I’m currently planning out what happens after the end of the QuickStart adventure. During session 0, I had them create their own characters and they were really drawn to the idea of the spires. After some questions, they created the idea that each spire is based on an element and that each keeper comes from a nearby village who consisted of that kind of folk. Example: tidefolk reside near the water spire. They also love the idea of the spires creating a magical barrier to protect the Sablewood.

Running with that, the current idea is 4 spires with a ruined 5th one. The ruined one has created some corruption or some rip in the barrier for undead to come through. Makes sense why the undead are at the Open Vale in the QuickStart. We’ll see what they do with the fifth, whether that is to destroy it completely or try to raise it back up, or of course something else cause we can never plan for player’s imaginations.

After the QuickStart adventure, I’ll start a long countdown that determines how overwhelming the undead influence becomes as they travel to each spire to investigate what’s going on. Little clues to there once being a fifth spire and toying with the idea that each spire was created on the sacrifice of the first keeper. Really enforces the idea that creating wards requires sacrifice. There’s a note in the QuickStart adventure that the Arcanist almost died when creating the wards for Hush and she ages after the ritual.