Introduction
Tome of Bonescrag is a 3-part short macabre adventure that a Dungeon Master could easily include in any campaign that has reached a pivotal story closure and is in need of a transitory “bottle-episode,” if you will, as the players advance to the next major story arch. This module may also work as a stand-alone mini-campaign or introductory adventure for players and characters to develop in the realm of Dungeons and Dragons.
Bonescrag is a small traveler’s town, primarily human-occupied, and nondescript in terms of where it exists in Faerun or a Dungeon Master’s created world. Surrounded by thickly-covered mountains, it is a village along an unavoidable trail from one side of a mountain to the other.
The players journeying through this town will be forced to lodge for a few days as “the storm of the century” passes over their route. It is the hope of this module’s author that players will encounter scenarios in which they are challenged emotionally, resulting in a depthening of character.
While this adventure errs along the genre of a thriller, Dungeon Masters are invited to bring levity into the gameplay with the inclusion of character’s personalities and group idiosyncrasies. Flutes Loot thanks you for your interest in this module and requests that all who play send feedback to [email protected]. Happy and chilling adventuring!
Background
History
Spoilers Ahead! Read only if you plan on running this module.
Bonescrag is as old as any settlement may be, forged from the frontier-like spirit of exploration, freedom of expression, and the perseverance of taming a wild land. Early settlers of Bonescrag found fertile ground and protection within the mountainous fortification surrounding their new valley. However, power dynamics devastated the village soon after its establishment. Secretive religious zealots who were cast out from cities far away rooted themselves into the open-armed Bonescrag community. While they developed Bonescrag’s first place of worship, open to all devotions, death began to rage across the valley. Alas, these roots were diseased and manifested their vileness after the time for action had passed, for these members were fanatics of Velsharoon, the Archmage of Necromancy.
Missing travelers ripened to disappearing children and villagers, which waxed to wide-spread fear and contempt toward one another among the Bonescrag villagers. Petty crimes evolved into defensive deaths with no official law enforcement available, given the town’s seclusion and scantiness.
The few remaining shattered families searching for their loved ones eventually discovered the cruel intentions of the Velsharoon zealots in a passage originating below the synagogue where they found the bodies of their fathers, children, and neighbors being preserved with herbs, embalming oils, and ritualistic symbols. Berserk by the scene, the surviving families bloodily battled the necromantic cult. Bodies lined the floor of the cavern, supplementing the carefully prepared cadavers.
Toward the dawn of the following day, no villager did not lie on that stony ground. A single detached laugh echoed across the cavern. By no merit of his own, one zealot peeled himself off the cold floor, blood streaming from his mutilated shoulder, as he praised Velsharoon for supplying such an extensive supply of sacrifices.
Injured as he was, this survivor was unable to complete the work himself. After months of recovering, preparing the corpses, and sealing them away, the zealot encouraged emigrants to settle in the forsaken town, carefully sowing the seeds of Velsharoon to only the impressionable.
Present Context
In Bonescrag this day, the old zealot, Alder Brack, is known as the founder of the town, a few centuries now passed. Bonescrag has remained small in size, housing a mere 92 villagers and workers. Each homestead is proud to be self-sufficient, growing their own food or trading their goods and services to those who produce. The true stories of Bonescrag’s origin died in secret with Alder Brack.
In the town, there is one small tavern with eight rooms available for lodging, doubling as a town hall when needed. The mill is maintained by each family who produces their own grains, and the local Blacksmith is required year-round for local work. A dilapidated church undergoing renovations stands across from the mill. In the center of the town belongs one public well near the mercantile terminal.
Apart from the large estate belonging to the Brack family line, each domicile ranges from quaint to comfortable. Some homes run small shops from their doors; some are occupied by as many as a dozen to a family; and most households with extensive land for food- and trade-production have hired hands living on the premises.
Present Conflict
Despite the seeming ideality of Bonescrag, tremors from within shake its foundation once again. During the course of this adventure, there are three simultaneous and correlated problems that stand to sow destruction to the small village: The kidnapping of Kornelia (episode 1), the Men’s Club storm-demon summoning (episode 2), and the Velsharoon undead army (episode 3).
When preparing this module, please keep in mind that villagers could be a part of either the demon club or the necromancy cult and will desire to hide certain information that could compromise the plans of their organization.
Main players in these events are:
Storm Demon: Damian, the father of the kidnapped child Kornelia; Kline, the tanner; and seven other townsfolk who are not named in this episode.
Velsharoon Cult: Alder Brack the Fifth, the owner of the chapel of worship for all religions; Hamlet, the undertaker and funeral director of the town; and at least twenty other various town members.
Villagers who should be excluded from these two groups include: Viktor the independently necromantic kidnapper; Jebediah, the Village Commissioner; Esther, the mother of the kidnapped; and Curl the innkeeper.
Ambience
Be sure to check out our background music specifically designed for this episode:
Bonescrag Description
Old cottages dot the hillside. A creaking wind sail from the grain mill trills with a steady pulse, a metronomic anthem for the small village. Your party observes the first building directly on the footpath to be an inviting meager inn, a breath away from the smith and subsequent tannery.
Empty market stalls abutting their owners’ cottages patiently await any sort of company. A chapel undergoing repairs, nearly finished, protrudes from the surrounding shabby dwellings. At the center of town, a deep well, ornamentally adorned with masonry ravens and mossy stones, sits upon a spiral of brickwork.
Small estates line the remaining limits of the village, bespeckling the open land before the tangles of pines, ferns, vines, and fungi—momentary domiciles trailing beside the straightly uninterrupted road that outdistances the aging town.
Notable details about the village: First, a group of nomadic travellers has set up camp just outside of the North forest. They have been around for two months prior to the adventure and are hoping to wait out the storm in their wagons before continuing. Second, many decades ago, a half-elf witch was cast out of the village and banished to live in the North forest. Third, Squalor Goblins, a subculture of Goblins that lives codependently off society’s rubbish, frequents the area east of the valley. They take garbage produced by Bonescrag and build armor, homes, and trinkets. The storm is also forcing them west and through the North forest and cliffside.
Download Bonescrag Village Map
Download Squalor Goblin Battle Map
Episode 1: The Porcelain Moppet
Introduction
The Porcelain Moppet will be played in the style of a chilling mystery via investigation but is not a formal mystery itself. Players will be given clues and details, some contradicting or misleading, and will get to the bottom of what’s going on, but the resolution of this episode is not dependent on players solving the mystery. Time spent in the valley will reveal all.
This episode may be played in a single night or may span several nights of adventure, as per the Dungeon Master’s discretion.
Overview
The first episode of this module will unveil a lone Necromancer’s plot to train a close apprentice, one 12-year old girl tricked into believing she is necessary to the survival of the village and her family, via the crime of kidnapping. This Necromancer has suspicion of a greater organization in the works that he would indeed like to thwart, but his goals are anything but altruistic.
Having become obsessed with raising a young and talented wizard as his heir, Viktor Graywood, the Necromancer in question, did what Necromancers do best: killed his wife and children and raised them under his command. Viktor knew his family would not accept him kidnapping the young girl and would only hinder his goals of stopping the Velsharoom worshippers from raising their dead.
A reasonable person may ask, why does Viktor believe he must kidnap an apprentice rather than allow one to live within one’s own homestead? Viktor not only possesses the abilities to kill those closest to him without remorse, but he is plagued with the unrelenting and fear-imposing whisperings of Myrkul, the Lord of the Dead, or so he is convinced.
A Portrait of Viktor
Viktor and his family moved to Bonescrag two years prior to the present adventure. In their previous home in a larger city, Viktor was a teacher in the School of Illusion. Claiming they relocated to the small village to get away from the hustle of urban living, Viktor now tutors a few pupils in his small institute of magic.
Viktor is a tall human with neat black hair. With nary a trace of allure, Viktor often looks lost within his thoughts. The reader now understands that Viktor had, long before moving, heeded the voice of Myrkul in his head. What began as faint suggestions, when given into, became the authority that governed Viktor’s decisions and life.
Let it be known, however, that the true cause of the whisperings was a case of auditory hallucination that Viktor mistook for the guidance of the dark god he worshipped in the early days of his own magic study. While learning wizardry himself, Viktor was initiated into a small and secretive order that served Myrkul. This is where Viktor gained access to Necromancy, though he kept that portion of his life secret from all, including his family.
As the suggestions from the voices grew more vociferous, Viktor began to lose his sense of self, his identity linking with that of the auditory hallucinations. Understanding that he was sending the souls of his family to Myrkul to live forever, Viktor found no objection to murdering and raising them, other than the perception other villagers might have if they were to discover his secret. So he does his best to preserve their corpses and allows surreptitious sightings of them to take place so as to not incite any suspicion.
Myrkul, Lord of the Dead
Known popularly as the Reaper, Myrkul was a necromancer in life who obtained divine power from slaying one of the Seven Lost Gods with his companions Bane and Bhaal. The trio fought their way through legions of the undead to reach the throne of Jergal, who grew weary of being “The Lord of the End of Everything.” A game of knucklebones decided who among the three would ascend to godhood. Bane won and gave himself the title “ruler for all eternity as the ultimate tyrant,” but Myrkul saw a hole in Bane’s plan, stating “But I choose the dead, and by doing so I truly win… All things must die—even gods.”
Myrkul became the Lord of the Dead over the underworld, a symbol of existential fear that touches the hearts of all who live. The Reaper became a constant reminder of death in the back of everyone’s minds. Though now often forgotten in place of Cyric and Kelemvor, few worshippers remain and are secretive about their unorganized church.
Events
Two months prior to your adventurers staying in Bonescrag, a young human girl named Kornelia disappeared in the North Forest while picking berries. While Kornelia’s mother Esther became unhinged and deranged by the disappearance of her only child, the father, Damian, grew reserved whenever the topic of Kornelia arose. Damian continued with his work as a textile merchant and recreation in the village’s exclusive Men’s Club.
Official search efforts diminished after the first few days, and concerned citizens ceased searching soon after that. The only trace found of the girl in the North forest was her favorite doll laying on the ground deep within.
Rumors
Hearsay among the villagers include Kornelia being kidnapped by the Nomads stationed just outside the North Forest and forced into becoming a child-bride; that she was snatched by the banished witch within the forest for spell- and potion-harvesting, or eaten; and that she was killed and buried deep in the forest by her mother, causing Esther to go mad for her heinous actions.
Adventure
“Ending a tour of exhaustive travel, your adventuring party crests a frosty hill with the rising sun, an icy gust brushing their cheeks as the fog from the hollow below creeps atop the slope. Down the hill, eastward bound, lighted hearths twinkle through the morning fog. Through a soft flurry in the air, your party spots a dilapidated wooden sign beside the dirt path that names this traveler’s town Bonescrag.
Suddenly, you hear the rustling of leaves from the forest not twenty feet to the left. Half a dozen goblins, garbed in what could be quickly described as garbage for armor, stumble from the thick brush. Caught off guard by the presence of your party in the fading twilight, they reach for their weapons. Roll for initiative.“
These goblins were moving west due to the brewing storm. Traveling all night, and caught in the fog, these creatures are just as surprised to run into the adventurers. Typically, Squalor Goblins ambush, but they were caught unaware. However, because Squalor Goblins are more peaceful to societies, and given the close proximity to Bonescrag, it is possible for the players to find a diplomatic resolution by speaking common (or goblin) and quelling their nerves.
Squalor Goblins Tactics
A Dungeon Master could use fewer or more Squalor Goblins to scale the Challenge Rating. Or, to scale up, consider giving the goblins one of the following legendary actions:
—Throwing Alchemist’s Fire (1 action) for an additional 20 XP per Squalor Goblin
—Additional attack with its Junk Dagger (1 action) for an additional 20 XP per Squalor Goblin
For more information about setting up encounters with balanced Challenge Ratings, see the table provided by Wizards of the Coast here.
In this scenario, Squalor Goblins will likely dart between trees using their Nimble Escape. When one of their comrades falls in battle, the closest Squalor Goblin will rush to the body to grab any obvious trinket or item they can easily loot.
Garbed with black-gray furs and a reserve of rubbish from their earnest salvaging, Squalor Goblins are more codependent on society than their wilder kin, claiming territory just outside of villages and cities in order to rummage through the junk tossed out. A person may draw many similarities between these creatures and raccoons.
Despite their coexistence, when forced outside of their territory, or when they find a creature within, Squalor Goblins are eager to torment and kill. Typically found in groups nearing half- to one-dozen, these monsters ambush at night, employing stealthy attack-run-hide tactics, preferably from a distance, and are particularly interested in immediately looting their kill.
Tactics. A player could expect typical goblin tactics of night-time ambushes, traps, close-combat disengaging, and tactical retreating; but one surprising element of the Squalor Goblin is their inventiveness: modifying their leather armor and shields with metal scraps, finding various materials for helmets and daggers, creating traps from human trinkets like rusty kitchen knives or broken iron fence stakes, and tinkering primitively.
Characteristics. Squalor Goblins live symbiotically with the societies around them, clearing and repurposing trash that cities and villages produce. This may involve somewhat amicable interactions between humans and these monsters.
It would not be surprising for Squalor Goblins to adopt simple characteristics from the cultures they live beside. For instance, a clan might find it amusing to dress in finer clothing, though tattered and well-used, that was discarded by the nearby nobles. Because garbage transactions may involve communicating in Common, a few of the brighter Squalor Goblins may adopt the dialects and mannerisms of refined civilization.
Despite what debonair pretenses a Squalor Goblin may have, they all share the common characteristic of being unquestionably and abhorrently smelly. The trash piles with which these creatures build their abodes result in an absolutely intolerable stench that even the strongest stomachs and weakest nostrils could not handle for longer than a moment.
These domains of detritus are the shared obsession of all Squalor Goblins, each striving to procure the most precious pieces of rubbish. A Squalor Goblin will stop whatever it is doing to rifle through a collection of items.
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Squalor Goblin
Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil |
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Armor Class: 16 (Modified Leather Armor, Shield) |
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Skills: Stealth +6 Actions
Scimitar: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.
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Download our free PDF of the Squalor Goblin stats here.
After battle, 3 more Squalor Goblins come into sight, rushing toward the players. Their path is stopped by the sudden emergence of 6 burly farmer men, who drive the goblins back into the forest. The men take the bodies of the fallen Goblins and move them just inside the edge of the forest for their friends to come back and rifle through, which no doubtedly will be soon, but if they’re far enough away from the village, there shouldn’t be a problem.
One farmer, who looks like the leader of the pack, explains that his home is closest to the westernmost part of the forest. He saw the Goblins moving through the trees before they reached the mouth of the valley and rallied the guard (the “guard” being the farmers who are up as early as twilight and happened to be around). He introduces himself as Jebediah and explains that the adventurers shouldn’t pass through the village just yet, as the nearest town is a seven-day trip and the storm of the century is expected to arrive within four days.
Jebediah
Also a human, Jebediah is an industrious and burly farmer with a strong sense of justice and honor. There is no malice or guile in the words he uses. He speaks plainly and earnestly in all he does. He is a man who simply enjoys the good life of rural-living. For this reason, he was unofficially chosen to be the Village Commissioner whenever such a role was needed, which is seldom. Jebediah lets people govern themselves as much as possible, only stepping in for unsolvable disputes, for which he assembles an assorted group of good-natured jurors to judge.
Jebediah will escort the players through the entrance of town to the local tavern and get them set up with rooms.
Adventure Hooks
To interest and engage the players to the meat of the story, include these adventure hooks as necessary:
- At the entrance of town on a bulletin board, a fading poster, which has been posted for about a month, offers a 100 gp reward for whoever finds the girl or her body. Concerned townsfolk pooled together the gold for either a reward or to cover the burial costs should the body be recovered.
- After defeating the Squalor Goblins, the unofficial head of the guard, Jebediah, may ask the adventurers if they saw any sign of the girl or heard about it in their travels. Later, he may even ask for help locating Kornelia. Should the players decline further, Jebediah will inform them about the reward, a little hurt that they didn’t accept to help out of justice and goodness.
- The loose-tongued innkeeper Curl will tell all rumors as truth. He will discuss how creepy the mother Esther is, carrying around and talking to Kornelia’s doll as if it were her own child, and how strange it is that the father, Damian, doesn’t seem to care that his daughter is missing or dead. Damian of course had a very plausible alibi with many villagers vouching for his whereabouts, but Curl believes it suspicious that he hasn’t even searched since that first day when they found the doll.
- If there is a spellcaster among the party, the mother will approach the adventurers and ask them to change the doll back into her daughter.
Case Facts
The following statements are facts the players may discover by speaking to villagers, the Nomads, the Witch, and by simply being in town and investigating.
- Kornelia entered the forest a few hours before dusk to pick berries. She was carrying her 18-inch doll, which was found on the ground deep within the forest. Due to the lateness of the season, berries would have been ripe but scarce in the forest, thus she may have had to journey further in to find any.
- Kornelia was one of eight students of Viktor. He did not show her favoritism or special attention. He was very professional with all of his students.
- The nomads, human, saw a young girl enter the forest with a doll, but nobody approached her, as they were pitching their tents and setting up camp during that time. Nomads travel in pairs whenever they enter the forest and have seen no signs of her. These people can also feel warding magic emanating from the northeast of the forest and have avoided that area altogether, which is where the witch lives (plus, it’s spooky where she has warded. Who would wander through there?).
- The witch is feared by all in the village, often used as a boogeyman for disobedient young children. No villager dares to visit her territory, but those who have come back disoriented, without memory of how they returned, and out of breath (the Alarm spell alerts her to oncoming trespassers, on whom she casts “Dominate Person” and sends them running back to the edge of the forest).
- Damian was on the job during the two-hour window where Kornelia disappeared. Several witnesses were with him or saw him during the entirety of that timeframe.
- Esther was home cleaning during the time Kornelia went missing. No person could corroborate her alibi, as she received no visitors or left her home. Esther raised the alarm about her daughter after two hours had passed without Kornelia’s return.
- Esther has gone crazy and believes that her daughter turned herself into a doll while practicing magic in the forest.
Discoveries
There are several trails that players could follow to learn additional information:
Esther.
If players engage with Esther, they will discover that she believes her daughter accidentally turned herself into her doll while practicing magic in the forest. Esther believes this because she, so she says, visits the witch each night.
Esther explains that after a week of searching for her daughter with no hope, a black raven sent by the witch came to her in the night. The raven detailed that the daughter turned herself into the doll, and the witch can cast True Seeing on the mother every night so that she may see and speak to her daughter. However, Esther may never approach the witch’s territory without the raven guide or she will be reduced to ashes and her daughter trapped forever.
Detect Magic will reveal no magic on the doll, but a faint aura indicates that a Divination Spell has been cast on the mother (which happens to be Hunter’s Mark, cast by Viktor).
Damian.
If approached by the players, Damian will seem irritable and dodgy and look around to see if anybody is watching him. He will avoid all questions and claim that his daughter was probably eaten by a forest creature, so there’s no point discussing anything. Damian will spend all of his free time at the Men’s Club lodge, which doubles as the tannery, owned by the tanner Kline. Windows are always locked and entrance is often guarded by various members.
He will confirm his alibi, as stated above. When asked about the Men’s Club, he will say that that has been his only source of solace through this entire mess. Damian is not cooperative and quickly wants to end questioning. If all else fails, he will refuse to speak.
Viktor.
Viktor seems composed and melancholy about the disappearance of his pupil. He is the perfect actor for throwing off the players. If asked if Kornelia could have polymorphed or changed herself into a doll, he assures them there is no way she had the skills, knowledge, or components to do such a thing.
Viktor’s alibi is that he was in his home studying for the first two days of Kornelia’s disappearance, as he did not have classes to teach the following few days.
Viktor is not seen around town often. He still goes about teaching his pupils, but he is nowhere to be found from evening to morning. His location is within the walls of his home, but he claims he does too much research to entertain visitors or go about the town, which is one reason why they moved to a quiet village.
Detect Evil and Good will reveal undead within the grounds of Viktor’s homestead, assuming the caster is within 30 feet. Note here that the family members would be Zombies, and therefore cannot speak, but can take on the appearance, mannerisms, and behaviors of Viktor’s family. They will not leave the premises without Viktor, but they can be seen by townsfolk walking about the yard, playing, and gardening. Viktor may also use the Minor Illusion cantrip to make it seem like his family is speaking or making noises.
It is intentional that the number of children belonging to Viktor is unmentioned. The final fight of this episode will likely result in players fighting Viktor and his zombies, which can range from 2 to 7, depending on the desired Challenge Rating.
Nevertheless, through all of this ruse, Viktor grows unsettled and paranoid by the hour, the voices in his mind becoming manic and psychotic. By the end of the second day of the Adventurer’s investigation, Viktor will lose his composure and attack the party with his zombies.
In reality, as Esther went mad in the days following the disappearance of her daughter, Viktor took advantage of Esther’s psychosis and cast Dream on her, giving her the dream of the raven and visiting the witch. The following day, Esther’s mind had warped her sense of reality, and she truly believed she could see and speak to her daughter in the doll. Often throughout the day, Viktor will cast Hunter’s Mark on Esther to make sure she doesn’t go to the Witch’s house in the forest.
To lure Kornelia peacefully to his home, Viktor raised old and forgotten skeletons of travelers long since deceased, lost in the North forest at some point in history. He commanded them to corner and attack Kornelia, only to sweep in and save her. He convinced the girl that a secret organization in town was trying to kill all talented wizards who might have the power to stop them from raising the dead, like the skeletons that attacked her.
He told Kornelia that she would only be safe in hiding in his home, in a false closet in his study, as he can ward the home from strangers, and that if they made it look like she had disappeared, her family would be safe. Viktor also promised to teach Kornelia everything he knew about magic to make her strong enough to protect her family herself.
Jebediah
The Village Commissioner was among the last to stop searching for Kornelia. Jebediah also has a daughter of the same age and feels intensely empathetic for Esther. He was the one to collect donations for the family and even took posters to the closest villages, a weeks-time of travel.
Jebediah will give facts as straightforwardly as he knows them. He does not believe the rumors circulating Kornelia’s disappearance, but he finds it odd that Damian didn’t search for the girl past the first day. He will give an account of all of the villagers who searched for the girl, which is just about everyone except those who tended their children, and Viktor, who was holed up doing research and may not have even noticed the commotion until the following day. Some searched for two days, some about a week, but most stopped after that.
The Men’s Club
The Men’s Club, an exclusive social organization run by a dozen of Bonescrag’s male members, coordinated three days of searching for Kornelia, but have remained fairly silent about the disappearance of the daughter of one of their members except for their official statement that they are heartbroken over the news.
There are no other notable members of the Men’s Club besides Damian and Kline, who owns the tannery in which they meet. There isn’t much of a hierarchy in the group. Each member approached will offer condolences and mention how they are supporting Damian’s mental health within the club, but they will not offer details.
The Witch
Players may enter the North forest to locate the witch. Detect magic will alert them to abjuration magic in the half-mile radius of the forest surrounding her house protected by the Guards and Wards spell. Fog fills the winding path within thick and tall shrubs and trees, which act as corridors. Fallen trees may act as stairs, covered in webs like the Web spell. Along with these effects, players may come across dancing lights, stinking clouds, a gust of wind, a mental suggestion, and many magical creatures.
Download Lorelei The Forest Witch’s stats PDF here.
Generate planned or random encounters (combat or otherwise) using the following table:
1- Shambling Mound
2- Unicorn
3- Gnoll
4- Blink Dogs
5- Forest gnomes
6- Swarm of insects or Swarm of Beetles
7- Will-o’-wisps
8- Giant Toads
9- Werewolves or other were-creatures
10- Awakened Tree
11- Giant Spiders
12- Bugbears
When confronted, the witch will be delighted to have such resilient company enter her home, assuming they are not hostile to her. If players choose to attack the witch, see the stats and tactics below. The witch will speak to the players, but she speaks strangely and almost dreamlike. When a word triggers a memory, she will recite a poem based on that word, often not making much sense.
For instance, when asked about the raven, perhaps she quotes Percy Bysshe Shelley:
“The death knell is ringing The raven is singing The earth worm is creeping The mourners are weeping Ding dong, bell -” Adding her own line at the end “‘Twas not I who sent the raven.”
A Dungeon Master may wish to use excerpts for the Witch’s speech from these Public Domain Ella Wheeler Wilcox poems to loosely commentate on the events that have and will occur without revealing specific details:
(Viktor kidnapping the girl in the forest) They stood at the garden gate. By the lifting of a lid She might have read her fate In a little thing he did. He plucked a beautiful flower; Tore it away from its place On the side of the blooming bower; And held it against his face. Drank in its beauty and bloom, In the midst of his idle talk; Then cast it down to the gloom And dust of the garden walk. Ay, trod it under his foot, As it lay in his pathway there; Then spurned it away with his boot, Because it bad ceased to be fair. Ah! the maiden might have read The doom of her young life then; But she looked in his eyes instead, And thought him the king of men. She looked in his eyes and blushed, She hid in his strong arms' fold; And the tale of the flower, crushed And spurned, was once more told.
(Viktor killing his family) Dead, dead, dead, and staring, With a ghastly smile on its face; But the world saw only laughing eyes And roses, and billows of lace. Floating and whirling together, Into the beautiful night, How little you dreamed of the ghastly thing that was hiding away from your sight.
(Why she left the village) Better the anguish of death and loss, The sharp, quick pain, and the darkness, then, Than living on with this heavy cross To bear about in the world of men.
(With regards to the village being full of evil-doers) "He is mad as a hare, poor fellow, And should be in chains," you say. I haven't a doubt of your statement, But who isn't mad, I pray? Why, the world is a great asylum, And people are all insane, Gone daft with pleasure or folly, Or crazed with passion and pain.
(Foreshadowing future episodes) Bristling with steeples, high against the hill, Like some great thistle in the rosy dawn It stood; the Town-of-Churches, stood. The Traveller surveyed it with a smile. 'Surely,' He said, 'here is the home of peace; Here neighbour lives with neighbour in accord; God in the heart of all. Else why these spires?'
(With regards to the storm coming) All day, all day in a calm like death The harp hung waiting the cold wind's breath. When the western sky flushed red with shame At the sun's bold kiss, the cold wind came.
(If asked if she would help in any endeavor) Blow out the light: there is no oil to feed it: That dim blue light unworthy of the name. Better to sit with folded hands, I say, And wait for night to pass, and bring the day, Than to depend upon that flickering flame.
The witch obviously did not send a raven to Esther, nor does she cast True Seeing on the mother. The witch has some sense of foreknowledge about the Velsharoom cult necromancy, but will not reveal anything in this episode.
Inside the Witch’s home, players may find a multitude of potions that they may barter for. The Witch has no use of money but will accept items and components.
The Nomads
Members of the nomadic band know nothing about the village and have only been contacted by Jebediah, specifically in regards to the investigation, but also as a warning to move into town to avoid the storm. The Nomads are more than friendly and willing to share their cooking stew with the party. The Nomads love to dance and tell campfire stories.
Thwarting Players
Locate Object, Locate Creature, Scrying, and other locate spells will not suffice to find Kornelia, as she is not familiar to them, nor have they seen her in person. See the Scrying spell description for more details.
Should the party resort to murdering the villagers, Jebediah and the other burly farmers will intervene.
Assisting Players
If you feel the players are getting nowhere with the investigation and things are not moving swiftly, here are some suggestions to point them in the right direction:
- A Nomad child nervously wanders into town to find the adventurers. He tells them that he saw a tall man with black hair walking in the forest and talking to himself when his family was setting up their wagon and tent, the same day the girl went missing. The man has been haunting him every few nights, though, and he was too scared to tell anyone that he saw the scary man who will kill him in his sleep.
- The adventurers can see Viktor’s family of zombies and sense something is wrong, prompting them to investigate. If anyone approaches the house, the zombies are instructed to disappear inside. Snooping around may reveal holes in Viktor’s story and life that prompt them to discover that he is keeping secrets. Breaking into the home and investigating may reveal the hiding place of Kornelia.
- Viktor at any time could lose his cool, pretend to have found new urgent evidence in the forest, and ambush the players with his family of zombies.
Concluding Episode 1
No matter how the players discover what happened to Kornelia, a fight between them and Viktor and his zombies will ensue. For low-level parties, consider fighting only Viktor and one or two zombies. For details on setting up engaging enemy encounters, please see this article.
Where the Battle Takes Place
Choosing a battleground for the final fight will depend on how and where your players discover that Viktor is the villain. This may include:
- The forest where Viktor lures the party for an ambush.
- Viktor’s home where the players discover the undead family and/or the kidnapped girl.
- Somewhere in town where the party confronts Viktor.
Regardless of location, consider adding in interactive battle map elements:
Indoors:
- Chains or chandeliers hanging from the ceiling
- Tables, chairs, barrels, or other obstacles that can be used for cover or thrown to stop a person from advancing
- Locking doors
- Drapes or room dividers can hide zombies from players’ sight until they are too close to avoid an attack
Outdoors:
- Rocky hills to scale and gain cover or the high ground, or to push boulders from, or to push off enemies
- Trees for cover, falling branches via magical explosions,
- Outbuildings like granaries or barns can provide cover or set up an ambush
- Fog on the battlefield can cause havoc
- Magical strikes can cause fires in dead trees and brush
- If close to the mountainside, mudslides can create difficult terrain and trap players or enemies
- Near the mountain, within a cave, a growling creature could be heard and jump out to fight both sides
- The band of Squalor Goblins could return to shoot arrows from tree lines
Viktor’s Stats
Depending on the average level of your party, you may use the monster stat blocks for Mage (CR 6) or Archmage (CR 12) plus any additional Zombies (CR ¼) or Skeletons (CR ¼) you would like to add. Viktor will likely cast Mage Armor on himself if he wishes to ambush the party.
Keep in mind that one or more of the Zombies may be children who look relatively “fresh.” A Dungeon Master is recommended to play up the emotional turmoil this may have on the characters.
In addition to the spells of the Mage or Archmage, Viktor has access to the following spells: Chill Touch, Inflict Wounds, Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, and Vampiric Touch.
Turn of Events
Should the battle ensue near or at Viktor’s home, Kornelia may leave her closet room and assist Viktor in defeating who she believes are evil necromancers hoping to destroy wizards. Please note that Viktor would never attack Kornelia, but he is extremely pleased that she is fighting the adventurers, as he has all confidence that he can beat them. Use the following stat block:
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Kornelia
Small humanoid (child) |
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Armor Class: 10 |
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Skills: Arcana +4, History +4
Actions Improvised Weapon: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. |
Aftermath
As Viktor dies, is captured, or however this encounter is resolved, he may start laughing maniacally, as he loses himself totally to the voices in his mind, saying to the players, “You have no idea what evil lies within this village.” Viktor is unable to give specifics, as he either goes completely mad or succumbs to death.
If Kornelia dies at the hands of the adventurers, and the villagers discover this, things could go south for the adventurers extremely fast. That may be the end of the module for your players, who either will be attacked by angry farmers, run out of the village and into the storm (there will still be content in Episode 2 that you can use), or imprisoned.
Should Kornelia survive, and after she realizes that Viktor was lying to her and kidnapped her, the adventurers will be publicly heralded as heroes. Damian will openly weep tears of joy when he sees and embraces his young daughter. Reality will hit Esther and she will snap out of her psychosis. Players will be rewarded a total of 100 gp.
However, other organizations in the village with nefarious intentions will see the party as a nuance and possible threat. Consider this when preparing Episode 2.
Teaser for Episode 2
A feast is thrown in the adventurers’ honor. Merriment and music fill the tavern as various townsfolk join the festivities. A few Nomads share in the revelry with their own instruments and dancing.
As the drinks empty and the conviviality fades, the door of the inn flies open. Blustering whirls of snow immediately chill the room. The storm has begun.
This is Episode 1 of the Tomes of Bonescrag! If you read through or play this adventure, please leave feedback, commenting on what worked or what was challenging about the campaign, and suggest any changes you feel would benefit the module. Comment below, cast message on us, or email us at [email protected]
On October 31, we hope to release the full 3-episode module in a neat and packaged PDF format, free to download.
Stay tuned for Episode 2!
