Area description:
An area where one wrong step on solid seeming ground can mean the end. A high moor in full bloom, no matter the season, seemingly swimming over a bottomless abyss.

Key Locations:

Centaur camp outside the valley: A clan of centaurs has set up a temporary camp near a pass that leads to the valley. A handful crude tents and wagons.

The High Moor: The High Moor of Cnoic Chiúin is a large valley, nestled between towering mountains. A verdant but treacherous area that has swallowed whole caravans whole, never to be found again.

Location background:

There are many stories about this part of the world. Some heroic, some tragic, some true and some not. But when locals speak about the highland moors of Cnoic Chiúin, the tone shifts to something between fear and awe. The area of the high moors is nestled in a crater like valley. On a good day, a rider might pass the distance from one end of the moors to the other in less than an hour but up here, far from civilized folk, the days never are that good. Caravans prefer to take the long way around the area, meaning days’ worth of travel rather than risk the passage through.

Adventure hooks:

The lost children:
The party has encountered the herd of centaurs and managed to diffuse initial hostilities. A young centaur mare, approaches the party. Her foal, along with two other young centaurlings, has wandered off and she fears they may be lost in the treacherous moors. She fears for their safety, as the area seems unnatural and maybe filled with unseen perils.

The mare promises a generous reward for anyone who can safely return the lost foals. However, despite her desperate situation, she seems to keep something from the party and will be ushered away from them by defensive centaurs if pressed.

The High Moor:
When players first enter the High Moors, they encounter weathered signs in a language they cannot read. A sufficient intelligence check however makes clear they warn of something. As the party continues, the weather deteriorates. A thick fog rolls in over the hills like slow moving waves of smoke.

The fog obscures all sight past 10 meters completely and the air becomes unnaturally chilly. The party will hear strange noises beyond their sight and notice that apart from these noises, everything else becomes muffled. Steps are barely audible, hoofs hit the earth without making noise. Voices become distorted. An effect that becomes quickly stronger, the further one is from the other. At about 10 meters, when a person becomes obscured by the fog to the degree of no longer being visible, their voices no longer carry over at all.

Should a party member however wander off and become separated (anything beyond 15 meters from the group) they will trigger an event.
The separated party member will be ambushed by two Draugr that will slash at the intruder and will attempt to restrain them to then drag them to the peaty black waters of the moor, adding another soul to the damned.

The Fog:
Should animals be with the group, they will act nervous. Hounds will snarl at the air, horses will become skittish and it will require expertise to calm them. Should a feline (for some reason) be part of the party, it will flee before the fog and may return after the party leaves the area. Should a feline related race be part of the party, they will feel strong anxiety and see shapes move at the corners of their sight once inside the fog only to vanish when looked at directly.

Should the party stick closely together, the effects of the fog will be negligible at first. They can
follow a narrow strip of land that has cart markings, indicating save land to stand on. Beyond that,
hidden below shrubs and grass is the moor. Its unknown depths keeping secrets none alive may remember. Straying from the path will require dexterity saves every so often to prevent the character from sinking into the black earth. Three successive search throws (for the entire party) will allow the group to find signs that they indeed are not alone on this path.  Bent reeds and hoof prints in the earth will lead you deeper into the area. Then they find blood. Little at first but progressively getting more. Somebody is badly wounded and bleeding out. The amount the party finds would have killed a human already but the sturdier physique of the centaurs, may have allowed them to survive still. As the party follows the trail of blood, there is after all little they can do else if they do not wish to leave the path, they will get the feeling of being watched. The sounds beyond their sight grow more bold and aggressive.

A mage or wizard might deduct that there is strong magic in this area.
A paladin will notice that the connection to the astral plane here is clearer, making the connection to their deity requiring less focus.
A shaman might caution that the thin barrier between planes here will also allow things from beyond through, granting access to this world to beings who never should have been able to walk here.

The Rocky Plateau:

The party will reach a more rocky plateau within the moors. An approximately 50 by 50 meter wide area of solid ground. The fog seems be much thinner here and sight extends easily to the surface of the rocky area. On it they will find a single injured centaur child. It will tell the party how the others have been dragged away.
[“They took the others… dragged them… clawed them… I tried to help but…” he whimpers]
The centaurling is clutching a nasty looking stab wound.
A healer may try to aid the child but will quickly notice that the wound is poisoned. Dark liquid has begun to ooze out, looking more like tar than blood.
A successful wisdom throw will clarify: It is not poison but a curse. The curse of rotting flesh to be precise.
It can be broken with a ritual but this requires specific herbs and takes time to set up. A mage would be
sure that the magic of the moors will make the ritual work better but the area is unsafe so performing it
here will be dangerous indeed. Players might try to perform it right then and there but this will trigger a fight
that can be considered the boss fight for the module.

The Boss:
A moor hag, a rotten and bloated corpse of a once beautiful maiden will rise from the depths, angered by
the magical disturbance the ritual caused.
Rising with her are six Draugr that attack with their cursed ice blades.
Once the party has defeated at least four Draugr, a half decayed humongous shape rises from the
moor. At first it looks like an indescribable amalgamation of rotten flesh, mud and fur but as it
moves and some dirt falls off, it is revealed as a large bear that untold ages ago must have
drowned within the black depths. 

The Ritual:

Once all enemies lay slain, the party may attempt to heal the foal or retreat without it for fear
of additional enemies. Should the ritual be started again, there will be one last attack by a new
type of enemy.

Three shadows will appear and engage the party. The fog will thicken again, making coordination problematic.

The child:

With the end of the shadows, the moors seem satisfied. The players may feel like they have proven their worth and are now allowed unhindered action within its borders. While this remains a foolish opinion, no further enemies will accost them.
The ritual, if started again, will save the foal, which then can be brought to his mother in the camp.

Despite only bringing one of three children back, the party is heralded as saviors and the chieftain himself will thank them

gifting the group a beautifully crafted horn.
[“Should you ever find yourself in a hopeless situation, blow this horn and any centaur in the area will know to come to your aid.”]
Should an archer be in the group, the mother will gift them her bow. It is perfectly balanced and feels incredibly light, nearly hollow but is very sturdy. It will require training to use properly as its draw is very heavy. Other rewards may include gold, gems, herbs to replace those that were used during the ritual and centaur forged blades that are of excellent make, albeit on the heavy side for human standards.

Creatures:

Draugr: Long dead soldiers, preserved by the stagnant waters of the moor. Their slashing attacks deal added
ice damage. While slow, these foes are physically strong and resistant to all types of damage except
magical weapons and magic attacks. Fire deals twice the damage it normally would.

Moor Hag: She will cast vile debuffing magic, blinding those she hits with it for a short while. She also will
fling bile at the party causing acid damage. She is physically decrepit and frail and will not stand up
to much physical damage at all.

Undead bear: The undead bear is a true tank, eating physical damage as if it was nothing. Its claws
and fangs remain sharp and dangerous and it is unnaturally fast for its size. It too is weak to fire. The
first successful fire attack will in fact even scare it off for a moment, allowing the party an opening
for a coordinated attack on it. Following fire attacks will still deal additional damage but no longer
scare or surprise the bear.

Moor Shadow: Their incorporeal form will make them immune to all physical damage. Only magical
weapons will connect with them, dealing normal damage. Elemental damage will also be effective.
They will attack with a sonic screech which will disorient and slash with icy talons at the players.

Challenges and Rewards:

Combat: The combat here is hindered by difficult terrain and limited visibility. Teamwork will be the key to survive here.

Exploration: Surviving the high moor will be tricky if the party acts rash. One wrong step and a failed die may lead to the untimely end for an adventurer.

Treasure (upon delivering the foal back to the herd):
A beautifully crafted horn that will summon Centaurs to aid the party.
Should an archer be in the group, the mother will gift them her bow. It is perfectly balanced and feels incredibly light, nearly hollow but is very sturdy. It will require training to use properly as its draw is very heavy.
Other rewards may include gold, gems, herbs to replace those that were used during the ritual and centaur forged blades that are of excellent make, albeit on the heavy side for human standards.

Experience: Level up your characters and gain new abilities.

Reputation: Gain the respect of the centaurs who will vouch for you with other clans if the need arises.

Security: The party has slain several strong enemies within the moor and pacified it. While this will not last, the coming months may see a boost to the regional economy due to shorter travel time for the caravans.