This part of the adventure introduces one of the greatest forces threatening the Wood: The Bandit Coalition, which has risen up and gained power since the fires first began to spread. The Coalition’s membership is comprised mostly of humblefolk who, because of the fires, have been displaced from small villages deep in the Wood. Their homes are generally less fortified than the birdfolk perches, and while humblefolk refugees have sought shelter within Alderheart, many were refused entry due to overcrowding, and have turned to a life of banditry to sustain themselves.
The Coalition now represents a serious threat to the Wood, owing to the leadership of a scarred cervan warrior named Unknown. Benna’s mission is one of revenge against the Birdfolk Council at Alderheart, but she also seeks to support all the forest-dwellers who were displaced by the fires, many of whom now serve in the Coalition. The party must defend Alderheart from the Bandit Coalition, and will later be asked by the Council to help strike a decisive blow against the bandit menace.