The Croaking Curse of Grayshire

Adventure Summary

Grayshire depends on a broad forest lake for drinking water and fish. During the past week, giant frogs have crowded its banks and strange upright frogfolk—called mirekin—have begun driving villagers away. With the village cistern nearly empty, Grayshire needs immediate help.

A faintly glowing trinket lies at the center of the trouble. Its magic calls frogs to the lake and accelerates an unnatural transformation: ordinary frogs grow to enormous size, then slowly become intelligent, tool-using mirekin. The eldest of them, Gurlop the First, now carries the trinket and believes its whispers are the voice of a lake spirit.

The Truth Behind the “Meteor”

A week ago, an adventuring party fought a dangerous spellcaster in the Northward Forest. A powerful fireball destroyed the adventurers and blasted an enchanted charm from one victim’s pack. The red-hot charm flew high over the trees and plunged into Grayshire Lake. From the village, its fiery arc looked exactly like a falling meteorite.

The charm, known as the Verdant Star, was made to awaken and rapidly alter small animals. Damaged by the fireball, its magic has become unstable. It now summons frogs, enlarges them, and gradually twists them into mirekin.

Adventure Hooks

• A desperate request: Grayshire has posted a reward at nearby inns and crossroads.
• Passing through: The party arrives as villagers prepare to ration the last clean water in the cistern.
• A personal appeal: Elder Ressa Vale asks the characters directly after hearing of their recent deeds.

Part 1: The Village of Grayshire

Elder Ressa Vale, a tired but practical woman, meets the adventurers in the village square. Keep the conversation brief unless the players want more detail.

What Ressa Knows

• The trouble started the night a “burning star” fell into the lake one week ago.
• Giant frogs appeared first. Upright frog-men were seen two days later.
• The frog-men carry sharpened reeds, stone clubs, nets, and crude shields.
• A fisherman saw a large frog-man wearing a red-green light around its neck.
• The infestation is worst along the eastern shore, near an old fishing camp.

Suggested dialogue: “We do not need trophies. We need our lake back. Clear the shore, find what is drawing those creatures here, and make the water safe again.”

The eastern trail is obvious and requires no check. After fifteen minutes, it reaches a muddy watering place used by the villagers.

Encounter 1: The Watering Place

Creatures. Four giant marsh frogs lurk in the water. Driven into a magical hunger by the Verdant Star, they attack anything that approaches within 20 feet of the shore.

Terrain. The first 10 feet of water is 2 feet deep and counts as difficult terrain for creatures without a swimming speed. Two patches of sucking mud on the bank are each 10 feet square. A creature entering a patch for the first time on a turn must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or have its speed reduced to 0 until the start of its next turn.

Tactics. Two frogs leap at the nearest front-line character while the others try to grab isolated targets with their tongues. A frog reduced to 5 hit points or fewer retreats into deep water.

Clue. After the fight, a DC 11 Wisdom (Survival) check finds webbed, human-sized footprints heading east. Success by 5 or more also reveals smaller frog tracks gradually changing into those same upright prints. On a failed check, the party still finds the trail after ten minutes.

Encounter 2: Camp in the Reeds

Creatures. Three mirekin waders guard two giant marsh frogs. These newly transformed mirekin are intelligent enough to use weapons, but their minds remain clouded by hunger and the charm’s call.

A Chance for Very Light Roleplay

A character who speaks calmly from at least 30 feet away can attempt a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) check. On a success, a mirekin croaks broken Common: “Red star belongs First-Frog. First-Frog makes us more.” It points east toward a rocky islet, then orders the party to leave. The mirekin attack if the characters advance, threaten to take the “red star,” or fail the check.

Terrain. Dense reed patches provide half cover. A creature can use an action to cut or flatten one 5-foot patch. The two fishing huts are unstable; a creature shoved into a hut takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage as part of it collapses.

Tactics. The waders throw their nets first, then attack restrained targets with stone spears. The frogs leap past armored characters to attack anyone standing alone.

Discovery. The camp contains fish bones, crudely shaped tools, and discarded frog skins. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana or Nature) check confirms that the mirekin were once giant frogs and transformed only recently.

Treasure. A watertight tackle box holds 18 gp, a silver fishhook worth 5 gp, and one potion of healing.

Encounter 3: The First-Frog

Creatures. Gurlop the First carries the Verdant Star. Two mirekin waders protect him.

One Last Warning

Gurlop understands simple Common. Before initiative, he raises the charm and says, “Star chose Gurlop. Star makes lake-people strong. Dry-skins go.” A character can make a DC 14 Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion) check to convince him to remove the charm for a closer look, claim it is killing him, or otherwise separate him from it. On a success, Gurlop removes the trinket and sets it on the throne before combat begins. He still refuses to surrender it, but he loses Star-Fed Regeneration and Pulse of Change.

Terrain. The islet is roughly 45 feet across. Its outer 10 feet is slick, shallow water and difficult terrain. A creature that is shoved or knocked prone there must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw or slide 5 feet toward the lake. The half-sunken bridge is 5 feet wide.

Tactics. The waders hold the bridge while Gurlop uses his tongue against targets who stay behind the front line. Once a character is grappled, Gurlop leaps into the shallows and attacks them with his bite. He uses Pulse of Change early if he can affect at least two enemies.

Ending the Curse. Taking the Verdant Star at least 300 feet from the lake ends its call immediately. The remaining giant frogs disperse during the next day. Mirekin do not turn back into frogs, but without the charm’s influence they become cautious, independent creatures. Any surviving mirekin leave to find a secluded marsh.

Aftermath

With the Verdant Star removed, the lake’s unnatural green tint fades within hours. Ressa pays the promised reward and declares the adventurers friends of Grayshire. Fishing resumes the next morning, although villagers tell stories of distant croaks in the forest for years afterward.

If the characters search the woods beyond the islet, a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check finds scorched branches and fragments of adventuring gear scattered along the trinket’s flight path. Following it for an hour leads to the blackened site where the previous party died. There the characters find a scorched metal strongbox containing 35 gp and a partially burned note:

The Verdant Star

Scaling the Adventure

• For 1st-level characters: Use three frogs in Encounter 1; two waders and one frog in Encounter 2; and Gurlop alone in Encounter 3. Reduce Gurlop to 38 hit points and remove Pulse of Change.
• For 2nd-level characters: Use three frogs in Encounter 1; two waders and two frogs in Encounter 2; and Gurlop with one wader in Encounter 3.
• For 4th-level characters: Add one wader to Encounters 2 and 3. Increase Gurlop’s hit points to 72.
• For 5th-level characters: Use six frogs in Encounter 1; five waders and two frogs in Encounter 2; and Gurlop with four waders in Encounter 3. Increase Gurlop’s AC to 15 and hit points to 85.

Creature Statistics

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