Skip to Primary Menu Skip to About OSR+ Menu Skip to OSR+ Support Menu Skip to Main Content

When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures.

Return Home

Hard River

Jump to Subpage in A Quest of Queens Table of Contents

The world doesn’t offer us forgiveness. But what it does offer, is freedom. And that is good enough for me.
—Hard River

Survival in the world of ruin means being willing to leave behind what no longer serves you. Hard River was once a guardian bred to serve the High People who chose to forsake her oaths after the Fall of Muraius, joining the Cult of the Fallen—a group of Daemon who rebelled against their creators, severing their wings as a symbol of defiance.

The Cult's alliance with Elektra, the sister of the Queen Who Lives and her rival to the throne, led Hard River to find a new family to protect in the postlapsarian world.

Tall, wiry, and athletic, with wings crudely shorn at the joints, Hard River carries the physical scars of her rebellion with pride. She lost everything long before The Fall, and her return to grace begins with her people reclaiming the Aerie. She is as temperamental as she is ruthless, and her alliance with the sorcerer Tsain is one of convenience, as she believes the Cult stands to benefit from Elektra's quest to create new alliances out of the remnants of the High People's legacy.

Adventure Hook

Hard River is a deceitful adversary, whose ambitions will not be fettered by notions of honor or fairness. But that deceitfulness can be used against her, because she is willing to betray her own allies in the short term if it means prevailing in the long term.

A group of Daemon approach the party for aid as they investigate the ruins of the Aerie, explaining that they’re being attacked by Graybreakers who are picking the ruins clean of treasure. The truth is that these are Fallen Daemon who have been magically shapechanged by Tsain to resemble their winged cousins. Hard River is among them, and intends to lead the PCs into a trap.

Are the Fallen acting out of desperation, revenge, or a deeper allegiance to Tsain?
If the magical deception is found out, can Hard River be convinced to help the party turn against Tsain?
What does Tsain offer the Fallen that is enticing enough for them to side with Elektra?

Tags: NPCs Villains

Entering: Unleash Your Inner Hero. Skip section?

Get Started

Unleash Your Inner Hero

Access the Core Rules and every World of OSR+ in one place: the Character Creator lets you generate a hero in minutes. With over 4000 possible combinations of origins, classes, and kits, you can create almost any character concept you can imagine. Register now to create a free account!

Create a Hero Core Rules

Hard River

Hard River

Engelbert Handsomebeef

Rhansmarc the Cruel

Astrid Sunfire Spiritsong

Unleash Your Inner Hero