Exploring the village shouldn’t take too long.
Recap: In the version I ran, the characters – a Cleric (Wynflaeth), Rogue (Andro), Barbarian (Tully), and Ranger (Simza) – spent a little time poking about; they ended up hiring William & Aelfric, and briefly explored the forsaken church, discovering the hidden holy water and thus alerting the wraith to their presence. I started the characters at 1st level, so obviously the wraith was far too powerful for them; fortunately it missed its first attack, and I hinted that it was avoiding what little light the boarded-up windows allowed inside. The players got the idea and proceeded to pull the boards from the windows, letting in enough light to render the wraith powerless, letting them make their escape.
After several days travel across bleak moors and cold, marshy woodland you have arrived in the Wulfswald, a hilly, forested region scarred by wars and plague. Burnt houses and the stubs of ancient watchtowers dot the landscape; gibbeted corpses regard you with crow-eaten eyes, betokening the bandit presence in these woods. You have passed a number of travelers: the odd leper trudging down the road, a handful of peddlers and sometimes a few larger merchant caravans heading south to Nachtheim or north to Nulnstadt, and the occasional bedraggled pilgrim.
Finally, you have arrived at the tiny village of Gründorf. The village was devastated by plague some years ago, and now consists of only a few inhabited buildings: the Black Faun Inn, a few farmhouses, a smithy, a tannery, and a watermill on the banks of the nameless river that flows past here. One road leads over the river to Hexenburg Castle, while the other veers off to the west towards the town of Nulnstadt. The hamlet’s small church looks to have long been abandoned, its walls overgrown with ivy, its graveyard unkempt. Normally relic-hunters could have sought a roof at such a place, but the inn must do if you wish to rest before heading on to the Castle itself.
The Black Faun Inn
The Black Faun Inn is a rambling, four-storey structure with an attached stables, a well, and a sizeable courtyard. In contrast with the dour, decaying buildings in the rest of Gründorf, the Inn almost looks welcoming, with warm yellow light spilling over the threshold of its open door.
Inside:
The inn’s common room is dim and smoky, lit by the flickering light of the fire in the hearth. Long wooden tables and a few smaller round ones, notched and stained with age and use, are scattered about the room, and the walls are adorned with maps, the stuffed heads of stags, wolves, and bears, and a few tarnished weapons and shields. The innkeeper is a hulking slab of a man with face and arms covered by scars and several missing fingers.
The inn’s patrons are a rough, variegated bunch. A pair of sellswords in patched, weather-beaten cloaks sit by the hearth, their blades in full view – one a hulking, tattooed man with a heavy two-handed claymore, the other a lithe fellow with a pair of shorter blades. At the bar, a grey-bearded dwarf is working on his fourth tankard of dark ale, next to several men in furs – perhaps local hunters. There’s also a small group of nuns eating a meal in the corner, the oldest a wrinkled crone who scowls at everyone in the common room, the other two significantly younger. Finally, a morose-looking travelling minstrel with lank blond hair occasionally strums a chord or two and scribbles something on a piece of parchment. A very bored-looking young woman seems to be the barmaid, though she doesn’t have much to do.
The innkeeper is Scarred Gregor, a veteran of the Troll Wars and the War of Seven Kings. The rooms in the Black Faun are mostly Common (5sp) but there is one nice suite (16gp).
The sellswords are William and Aelfric. Aelfric is a 1st level Barbarian. William is a 1st Level Fighter (substitute with Two-Weapon Fighting in place of Power Attack and Dex 15, fighting with a pair of shortswords). The pair can be hired for 3sp/day, plus a cut of any treasure. William is a greedy, amoral individual who may steal from and betray the party if the opportunity arises.
The Dwarf is Gror Stonespeaker, a Dwarf merchant who deals principally in Dwarf-made weapons. He’ll sell Masterwork melee weapons to the characters if they wish, carrying most martial weapons as well as Dwarven waraxes, longaxes, longhammers, chain-flails, and urgoshes. He is waiting for the snows to clear so that he can head into the Harrow Mountains.
The trappers can sell characters furs (12gp), which grant +2 to Fortitude saves vs. cold.
The nuns are Sisters Sylvia and Egeria (both “troubled” young women forced to take vows by their families) and their Mother Superior, Mother Gretta, a disapproving woman who wants to bring the two girls into the light of the faith through a pilgrimage to holy sites. If told of the characters’ mission to retrieve Saint Severine’s skull, she will gladly grant them her blessing and provide magical healing if need be. However she and her charges are leaving on the morrow for Nulnstadt.
The minstrel is named Johann, and is trying to compose a song, without much luck. He might be recruited for the dungeon-delve if promised a good story.
A Diplomacy check to gather information can be made here. A general check can also be made for rumours and local legends.
Commonly known (DC 10):
“The old church was shut up after the pox came through. The sickness took the priest, his novice, and half the parish with it. Since then we’ve had no church – nearest one’s at Nulnstadt. There’s rumour the old church is haunted by the priest; some say they’ve heard moaning at night from inside.”
“Wolves are getting bolder these days, and greedier. As winter gets on they’ve got less to eat so they start going after cattle, or even travelers. If you plan to spend much time in the forest, keep a weather eye open. They hunt in great packs, surrounding you if you let them. Some say they’re led by demons in wolves’ skins, or Goblin-beasts called Barghests, that can freeze the blood with a howl and change their shape as they wish.”
“Did you hear that something’s been digging up the grevayard in the old church? Could be wolves, of course, but I reckon its bodysnatchers – necromancers looking for corpses for their black magic. Probably living in one of the tombs up in the hills, or else in that old pile Hexenburg.”
Uncommon (DC 15):
“You ever hear the story of the Red Cap, supposed to live up in Hexenburg Castle? An evil fairy, they say, who’s taken up residence in a tower in the old ruin, who murders any who enters his home, and decorates his tower with their guts. Sometimes he strays down into the forest, because if the blood in his cap ever dries out completely, he dies. If you come upon him, he can’t abide the touch of iron, or a sign of the Light. Reciting scripture is supposed to keep him at bay – he can’t stand the sound.”
“If you happen upon a winsome young maiden wandering the forest by the river who tries to beguile you with her charms, be on your guard! There’s a Hag called Ginny Greenfang who haunts the riverside, and loves nothing more than to use her magic to disguise herself and seduce young men. After she’s had her pleasure the crone feasts on their flesh; their gnawed bones sometimes come rattling down the river afterwards.”
“There’s been a few visitors to Gründorf of late, headed up to Hexenburg. A priest, a knight, and a young novice arrived about a week back, searching for some holy hammer they think is up in the Castle’s old chapel. Haven’t come down from the hills, though.”
Rare (DC 20):
“There’s a secret way into Hexenburg Castle, you know – an old tunnel they used to flee from enemies. It comes out in one of the barrows up in the hills; you’ll know it by the dead tree that sits atop the barrow-mound.”
Smithy
The smithy is a small, rickety workshop with an open forge, tended by a bull-necked boy of perhaps sixteen years. Judging from the horseshoes, nails, pots, and tools on display or partially finished, this is a typical village blacksmith, not an armourer or weaponsmith.
Despite his lack of expertise, Jacob the smith (his father recently died) will repair weapons and can forge basic arms and armour.
Church
The church-door is locked (DC 20 to pick, DC 22 to force). Inside:
The church has been long abandoned, and most of its adornments have been removed. Dust and cobwebs coat everything. The altar is still here, along with a painting of Saint Bastiana, patron of butchers and soldiers, depicting her martyrdom at the hands of a mob of deserters. There are also a few rusted candelabra here. A palpable sense of gloom and despair clings to the church, a feeling of sorrow and abandonment. The stained glass windows have been boarded up, letting in almost no light.
The priest does indeed haunt the church, but will not manifest unless the place is disturbed. In the altar there is a cavity containing a Holy Symbol of St. Bastiana, three vials of Holy Water, and a Potion of Cure Light Wounds. If the priest manifests:
There is a dull moaning sound, and a figure detaches itself from the shadows of the church. Garbed in a tattered priestly robe, the figure gibbers and raves, tears coursing down cheeks mottled with weeping sores, the ravages of pox.
“Why has the Light abandoned me?” the priest jabbers. “Why has it visited this sickness upon me?” The figure reaches out with clawed and sallow fingers, lurching towards you!
If the wraith is somehow convinced that the plague was just another part of the Light’s plan or something equally absurd, he dissolves into black mist. Otherwise he menaces characters here until they leave the church. Note that if the players are looking around the church during the day the wraith is powerless in sunlight.
Graveyard
The graveyard is unkempt, with long grass poking up about the old tombstones. There’s also a small, overgrown burial vault guarded by a pair of crumbling statues, both armoured warriors.
The vault is locked (DC 20 to pick, DC 30 to force). Inside:
Down a small flight of steps, the crypt is cramped and stuffy, with half a dozen stone sarcophagi. The markings on the sarcophagi indicate those resting within are probably slain crusaders. Cobwebs swathe everything thickly.
The crusaders’ sarcophagi can be opened (Strength DC 25); each contains a corpse with a Masterwork Longsword, Heavy Metal Shield, and Breastplate. However, lingering here is likely to disturb the colony of 3 small monstrous spiders that lurk here.
Other Gründorf Encounters
These additional encounters, inn guests, merchants, etc can be used to liven up a trip back to town.
Peddler
A colourful caravan is parked not far from the riverside here. Pony-drawn, the caravan’s wagons are quite small, but brightly painted with images of animals, stars, the moon, and the sun. A handful of Halflings are gathered about a small campfire to one side. They seem to be peddlers, dealing in a wide variety of goods, from food and tools to potions and trinkets.
The Halflings can sell a wide variety of equipment as well as potions of 1st level spells. They can buy magical items and gems, but their available funds total about 1500 gp at most, so players will have trouble unloading powerful magic items here. They have a couple of wondrous items for sale, including a Silver Raven Figurine of Wondrous Power, a pair of Burglar’s Boots, a Traveler’s Any-Tool, Iron Rope, Abjurant Salt, and a Campfire Bead.
Inquisitor
You notice that there seems to be a new guest at the inn, judging from the fierce-looking black horses stabled in the courtyard.
The new visitors are dining in the common room: three men in all, in travel-stained clothes. Two are armoured in boiled leathers, while the other wears vestments suggesting he is a clergymen – a dour, gaunt man who attacks his meal with unsettling hunger. The armoured pair wear holy symbols about their necks, as well.
The Inquisitor, Konrad, is on the trail of the Cult of the Withered Hand and any other heretics in the region, charged by the Church to track such blasphemers down and put them to death. He has also heard rumours that witches and heathens still dwell in the woods, and is eager to track them down. He can be represented as an Inquisitor of 5th level, although these statistics are also adequate. His guards are 3rd level Warriors, Richard and Günter. If he believes the characters are harbouring any kind of dark magic, he’ll try to put them to the question to find out if they’re heretics themselves.
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