Nestled deep in a dank, gloomy forest lies the village of Fenwood. On this grim night, fog rises from the nearby swamp, glowing in the flickering torchlight of a group of frightened and determined villagers. Armed with fire, silver, salt, and bravery born of desperation, they push past a protesting cleric into the cemetery, determined to stop the haunting once and for all.
Only for them it is too late, because the true horror is already among them.
Table of Contents
The Hook
The players hear rumors of strange events in a nearby village called Fenwood, so named for its location between a dense forest and a treacherous fen. For the past two weeks, villagers have woken to their livestock and horses bleeding from deep gashes that appeared suddenly over night. A regional nobleperson is trying to curry favor with the common people, and they put out an ad that they will fund an adventuring party to put a stop to this mischief.
If the players are not convinced, tell them that Fenwood is regionally famous for its Festival of Pumpkins. If that is not adequate bait, I do not know what is.
The Setting
Fenwood is a small community that is quite disconnected from the nearby city. Getting there requires traveling along a dirt cart track through a dense forest which is believed to house blood-sucking bats and menacing monkey orchids, as well as staying clear of the disorienting fog of the swamp.
The village itself is centered around a large church, with most of the residents clustered around the square, and only the large farms down by the river. The villagers are superstitious, and though timber exports are a major industry, they have strict rules about which trees may be cut when, and which spirits must be appeased after each harvest.
The mood in the village is noticeably tense, with the adventuring party’s presence adding to the sense of unease.
Places & People
The Bullfrog Tavern
Scene: Walking into the Bullfrog tavern is to walk into the social heart of Fenwood. In happy times, there will be fiddles playing and rosy-cheeked folks swapping tall tales over a pint. These days, however, groups gather close and whisper, keeping a wary eye on any strangers.
Proprietor: Hazel Thorne. Matter of fact, bustling; keeps a black cat named Midnight. “Well, seeing as how you’ve been here all afternoon and only had the one ale, the least you could do is help break up the firewood, there’s a good chap.”
Church of Gran Bwa
Scene: The Church of Gran Bwa is painted inside and out with twisting, leafy tree branches, with odd symbols such as hearts and eyes scattered among the leaves. Musky incense burns constantly, and bowls of honey and flowers line the simple wooden altar.
Cleric: Phineas Dimsdell. Distracted, meek; maintains an impressive collection of preserved botanical specimens. “Oh, trouble in town? I’m sure it will all clear up in due time. Eh…you didn’t just drink that flask of preservatives, did you?”
Deity: Gran Bwa is a reserved deity most often represented by a large tree. Frequent gifts are brought to Gran Bwa to ensure his favor and protection from the natural dangers that surround Fenwood.
The Mayor’s House
Scene: A modest house not much distinguished from those around it, the mayor’s house is nonetheless the center of power in the village. Anyone may make an appointment to speak with the mayor, and he is sure to offer you a small glass of brandy and his full attention.
Mayor: Ambrose Benet. Solicitous, commanding; said to be from a line of nobility who lost most of their wealth but not their aristocratic charm. “I completely understand your concerns—completely! Why don’t we talk about this inside where you can rest a moment, and things may not seem so bad?”
Wife: Astra Benet. Refined, aloof; dislikes mingling with the other villagers and prefers to sit on her balcony playing a solitary game of cards. “Oh, that is quite interesting, yes. If you’ll excuse me…I’m afraid my health is delicate, and I find myself with a crushing headache.”
Peddler’s Shop
Scene: A neglected storefront with dusty trinkets and oddities from distant places. Often vacant, as the proprietor frequently walks over to the church cemetery or wanders off into the woods. A basket with a loaf of fresh bread sits incongruently on a desk.
Proprietor: Talon Nickelorb. Morose, well-studied; is vague about his origins, but seems to know a little bit about everything. “Try this lapis lazuli pendant. It’s known to enhance the wearer’s intellect, and the gods know you need whatever help you can get.”
The Giant’s Jaw (Or: The Giant’s Ribs)
Mysterious oblong ring of teeth-shaped stones in the woods. Vegetation does not grow near them. No one knows the true story of their origin, but local legend has it that they are the bones of a hill giant. There are strong opinions on whether the bones are the giant’s teeth or his ribs.
Rumors, Secrets, & Sightings
Everybody knows:
- In the past two weeks, nearly everyone with animals has had one slashed in the night. The attacks seem to be random and are often fatal. They have only occurred to animals not locked inside.
- If you go out to the fen on a moonless night, you’ll never be seen again.
- Nine is bad luck. Seven is good luck. Omens that come in threes and fives are favorable. Omens that come in fours spell death.
Most people know:
- In addition to the animal attacks, strange glowing orbs of ghostly fire have been seen in the fen at night.
- Last summer, Talon’s wife Willow and infant daughter died tragically of a sudden illness while he was away on business. Talon has despondent ever since. The villagers pity him and often give him bread and ale.
Nobody knows:
- Astra’s “playing cards” are actually a tarot deck, which she is obsessed with.
- Talon is secretly a warlock who came to Fenwood to study the giant’s bones, which be believes belong to a dragon.
- Hazel’s real name is Agatha Swansby, and she is a retired pirate who paid for her tavern with stolen gold.
- About a year ago, Mayor Ambrose asked Phineas’ advice on plants that produce deadly toxins.
Mysterious Encounters
Festival of Pumpkins
A long-standing tradition on the night of the harvest moon in which everyone brings a pumpkin luminary to the town square and participates in a night of music and dancing.
What goes wrong: an hour or two into the event, every candle flame in the square magically flares up with a green flame, turning every pumpkin into a ball of fire.
The Wicked Spirit
Keeping watch in the town at night has a chance of spotting a scarecrow glide across the ground, shadowy claws extended, towards a place where animals are kept. It will flee to the farm it came from and conceal itself in the cornfield, which contains two identical ordinary scarecrows.
Ghostly Orbs in the Fen
The ghostly orbs seen in the fen are will-o-wisps. Anyone who follows them will be lead deep into the fen, and the orbs stop over a deep pool of water. The pool is inhabited by a water weird that attempts to drown anyone who disturbs it.
Secret by the Giant’s Jaw (Or Ribs)
The stones that make up the Giant’s Jaw look as though they could be ancient, calcified bones. They do not on their own possess any magical properties.
In the center of the Jaws is a shallow hole covered with a few wooden planks and disguised with brush and debris. In the hole is an oilskin sack that contains parchment, ink, a variety of spell components, and two spell scrolls. There is also a page torn from a book that describes a ritual spell to animate objects with an evil spirit.
The Big Reveal
While the party is returning from investigating one of the mysteries, Astrid decides that enough is enough. She rallies a group of villagers to dig up the bones of Willow Nickelorb and burn them, because she knows that Willow was a witch. Furthermore, she knows that it is because Willow was a witch that her husband Mayor Ambrose poisoned Willow and her baby while Talon was away, unwittingly aided by Phineas who provided the poison.
What neither Aster nor Ambrose know is that Willow was not, in fact a witch. Ambrose had found an evil-looking spell scroll at the Nickelorb house and assumed it belonged to Willow, but actually Talon is the warlock who wrote out the spell.
When he returned to Fenwood to find his wife and child dead, Talon had realized immediately that they had been poisoned and was able to accurately deduce why. However, he did not know with certainty who was responsible. He used his powers to haunt the town, hoping that desperation would cause the culprit to reveal themselves. The plan worked to near perfection.
Moral Dilemma
Now the player characters have a sticky situation on their hands—yes, Ambrose did murder and innocent woman and child, but Talon did also terrorize the village and murder several cows. Where is justice to be found in this scenario?
If moral dilemmas do not sit well at your table (they typically do not at my own), then you can eliminate the witch murder portion and merely say that Talon went mad after the natural death of his wife and child and terrorized the town as an expression of his deep and nihilistic pain. Which is perfectly adequate, but not nearly as twisted.
I like the imagery of Talon riding into the situation on a horrifying nightmare horse. Does he throw a flaming pumpkin from atop his dark steed? I think yes.
Final Thoughts
One of the best sessions I ran as an early game master was a town investigation to find a lycanthrope. In this adventure, I have sought to preserve the mystery and danger that made that early session so effective while eliminating the Deus ex machina solution that soured it for at least one of my players. It is also a redemption scenario for my botched scarecrow in a completely non-scary watermelon field.
I hope that you enjoy it.
Did I miss anything obvious that could have been included to make this even more on the nose and witchy? Are scarecrows silly monsters that I should stop trying to use? Let me know what you think.
Stay safe out there. But never stop exploring.
Post cover image by Christo Anestev.
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