First outline: Shinon's Dell and the Elves of the Howling Wood
Roll results: An earthquake uncovers a previously unknown dungeon; A huge dire wolf, apparently immune to magic, is organizing wolves in the wood; Racial tensions rise between humans and elves; Slavers continue to raid a local community.
Adventure Outline:
Shinon's Dell is a young settlement on the frontiers of a human kingdom, a broad valley flanked by high ridges and the southern stretch of the Howling Wood, named by early explorers for the abundance of wolf packs dwelling there. In three short years it has grown into a booming frontier town, supported mostly by the growing industry of taming the sleek wild horses that roam the nearby plains.
The elves have not had human contact in several hundred years, and the would-be conquerors they met then have long since faded from the world. That the newcomers made their intentions clear from the beginning and kept to their word made the growth of the Dell a possibility. Recently, however, they are becoming much colder to the idea and beginning to withdraw from contact with the humans; as this limits their access to the forest for lumber and hunting, the townspeople are growing discontent.
A band of human slavers run a horse ranch on the outskirts of town, hiding the captives they acquire there before they can ship them off to distant ports. They have attacked a handful of elvish trading groups and captured most of those they did not slay; the survivors fled and informed their kin, and the humans are being blamed for bringing this blight to their lands; some elves whisper, however, that this was in fact their goal all along.
Taking advantage of the growing tension and absence of hunters in the forest, a beast who calls himself 'Hearteater' is growing in strength. A Chaotic Evil Awakened Dire Wolf (whatever size you need him to be for an appropriate CR), the death of his druid companion has driven him into an insane hatred of all humanoids; hailing originally from another continent, he takes out his sense of alienation on every living thing around him save other wolves. He has begun gathering the local wolf packs around him, preparing for the day he can leave the shadows and devour all the 'two-legs' he can sink his teeth into.
Hearteater lairs in a deep natural cavern, though its walls are composed of brittle stone and fairly thin. If damage is dealt to the cave walls, such as by area-effect spells or deliberate effort, there is a good chance the entire cave will collapse into the central lair chamber of a long-dead shadow dragon. The dragon's hoard was looted by the adventurers who slew it, but some later visitors may have left their possessions behind; the dragon's traps and wards are still active, and various subterranean predators share the tunnels with undead drawn to the area.
