Backstory
Aldric Voss was once the finest weaponsmith in three counties, his blades carried by knights and mercenaries alike. That changed the night the curse fell on Hollowmere. His wife, Sera, was among the first to vanish — pulled from their bed by shadows that bled through the walls like ink through parchment. Aldric ran into the dark after her and found nothing but her wedding ring, still warm, lying in a circle of scorched earth behind the smithy.
Now Aldric works the forge day and night, hammering steel with a desperate, hollow rhythm that echoes through the village at all hours. The weapons he crafts have changed. They hum faintly, their edges impossibly sharp, and those who wield them report hearing whispers in combat — Sera's voice, warning of incoming blows. Aldric doesn't sleep. He says the moment the forge goes cold, he hears her screaming from somewhere beneath the village.
His eyes are sunken, his hands scarred beyond what any smith should endure, and he refuses to leave Hollowmere. He insists the answer to breaking the curse lies in the metal itself — that one perfect blade, folded with the right intent, could cut through whatever barrier holds the taken villagers. The other residents think he's lost his mind. The truth is more complicated: something answers when Aldric calls into the dark, and it's teaching him to forge weapons that shouldn't exist.
Stat Block
Aldric Voss
Medium humanoid (human), neutral good
Spirit-Forged Arms. Weapons crafted by Aldric count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks. A creature attuned to one of his weapons can cast Augury once per long rest (the answer comes as Sera's whispered voice).
Forge Trance. Aldric doesn't need to sleep. He enters a trance-like state while working the forge. During this trance, he has advantage on Wisdom saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Curse-Touched Constitution. Aldric has resistance to necrotic damage. If reduced to 0 hit points, spectral chains briefly manifest and stabilize him (he automatically succeeds on his first death saving throw).
Actions
Forge Hammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) fire damage.
Hurled Slag. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) fire damage. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn.
Plot Hooks
The Mine Below
Aldric begs the party to descend into the old mine beneath the smithy — he's heard Sera's voice echoing from below, but something down there kills anyone who goes alone. He offers each party member a spirit-forged weapon in payment.
The Whispering Blades
A traveling merchant recognizes one of Aldric's blades and panics — the last person who carried one went mad, claiming the whispers turned from warnings to commands. Is Sera's spirit truly benevolent, or is the curse using Aldric to spread?
The Blue Flame
The forge fire has turned an unnatural blue and won't die, even when Aldric tries to douse it. He confides that the entity teaching him has begun making demands — it wants a weapon forged from a specific metal found only in the village cemetery.
Ready-to-Run Encounter
The Midnight Forging
For a party of 4 at levels 3–5 • Enemies: 3 Shadows (MM p. 269)
The party arrives in Hollowmere after dark and follows the sound of hammering to the smithy. Aldric is deep in a forge trance, surrounded by a faint blue glow. He doesn't respond to conversation. When a PC touches him or one of the weapons on the rack, the forge erupts — spectral chains lash out from the coals, grappling the nearest two PCs (DC 14 Strength save). Aldric snaps awake, terrified, and tries to help. Three Shadow creatures (MM p. 269) emerge from the walls, drawn by the disturbance. During the fight, Sera's voice whispers tactical advice to anyone holding one of Aldric's weapons (+1 to attack rolls for the encounter). After the shadows are destroyed, Aldric breaks down and tells the party everything.
DM Tips
Play him exhausted, not crazy. He knows exactly how he sounds. He just doesn't care anymore. That self-awareness makes him sympathetic rather than dismissible.
The weapons are the hook. Let a player attune to a spirit-forged blade early. The moment they hear Sera whisper "duck" during combat, they're invested in finding her.
He's a moral anchor. When the plot gets complicated, Aldric's motivation is dead simple: get his wife back. That clarity is useful when players are drowning in mystery.
Like Aldric? There are 4 more.
Aldric is one of 5 interconnected NPCs from The Cursed Village of Hollowmere — a corrupt priest who caused the curse, a changeling innkeeper impersonating the dead, a furious ghost who knows the truth but can't speak, and a 9-year-old prophet who's seen how it all ends.
All five NPCs reference each other and interlock into a full mystery arc for levels 3–6.
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Get the Full Bundle — $2.99 $4.99Instant PDF download • 5 NPCs • 15 plot hooks • 5 encounters