enchant- legs”, as the older guards joked. Though acting as the par-
ment, she believes herself to be going mad, and that little ty’s main contact for this case, she was told to let the ex-
Izeline is keeping her safe. perienced adventurers do their job and to simply remain
• Copper. Perceived as unsettling by most, and more com- available should the need arise.
fortable around the dead than the living, this young cor- • Zulanire. Head priestess of a temple to Tamar, a deity of
oner is passionate about all things detective. Treating the Life, Zulanire does her best to juggle her usual responsi-
investigators with a fan-boyish attitude, he gets too excit- bilities with her new duties at the orphanage. Profession-
ed at the possibility of this case being part of something al, efficient and diplomatic, she lacks skills in working
bigger, jumping at the word “conspiracy” a bit quickly. with children but deeply cares for their wellbeing.

2
 Adventure
Involving the Party
Every so often, the guards stumble onto a case with odd details, suggesting the presence of a monster or the involvement of
magic. They call those the “weird ones”. To deal with the issue, people more versed in these fields are often hired: monster
hunters, mages, adventurers…
Two hours before the beginning of this adventure, four bodies were found in the river with no clearly identifiable cause of
death: a textbook “weird one”. The guards know who to call.

The Bodies
Led by Robeca, the party is brought to Copper’s practice, a basement with a vaulted ceiling.

Examination Leads
Four bodies lie in the cold chamber, eyes empty of life and Two main leads can be gathered:
skin bloated by moisture, covered by clean white sheets. • The doctors of Telard Lane. One victim was identi-
The coroner informs them of the following: fied as Wildorine Sage by Robeca, who arrested her and
• Cause of death. There are no signs of struggle or poi- her husband Orian Sage a couple of weeks ago. Robeca
soning, and the victims did not die by drowning. Each grants the party paperwork explaining their involve-
bears a black stain on their cheek or neck from which ment in the case should they need to enter their resi-
dark veins creep, and their eyes are blank. Copper has dence on Telard Lane.
no explanation for these “symptoms”. A successful DC • The holy symbol. One of the bodies bears a silver
14 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check reveals pendant necklace. The character most knowledgeable
that these marks are reminiscent of the life draining about religion recognises it as a holy symbol to Tamar,
effects of certain spells or creatures. to whom a temple in the Lower Banks is dedicated.
• The sheets. The bodies were found tied and wrapped
up in sheets, weighted with rocks. They were only
discovered thanks to an arm freeing itself from the rope
and floating to the surface. The most surprising ele-
ment is the sheet each of them was wrapped in, which
Copper shows to the group. The corners of the fabric
are decorated with colorful embroidery representing
Copper’s “Cheat Sheet”
flowers and birds. A character inspecting them notices
small sewn letters hidden in the patterns, spelling out Copper gives the party his notes (See
the word “help” over and over. Handout: Copper’s “cheat sheet”).

In addition, the group can borrow any of

the items that were found with the bodies,
as long as they are returned for potential
relatives who would wish to keep them.
Aside from Wildorine’s wedding ring and
the holy symbol, all items are kept in a
trunk.

3
 The Telard Lane Townhouse
On Telard Lane, a modest and quiet residential street, a two
story townhouse acts as the medical practice and home of
Mr and Mrs Sage. No noise can be heard inside, and drawn
curtains hide what is within.

The locked front door can be forced open with a successful

DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check, or picked with a DC 13
Dexterity (Thieves’ tools) check. Wary neighbors back
down and cooperate when shown the paperwork provided
by Robeca. The couple has not been seen in over a week.
One resident of Telard Lane may own a double of the key
and offer to use it after hearing of Wildorine’s passing.

The Doctors’ Cabinet The Living Quarters

Excluding the corridor in which a staircase leads upstairs, Two rooms make up the first floor.
the ground floor is made up of 3 rooms: • The living room. Two comfortable armchairs and
• The kitchen. A table and two chairs stand at the center a small table lie in the center of this room. Above the
of this room. A smell of rot hails from a bowl of spoil- mantle of the fireplace, a framed charcoal portrait
ing fruit. No one has entered this room in 11 days, and depicts a couple and a toddler. In the back, the names
everything was left exactly in its place. Orian, Wildorine and Filibert are written, along with
• The examination room. A character searching the date of the drawing, made 6 years ago.
through the cabinets can easily scavenge a medicine kit • The bedroom. The open drawers of the dresser indi-
and a healing potion. cate that the couple had been packing some belongings.
• The office. Bookshelves line the walls of this room, A worn notebook rests on the bedside table.
containing mostly works that relate to medicine. On
one of the desks sits a short pamphlet on the city’s child
adoption laws.

Orian’s Dream Journal

Though most of the entries in this notebook are the usual weird tales conjured up during sleep, or dreamt memories
of the couple’s beloved deceased son Filibert, the more recent accounts take a darker tone. Orian recounts several
dreams in which he encounters a child named “Izeline”, whom he seems to be familiar with and thinks of adopting.
In these dreams, he protects her from people who wish her harm. Several entries recall an acolyte from Tamar’s
Temple, whom Orian briefly stalked after Izeline claimed he had hurt and stolen from her, “proof” that even religion
is filled with cruelty. Orian’s writings in these last entries betray his changing mindset over the course of two weeks.
After each dream, his speech grows increasingly violent and self-important. He becomes convinced that the world is
a dark place, exclusively populated with cruel hearts unworthy of redemption. He vows that he and his wife, the last
remaining good people, will protect Izeline.

The Temple
Dedicated to the deity Tamar, one wing of this stone building also houses a modest orphanage. The door bears the same holy
symbol found on one of the bodies. A few regulars are present in the main worship area. Acolytes can direct the party to the
head priestess Zulanire, leading them to a more private room when the need to discuss serious matters arises.

4
 Breaking the Grim News

When told about the case, Zulanire is visibly shaken. She • Although he used to be a beloved anchor to the children
knows nothing of Izeline, but the holy symbol found be- of the orphanage, Otto had completely changed in his
longs to Otto Lageson, a former acolyte of the Temple. last few weeks before leaving the Temple. He was losing
Though Zulanire admits that their relationship had grown faith, failing to show up for prayer, behaving rudely to
tense before his disappearance, she is saddened to hear of visitors, and more importantly, had become cruel toward
his death. She recalls as best as she can the events leading the children. They are still very shaken about it, even
up to his demission: making up stories to try to make sense of this sudden
• Otto quit over a month ago, but if he hadn’t, Zulanire change in behavior.
would have fired him. She has since taken over his duties • The party is free to speak with the children, but Zulanire
and is looking for a replacement. Otto was almost single begs not to tell them about Otto’s death. She believes they
handedly running the orphanage, and Zulanire does not are too young and too close to Otto to process this kind
have faith in her instincts when it comes to children. of information.

The Orphanage Wing

Almost 20 young children aged 7 to 11 live in this wing of the temple. Some are curious and follow them while whispering
and giggling, while others quickly go back to their playing or reading. The character with the highest passive perception spots,
on one of the older girls’ blouses, embroidered patterns similar to those on the found bed sheets. When questioned, the child,
Edwilla, sees an opportunity to play. Backed by her friends Lauriel and Nector, she claims to be the leader of the Dragon War-
riors. Giggling, the stubborn children refuse to tell their secrets unless the party can prove themselves worthy of their gang by
playing a game called “the Dragon Potion”.

Interviewing the Dragon Warriors

Once the characters are proclaimed honorary members
of the Dragon Warriors, the children agree to honestly Playing the Dragon Potion
answer their questions. Lauriel mimes procuring an imaginary po-
• Old Ninette. The blouse was embroidered by an old tion from his pocket, which he hands to Ed-
woman who used to bring toys and gifts. Almost ev- willa. She thanks him, pretends to take a sip,
eryone at the orphanage owns something embroidered and proceeds to blow in the air, under the
by her, but she hasn’t visited in a couple of months. The cheers of her friends who exclaim that she
children can give directions to her old watermill house.
is breathing fire like a dragon. Edwilla then
• Friend thief. If questioned about Otto, the children are
hands the potion to one of the party mem-
visibly jealous. Before he left, he had been spending time
bers, asking them to take a sip and explaining
with a little girl he met in the street who made him mean.
He began comparing them to her, calling them ungrate-
that only the worthy will be able to breathe
ful, and even took Lauriel’s cat rag doll (see Handout: fire. Between each attempt by the characters,
Copper’s cheat sheet) and wooden horse toy (see below: Edwilla asks to be handed the potion back so
Exploring the house) to gift it to her. that she can demonstrate again. If a character
• Ghost. Nector grows fearful at the mention of the little passes the test, the children will cheer, but a
girl. He once spotted her in the street, not too far from failure will have them boo.
the Temple. When he confronted her, she disappeared. What determines a character “worthy” is
Nector thinks that she is a ghost, but no one believes him. whether they said “thank you” when being
• A message. Poorly disguising their worry, the children handed the potion. The children will then
have a message for Otto should the party meet him. They accept them as an honorary Dragon Warrior.
are willing to consider giving him back his title of Drag-
on Warrior King, if he returns the toys and becomes nice
to them again. Or at least, they would like to know what
they did wrong to make him so mad at them.

5
 The Old Watermill
Exterior
This small building is built on the bank of the canal. Ninette’s living quarters are located on the ground floor, at street level,
while the basement at water level houses a workshop and watermill, no longer in use. Windows are shut, and though light
peeks through the drawn curtains, no one answers the door. Izeline holds the key to the locked front door. The lock can be
picked with a successful DC 13 Dexterity (Thieves’ tools) check. Alternatively, the windows can easily be broken, which
will alert Izeline.

Izeline’s Escape
Izeline is by default in the basement. If aware of the party’s presence, she begins to prepare her escape and last kill
(for her strategies, see below: The Fiend in the Basement). Before fleeing to another city, she wants to claim one more
soul for the journey ahead and attempts to drain Ninette: an uncorrupted soul is better than none at all.
Keep track of Izeline’s location and stealth rolls as the party explores the house. While in Ninette’s living quarters,
regular speaking volume should go undetected, but any sound louder than a scream alerts Izeline. In the stairs
leading to the basement, successful Stealth (Dexterity) checks against the fiend’s Passive Perception (15) are
necessary to catch her by surprise.

Note: If she makes it to Ninette undetected, Izeline’s life-draining attack will undoubtedly kill the old woman.
However, the harm suffered breaks the enchantment. Ninette’s screams can be heard from the basement, giving the
party a chance to stop Izeline.

The Hostage
A putrid stench floats in the house. Ninette, seated on an armchair and embroidering a towel, barely reacts as the party enters,
even if they do so by breaking the windows. She smiles when speaking, but her eyes look terrified. Attempting to question
Ninette is unsettling, and of little use. Under the fiend’s charm, she is a bad liar but does her best to protect Izeline. She panics
when an upsetting matter is brought up, furiously working her embroidery to soothe herself, then cheerfully changes topic as
if forgetting what took place seconds before. A character looking at her embroidery notices the word “help” in the patterns,
though Ninette dismisses it as if it were an absent-minded mistake.

Should the party break Izeline’s charm through a spell or otherwise, Ninette’s behavior drastically changes. In a panic, she
begs for help and not to be left on her own, grabbing onto the PCs. Through deconstructed speech, she can now tell them
about Izeline’s methods and true intentions. Izeline is however aware that the charm is broken.

Exploring the House The Larder

A partially charred wooden horse lies in the fireplace (See The stench comes from this small room behind the kitch-
above: Interviewing the Dragon Warriors), along with en. A character opening the door must succeed on a DC
shards of broken glass. Ninette tried to throw bottled 14 Dexterity saving throw or become prone, alerting
messages in the river in a moment of respite from Izeline’s Izeline, as a week-old corpse falls onto them.
charm, but was caught and the bottle ended in the embers. The victim’s finger sports a ring identical to that found
A character searching the fireplace can find a few scraps of on Wildorine, identifying him as Orian Sage. He bears the
paper that survived the fire. A few words can be gathered: same dark mark as the bodies found in the river.
“corrupted these poor good”, “over my mind and”, “eats their
life”.

6
The Fiend in the Basement
This simple room houses the old wheel of the watermill. Near the end of the room, a trapdoor on the floor opens over the
river. Izeline uses it to dispose of her victim’s bodies. Izeline is only invisible if she was alerted of the party’s presence, oth-
erwise preparing the rocks and sheets for Orian’s body. Should combat occur in the basement or upstairs, she may use the
following tactics:
• Preferring to avoid combat, Izeline remains invisible whenever she can, or uses friends to avoid being targeted.
• The fiend may use Ninette as a distraction through her charm ability, or use suggestion to force a party member into at-
tacking their companions and fighting on her behalf.
• If reduced to half her HP, Izeline no longer seeks a meal and focuses on fleeing.
• When heavily wounded and desperate to escape, Izeline attempts to grapple onto Ninette, threatening to kill her to nego-
tiate her escape.

Innate Spellcasting. Izeline’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma

Izeline (spell save DC 17). She can innately cast the following spells, requir-
ing no material components:
Medium Fiend (Shapechanger), Neutral Evil
At will: friends, enthrall
Armor Class 15 (natural armor) 2/day each: command, suggestion
Hit points 66 (12d8 + 12)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60ft.
Actions
Claw (Fiend Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
8 (–1) 17 (+3) 13 (+1) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 20 (+5) Charm. One humanoid Izeline can see within 30 feet of her
must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically
charmed for 1 day. The charmed target obeys Izeline’s verbal or
Skills Deception +9, Insight +5, Perception +5, Persuasion +9, telepathic commands. If the target suffers any harm or receives a
Stealth +7 suicidal command, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the ef-
fect on a success. If the target successfully saves against the effect,
Damage Resistances Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison; Bludgeoning, or if the effect on it ends, the target is immune to Izeline’s Charm
Piercing and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks for the next 24 hours.
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal, Telepathy 60ft. Izeline can have only one target charmed at a time. If she charms
Challenge 4 (1100 XP) another, the effect on the previous target ends.

Proboscis tongue. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one

Telepathic Bond. Izeline ignores the range restriction on her telep- target. Izeline bites one target, who must make a DC 15 Constitu-
athy when communicating with a creature she has charmed. The tion saving throw against this magic, taking 32 (5d10 + 5) psychic
two don’t even need to be on the same plane of existence. damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful
one. A creature charmed by Izeline makes this saving throw with
Shapechanger. Izeline can use her action to polymorph into a Small disadvantage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an
or Medium humanoid, or back into her true form. Without wings, amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the
Izeline loses her flying speed. Other than her size and speed, her target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its
statistics are the same in each form. Any equipment she is wearing hit point maximum to 0.
or carrying isn’t transformed. She reverts to her true form if she
dies. Invisibility. Izeline magically becomes invisible until she attacks, or
until her concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell).

Conclusion
The two remaining victims are eventually identified as a toymaker and a school teacher. The party is given 250 gold for han-
dling the case, and another 200 if they have killed Izeline. If she escaped, Izeline fled to another city. Should she ever cross
paths with the party again, she will want revenge.
If Ninette is alive, she is taken in by the Temple, refusing to stay in her own home. Her recovery is slow, but steady. In the
weeks following her convalescence, she begins taking over Otto’s duties at the orphanage, a perfect fit for her and the chil-
dren. Her old mill is left unoccupied. She would gladly be done with it and leave the deed to the party.

7
 Handout: Copper’s Cheat Sheet

Unidentified female, early 40s.

Death maybe a month and a half to two months
Found wrapped with rope in an EMBROIDERED
sheet? along with stones used as weights
simple clothes

Unidentified male, early 40s? Dead a month approxim

ately,
wrapped the same way. maybe a bit more.
wearing simple ceremonial robes (maybe a priest?), one shoe,
a rag doll in the pocket (it’s supposed to be a cat? I THINK?),
a necklace.
0s.
probably early 6
Unidentified male, .
r about 3 w eeks ng fancy
Dead fo
Als o wr ap pe d in embroidered sheets. Weari
pouch.
clothes . 8 gold, 14 copper in belt
Unidentified female, mid 30s?
dead between one week to ten days.
wearing simple clothes, and a brass wedding band.
Also wrapped
Identified as Wildorine Sage by Robeca
CONSTABLE TRITZ

STATEMENT:
I RECALL WILDORINE FROM AN ARREST WE MADE A LITTLE
UNDER THREE WEEKS AGO. DURING PATROL I WAS
CALLED TO BREAK OFF A STREET FIGHT
HUSBAND ORIAN
UPON ARREST AND QUESTIONING, WILDORINE AND HER
SAGE HAD INITIATED A VIOLENT ALTERCATION
WITH SEVERAL PASSERSBY.
NT DOCTORS
THE COUPLE, RESIDING TELARD LANE, ARE ITINERA
NITY.
AND THEIR SERVICES ARE APPRECIATED BY THE COMMU
WERE KEPT OVERN IGHT, THEY ARGUED THAT THE STRESS-
AFTER THEY
FUL NATURE OF THEIR WORK MADE THEM ACT POORL Y .
AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT RECIDIVATE.
WE LET THEM OFF WITH A SMALL FINE AND A WARNI
NG, HAVEN’T HAD
ANOTHER INCIDENT INVOLV ING THEM SINCE.