September Short Adventures 23: A Snowy Evening

Preamble

A September of Short Adventuresis an OSR Challenge initiated by Matt over at the Asshat Paladinsblog. You can click on the Moustache Dragon over on the right-handside-bar (just above Features) to learn more about all of this stufffrom Matt directly. All of our 25 (possibly more...) entries areformatted along the lines of what Matt calls the Get Ready, GetSet, Go! format. In a nut-shell, this approach breaks eachadventure into a Title, Three escalating sections of adventuredetails (the Ready section is limited to an elevator pitch only 2sentences...), and a final catch-all section for any NPC notes/stats.The idea is to keep it short, simple, easy to read without any maps,drawings, diagrams or 8X10 glossies. Keep description to a minimum,avoid lengthy exposition, and no casts of thousands -- unless it's aninvading horde of three-eyed orcs or goblins riding purple wombats.

We're also going to aim to keep thingsgeneric, setting agnostic and thus portable or adaptable to anycampaign/setting using the particular rules-set we'll be using in anygiven September Short Adventure such as Mutant Future,Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry (White Box), etc.

FreeRules

Labyrinth Lord:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.html

Mutant Future:http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html

Swords and Wizardry (White Box):http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/whitebox.htm

SeptemberShort Adventure Number 23

Title: A Snowy Evening

Rules: Swords and Wizardry (WhiteBox)

Ready

It is another dark and bitterly coldnight out on the road and the Player Characters are still miles awayfrom the closest village when the snow really starts to fall. Theroad extends between a dark and deep forest filling up with snow anda frozen lake.

Set

The wind is easy and the snow fallsgently making the night seem almost hypnotic, the Player Charactershave the impression of traveling through the gentle snow-storm asthough it were a sort of hallucination. It is peaceful. Quiet.Serene and beautiful.

No on will see them stop here.

The woods are deceptively bare andstark-black, and quickly filling-up with downy snow, making theprospect of traversing them both slippery and disorienting. All thepaths that might be there are obscured or buried in snow. Soggymasses of heavy snow will fall from the branches of trees to dousetorches or to knock out lamps. Something dark and sinister lurkswithin the shifting shadows of these trees. But getting through thesewoods will be a true test of the adventurer's endurance, strength andagility as they must climb over or under obstacles, contend withslick patches of snow-covered ice, avoid falling into pits or declivities or sliding down steep ramps that end with masses ofrecently snapped and very sharp stake-like branches. Once they enterthe woods, the feeling of something watching them will become all butpalpable. Something is definitely there. Watching. Lurking. Waiting.But for what?

The frozen lake is breath-taking,especially in those brief moments when the moon shines through asudden break in the heavy clouds above. The wind is gentle and thesnow soft like down floating on the night air. Crunching over thedrifts and avoiding the worst of the exposed surface of the icy lakeproves no problem as the adventurers explore this area. In fact theycan make excellent time and reach the middle of the lake with noappreciable difficulty whatsoever.

Go!

Further on alongthe road is a farmhouse.

• If the Player Characters go off into the woods first, then this place is dark, empty and the roof is sagging as snow slowly fills it. The place might provide a minimal bit of shelter, but has more of a chance to collapse on the party than provide any real protection. Examining it will reveal the front door wide open, but minimal or no signs of struggle, and the signs of bodies being dragged out into the woods from the back-door...but the tracks rapidly filling-in with the snow.
• If the Player Characters explore the frozen lake first, then this place is well-lit, the door hangs wide open and partly off its hinges, several windows are broken and there is blood everywhere. But no bodies. Just a few bloody tracks showing where victims were dragged off into the woods by something.
• If the Player Characters ignore the woods and the lake and instead head down the road to the farmhouse then they will notice the flickering light of a bonfire ahead of them and as they draw closer they will find the farmhouse completely engulfed in flames and a group of heavily-armed Therioclasts making damned sure that the accursed place burns completely.

Into The Woods

A small pack ofWorgs have returned home after having prowled along the entirecircumference of their territory. They were born here and are relatedto the family of farmers who used to live here. Those farmers werekilled by the Therioclasts for being tainted with worg-blood. They intend to slaughter the current family occupying this farmstead.Going into the woods allows the worgs to ambush the farm and carryoff the entire family to a terrible fate, unless they can be rescuedwithin one hour of the Players reaching the farmstead. Traipsingthrough the treacherous woods will also give the PCs a 1 in 4 chanceof encountering the Therioclasts who might just mistake them forworg-allies or worse...

Out On The Lake

A pitiful andpartly burned victim of a recent lynching lies sprawled half-buriedin the snow out on the frozen lake. They are a Flesh Golem, and haveonly recently escaped from an irate mob. No sooner do the PCsdiscover this grotesque unfortunate being, than the farmstead will behit by the worgs. The screams of the family will carry quite clearlyover the lake. There is a 50-50 chance that the PCs can beat theTherioclasts to the farmstead, if they decide to go investigate thescreams.

Burning Down theHouse

Going past thewoods and the lake both will allow much of the evening's mischief andfoul deeds to proceed without interference. The Flesh Golem willescape. The farmstead will be attacked by worgs and the bodiesdragged off into the woods never to be seen again. The Therioclastswill destroy the farmhouse as though it were somehow responsible forthe depredations of the worg-pack. And the PCs will need to convincethese people that they are not allied to the worgs or in cahoots withthe local shape-shifters...

Notes / NPCs

Corrupted Worg(2d4) [HD 4; HP 20,20,18,18,16,15,14,12; AC 6[13]; ATK 1 Bite; Move18; Save 15; CL/XP: 4/120] Note: These creatures are supernaturaland have some measure of human in their ancestry due to unspeakablerites performed by demented cultists long, long ago...

Frozen Flesh Golem(1d4) [HD 12; HP 68; AC 9[10]; ATK 1 fist; Move 8; Save 7; CL/XP12/2,000; Special: Only lightning(which heals the thing), fireand cold spells (onlyslow it down) affect it, and you need a +1 or better weapon to harmit.] (S&W[WB]Bk III p. 19)

Therioclast Trooper(2d4) [HD 3+1; HP 12 on average.; AC 6[13]; ATK 1 weapon; Move 12;Save 16; CL/XP: 4/80; Special: +2 on Saves vs lycanthropy] Grim anddour warriors who might be either Humans, Dwarves, Elves orHalflings. Studded-leather armor, crossbow (with a mix of silver andiron headed bolts), silver-headed hand-axe or blessed scythe,rune-engraved short-sword and skinning-dagger. These are hard-bittenprofessionals who exterminate shapeshifters and each one has a 10%chance to spot one outright.

Somber Jillis their leader. She is a 10^thlevel Fighter/Magic-user of indeterminate descent and no tolerancefor shapeshifters whatsoever. She wears blessed chainmail, carries aflaming sword and a silver-headed hand-axe and crossbow (withsilver-headed bolts). Adjust her stats to best present something of achallenge to your players, but not an overwhelming one. Her CHAR isat least 15, otherwise her other stats are all open to yourinterpretation. (We might further develop her if there isinterest...)