Editing Uncaged (section)

=Volume 1=
'''Maid in Waterdeep:'''
::''Synopsis: The party is hired by a former [[merfolk|mermaid]] who wants them to rescue a kidnapped [[bard]] and bring justice to the [[witch]] who stole that bard's voice.
::Notes: "What if the Little Mermaid was a lesbian and Prince Charming was the villain?" That question sums up this adventure in a nutshell. The party is hired by Lily, a former mermaid but now human thief to rescue the woman bard whom she is in love with from an evil nobleman named Heks Vand, who hired a witch to steal said bard's voice and polymorph Lily into a human girl for revenge because, when the boat he was on was sunk by an unexpected storm, Lily saved the bard and not him.

'''Cry of the Sea'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party are hired to investigate when the men of a fishing community called Canticle Bay are being systematically lured into the sea by a city of [[merfolk]] led by a [[siren]].
'''Notes:''' The party's official recriter, Mayor Hamish Grindle, is a raging sexist and literally your first encounter at the local tavern for info is a female [[half-orc]] fishing captain being harassed by a "weasely" male [[half-elf]] captain. The sirens are a matriarchal merfolk community led by the misandrist Queen Aquila, who has been murdering the male population of Canticle Bay for overfishing the local seas. The party can either agree to side with her, which is subtly framed as the "better" choice: Aquila will give you each player a Common Magic Item and the party 500 gp, whereas the mayor will only pay 600 gp, and only half that if you return but leave Aquila alive. It's presumed that if the party tries to fight, they'll end up having to either escape or lose and agree to sacrifice another man in exchange for their freedom. If the party does side with Aquila, the aforementioned half-orc captain will eagerly join with them, whilst the half-elf one will instead try to warn the mayor about what's up.

'''From the Forest They Fled'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The simple farming village of Ashvale hires the party to investigate why the local animals are suddenly fleeing the nearby woods. It turns out that the culprit is a [[dryad]], who is planning to set a controlled blaze to help the not!eucalpytus trees in the forest germinate their seeds after 50 years without any blazes.
::'''Notes:''' The dryad Calyptra is a bit full of herself and reluctant to explain why she's doing what she's doing, which let's face it is pretty normal for a [[fey]].
::'''New Magic Items:''' The Summer Fey's Blessing, a Rare Wondrous Item (Amulet) that acts as a Spellcasting focus and grants both Resistance to Fire Damage and Advantage on Charisma checks with the [[fey]].

'''Lai of the Sea Hag'''
::'''Synopsis:''' Whilst in the port-town of Jute's Landing, the party is caught up in the vengeance of a sea hag for the deaths of her covenmates a century ago.
::'''Notes:''' This adventure centers around the idea that a hag can not only be non-evil, but actually a sympathetic victim. The party is pushed to find her sympathetic and want to make a peaceful resolution. This starts a trend that will be repeated throughout these anthologies.
:'''New Magic Items:''' Circlet of Courage, a Rare necklace that grants the wearer Immunity to Fear.

'''The Weeping Woman'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party are staying in a town that has been deeply unnerved since a broken dam upstream re-routed water back through a long-dried local river. When two small children go missing, the town fears the return of an ancient evil, and they hire the party to investigate the disappearance.
'''Notes:''' Based on the Mexican ghost story "La Llorona". It's hinted that the [[banshee]] the party is chasing may actually be a victim whose story has been distorted in the passing, and a peaceful resolution is possible, but it's not heavy handed. Actually, this adventure is very well written.

'''Lost Children, Found Family'''
::'''Synopsis:''' When the children of the Five Cities, a quintent of dying desert communities, go missing, the party is asked to find them. They'll discover the answer lies in the sins of the past.
'''Notes:''' The "big bad" of the adventure is a benevolent [[lamia]] named Enxi, who led the Five Cities to greatness 500 years ago only to then be driven out because her genius was too radical for the men to accept. Becoming a lamia to survive, she has witnesse the decline of the community she founded and is now "rescuing" the children with plans to found a new city elsewhere once the Five Cities' adult population is dead and she feels satisfied - which she is accelerating by having her [[jackalwere]] minions sabotage the irrigation system. She is presented as being the ''sympathetic'' figure in this whole mess, despite unapologetically admitting she's hastening the death of the Five Cities, and the "good end" is for the party to make the Five Cities apologize for the wrongs they did to her so she will return to lead them as an undying queen. Even the author admits she is supposed to be "evil, but with a legitimate point".

'''A Wild Hunt'''
::'''Synopsis:''' A well-meaning monk seeks the party's aid to end a curse in a remote mountain region that saw an entire ranching family wiped out, reputedly at the paws of a [[kitsune|nine-taile fox]].
'''Notes:''' This adventure is based on the Korean folktale "The Fox Sister", except the kumiho is  the mother, not the daughter, she ate all of her sons, and somehow she is supposed to be the ''sympathetic'' one, as is her daughter, who is deliberately helping her hunt men for their livers. Absolutely no effort is put towards achieving this, you're just told this in the adventure's end notes.
::'''New Magic Items:''' Oil of Slipperness (use on self for Freedom of Movement or on ground for Grease, lasts 8 hours), Potion of Animal Friendship (lasts 1 hour), Potion of Fire Breath (launch 3 4d6 fireballs after drinking).

'''Death's Agents'''
::'''Synopsis:''' An [[elf]] prince named Orestes crashes into the party's camp and begs for their protection as he travels to the Temple of the Sun, as he is being hunted by the vengeful furies. 
::'''Notes:''' An adaptation of the Classical myth of Orestes and the House of Atreus (in short: prince learns his mom took a lover whilst his dad was off at war, then murdered his dad with him when he returned, so he killed mom and her lover for this, then he was driven mad by the furies because he broke the sacred law against kinslaying). If the player gets Orestes to the temple alive, he makes his confession and is told to go on a pilgrimage to atone for kinslaying, whilst the party must serve as agents of the God of Death for a year and a day for interfering with the furies efforts to slay Orestes for kinslaying.

'''The Tale of Sepha & Ade'''
::'''Synopsis:''' When the high elf noble heiress Lady Sepha Lekore vanishes, her father hires the party to find her. They discover she has secretly fled to the [[Underdark]] to be with her lesbian love, the [[drow]] noblewoman Lady Ade Parga, and they both want nothing but to be left alone in peace.
::'''Notes:''' Intended to be a lesbian homage to the myth of Hades and Persephone. 

'''The Banshee's Tale'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party is hired by the nobles of House O Cuinn, whose ancestral home of Castle Gealladh has recently become haunted by a [[banshee]] that keeps warning all within to "leave or die", to investigate the castle and end the haunting.
::'''Notes:''' It turns out that the banshee is actually the spirit of a founding member of House O Cuinn, who is trying to warn her descendants to flee before the demonic pact sworn to [[Orcus]] offering the family's souls for prosperity 500 years ago comes due.

'''Swamped'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party are hired to investigate why townswomen in the village of Briar Glen are flocking to the local swamp in the dead of night, seemingly entranced. 
::'''Notes:''' The culprit is a "boo-hag", a [[hag]]-like [[fey]] who is tied to a swamp in a manner similar to a [[dryad]] and her tree. She has ensorcelled the women into her coven to secretly drain the life from their lovers to revitalize the swamp. The boo-hag is presented as being completely in the right, to the point that killing her destroys the town and earns the party the enmity of the coven women, including their [[warlock]] leader. The only good ending is negotiating a peace between the boo-hag and the townsfolk.

'''The Demon's Heart'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party is apparently hired to investigate a string of disappearances in a small village near a recently-opened ancient barrow, but in reality they are being manipulated by a [[succubus]], who is competeing with her [[cambion]] son to discover an ancient relic that can be used to buy their freedom from a Pit Fiend.
::'''Notes:''' A simple, straightfoward adventure.
::'''New Magic Items:''' The Demon's Heart, a Rare Wonderous Item that lets the bearer use an action to cast Command (Fiends Only) at-will.

'''Lost Gods'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The dying village of Medeira hires the party to enter the lair of a nearby [[medusa]] the locals worship as a god and beg her aid against the drought and pestilence afflicting them for the last six months.
::'''Notes:''' It turns out the medusa is no goddess, but nor is she evil; she was cursed into her status and given "worshippers" in one of those ironic curse things, but after a century, the divine curse that made the land fertile has ended and it's reverting to its original inhospitality. She just wants to leave, and the party has to decide if they'll just kill her, abandon her, or help her leave - either way, they'll need to deal with the local yokels.
::'''New Magic Items:''' Hero's Shield, a +1 Shield with a reflective surface.

'''The Secret of Shadow Grove'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party is hired to locate and return a missing person, last known to be traveling to the small forest town of Anamdael.
::'''Notes:''' The central conflict is between a benevolent [[hag]] worshipped by the local women for her patronage of abused women and children, and an ambitious, woman-abusing nobleman from nearby Stagmore who wants the hag gone.

'''Shadows and Talons'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party are summoned to the [[half-elf]]-dominated town of Cragwatch, ostensibly to protect the town from [[harpy]] attacks, but in reality to cover up the plan of the Ur-Harpy, Lyra Velatha, to spread the true story of her creation - that she was not transformed into her half-avian shape by her unrequited love for [[Fenmarel Mestarine]], but was forcibly polymorphed by the [[Seldarine]] god when she refused to submit to his will.
::'''Notes:''' The harpies are purely the good guys here, and the bad guys are the local high priest, who wants to cover up the truth, and a ranger (a woman, no less) who basially provoked the fight.
::'''New Magic Items:''' Medallion of the Seldarine, a Common amulet that can grant Advantage on a Persuasion, Performance or Intimidation check against a [[cleric]], [[paladin]] or other anointed member of any religious order devoted to the good/neutral [[Seldarine]].

'''The Guardian of the Forest'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party is hired to investigate why the mythical Caslan Woods, a place known to be home to portals to the [[plane]]s, have suddenly begun to molder into a monster-infested swampland.
::'''Notes:''' The portals were once guarded by a magical sapient giant snake named Ophion, but when it chose to pass on its position to the benevolent [[medusa]] Petra instead of the ambitious [[Chromatic Dragon|Black Dragon]] Murgyss, the dragon attempted to take the power by force. To restore the forest, the party must help Petra defeat Murgyss. 

'''A Family Reunion'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party is hired by the monstrous queen Melusine to seek out her monstrous-looking children and bring them to her, alive and well.
::'''Notes:''' Inspired by the legend of Melusine, but basically giving it a happier end by having her rescue her inhuman-looking kids rather than letting them be slaughtered by fearful humans. Each of her kids has made a pretty decent living up until this point, so expect to have to appease them before they'll agree to go and see momma dearest.

'''Maidens of the Weave'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party is hired by the matriarch of the [[drow]] of House Zurden in [[Menzoberranzan]] to rescue her daughter. She has actually been recruited by a cult of good-aligned [[drider]]s who worship [[Lloth]] as the sacred guardian of the Weave of Magic and who view their transformation as a blessing. Who also have an internal power struggle on whether or not to exploit their magical powers to destroy their enemies.
::'''Notes:''' A decent enough idea dragged down immensely by tying it to the [[Forgotten Realms]], where it literally flies in the face of all canon lore relating to [[drow]], [[drider]]s, [[Lolth]] and [[Mystra]]. If you want to run this as-is without being crucified, put it in a homebrew setting.
::'''New Magic Items:''' Cloak of Arachnida, a Very Rare magic cloak that grants Resistance to Poison, Spider Climb at wearer's base speed, immunity to webbing, and the ability to cast a double-sized Web spell 1/day.

'''Apalling Morass'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party is hired by the rebuilding village of Elmwood to defeat a [[hag]] who threatens them, only they are actually being manipulated by a greedy [[Zhentarim]] agent.
::'''Notes:''' It's another "good guy hag" adventure, to the point that doing he adventure "right" will make hags across Faerun be less hostile towards the party... Oh, and two of the hags are biologically male (one cisgender, the other MtF transgender), despite that being impossible in [[Forgotten Realms]] canon.

'''Heart of the Goddess'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party must descend into the [[Egypt]]ian afterlife of Duat and aid the goddess of truth [[Ma'at]] in defeating the god of chaos and destruction, Isfet.
::'''Notes:''' Despite what you might think from that synopsis, this is recommended for 10th level adventurers.

'''Lauma:''' This forest-dwelling [[hag]] was once a kindly old spinster who would take care of children that got lost in the forest or who were orphaned, until the cruelty of men who resented her kindness saw her twisted into a decrepit and half-mad [[fey]] crone that kidnaps children (or races she ''thinks'' are children, like [[halfling]]s or young [[gnome]]s) to "protect" them.

'''Calateya's Will'''
::'''Synopsis:''' When a beauty-obsessed [[necromancer]] demands that the Goddess of Love grant life to the finest [[Flesh Golem|"doll"]] he has ever produced so he may take her as his wife, the outraged goddess sends her servant to punish him, with the party's help.
::'''Notes:''' Inspired by the myth of Pygmalion and his statue, reinterpreting Pygmalion as a mad misogynistic [[necromancer]] who uses stolen souls to animate his unholy bone-and-porcelain constructs and receives punishment for his hubris.

'''Legend of the White Snake'''
::'''Synopsis:''' Upon arriving in the village of West Lake during the annual tea festival, the party discovers the village healer has gone missing, to much confusion and dismay. They are hired to find her.
::'''Notes:''' Based on the Chinese Myth of the same name, and in homage to its various reinterpretations the DM can chose which of four characters is the hidden antagonist behind the plot.

'''Madness of the Valkyries'''
::'''Synopsis:''' Centuries ago, the [[valkyrie]] turned against their master, [[Odin]], and the forces of Valhalla fought a bitter war to destroy the maddened spirits. Now the party has been guided by prophecy to seek out and slay the single last surviving valkyrie.
::'''Notes:''' That backstory? Total BS. The reality is that Odin was a cruel, petty, jealous, cowardly master who murdered one of his valkyries for bearing a human's child, then had the rest slaughtered when the protested his behavior. Then he spread the story of "The Madness of the Valkyries" to make himself look good. The party's victory is ultimately meaningless either way, because the death of the Last Valkyrie awakens an army of spectral warrior women who storm forth to attack Asgard and slay Odin for his crimes.

'''Ghastly Grins'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party arrives at the forest city of Ardara, which is being harassed by a murderous [[dullahan]]. Naturally, they are hired to stop the creature.
::'''Notes:''' The dullahan is being forced to attack the people against her will by Adara's former mayor, who is angry that he lost the last election to a young woman named Brix.
::'''New Magic Items:''' Vorpal Longsword, Legendary Weapon with a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls, ignores Resistance to Slashing damage, decapitates its target on a natural 20.
::'''New Monsters:''' Dullahan.

'''The Tale of Two Sphinxes'''
::'''Synopsis:''' The party plumbs the depths of a legendary [[sphinx]]-guarded dungeon that holds a magical ring whose powers can change the world.
::'''Notes:'''  The magic ring was originally guarded by two mated sphinxes; the androsphinx Bazymoros and the gynosphinx Asmuzi, but Bazymoros was corrupted by [[Baphomet]] and sealed away by Asmuzi. If the party tries to brute-force their way through, Bazymoros will be released and they cannot hope to win the ring; if she livees, Asmuzi deems them unworthy, and if she dies, the vault cannot be opened. The dungeon is themed around the five stages of grief, and Bazymoros is very clearly framed as an abusive spouse.
::'''New Magic Items:''' Ring of the Sphinx, Legendary ring that can cast Wish three times and also summon Asmuzi 1/day.