Running Cult of Undeath, Part II.2

A part II.2—an expansion to Part II.  Borrowing some more encounter ideas from the first two modules, here's some other encounters that you could sprinkle here and there in the various areas of Ebenbach and Mittermarkt to add more stuff to the whole experience, just in case you'd rather not rush the plot-line, such as it is, along.  I highly recommend picking up at least a couple of these.  Not all of these are meant to be combat encounters.  In many cases, I refer you to the actual modules for some details on the NPCs.

THE CROOKED KIN.  A traveling circus of sorts is met on the road near the crossroads marked on the map between Ebenbach and Mittermarkt (they're on their way to Mittermarkt from the west.)  It's probably too late for them to make it to Mittermarkt before the day is over, and one of their performers, Aleece is missing.  As noted in The Beast of Lepidstadt, she's been killed by a giant spider after wandering too close to the river.  If her body is found, the spider will attack the PCs to preserve it's dinner and possibly add to it, although it won't fight to the death unless cornered.

SPIDER, GIANT: AC: 15 HD: 7d8 (35 hp) AT: bite +6 (1d6+4 plus poison)  STR: +6, DEX: +1, MND: -4, S: successful bite attacks deliver poison.  Target must succeed on STR+Level check DC 14 or take 1d4 STR damage.  One minute later, a second check must be passed or character takes 1d4 DEX damage.

The details about the rest of the carnival performers, if desired, can be taken from the module; they name and describe the entire troupe.

CITY WATCH CAPTAIN.  In Mittermarkt, Montagne Daramid is the captain of the city watch.  The town is all in an uproar, and rumors are flying fast and furious.  He's actually advertising for bounty hunters to help with finding those responsible.  The primary problem is, of course, the Beast, a flesh golem looking for its creator, Alpon Lechfeld.  Ebenbach is technically under his protection as well, although no watchmen patrol it (he does have two rangers who's assignment is to patrol the countryside around Mittermarkt, including Ebenbach, to a radius of about 15-20 miles, however.)  The challenge is, as you'll see below, the Beast is not the only problem Mittermarkt has right now...

THE SWAMPERS OF MORAST.  In the hex immediately to the NW of Mittermarkt, the river has soaked the ground for many miles, creating a vast forested marsh.  There is a small hamlet named Morast located there, more or less as described in The Beast.  Some of these swampers have been murdered, but this is not actually the work of the Beast; it's the work of unscrupulous grave-robbers who found their supply of fresh body parts insufficient for their needs, so they went to go create their own bodies.  Curiously, they also can be a clue which points to Lechfeld—they have stolen some of his notes from his office in the Academy (although semi-retired, Lechfeld kept an office that he visited once a week or so, and spent a night or two in.)  These murderers are Vorkstag and Grine; two collegues of Lechfeld's at the Academy.  I'm borrowing this concept from The Beast, but greatly reducing the complexity—these are just two professors with an interest in the arcane and bizarre who are murderers; there's not a whole little "dungeon" around them.

However, Vorkstag is a changeling, a humanoid who can take on the appearance of another person at will (although not their clothes or gear) which, if used with some cleverness, can make him an interesting antagonist to confront (although he's not a great fighter necessarily; especially compared to a whole party of PCs.)

VORGSTAG: AC: 14 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: broadsword +3 (1d6), STR: +2, DEX: +2, MND: +2 S: Can change form as a single action.

And Grine should use the same stats, except that instead of the special noted above, he has access to 1d4 spells of your choice.  In addition, they have done some small prototypes of flesh golems, although they are not at the same level as the Beast, and are less dangerous.  One is, in fact, a dog-like creature, and the other is a small humanoid, made up of body parts of children, mostly—including some of the murder victims from Morast.

FLESH HOUND: AC: 14 HD: 2d12 (10 hp) AT: bite +4 (1d6+2) STR: +3, DEX: -2 MND: -3 S: Immune to most forms of magical attack.  Regular weapons do only half damage.  Fire (magical or mundane) does 2x damage. 

CHILD GOLEM: AC: 14 HD: 2d12 (15 hp) AT: slam +5 (2d4+2) STR: +3, DEX: -2 MND: -3 S: Immune to most forms of magical attack.  Regular weapons do only half damage.  Fire (magical or mundane) does 2x damage.

They'll probably be confronted in their locked Academy offices.  Their golems stay in a small house buried in the marshy woods not far from Morast.  Old Lazne from Morast is still the witness here, and he can also give the clue that specifically connects the Morast murders to Grine; who was wounded by a crocodile (or blood caiman) trap, as described in the module, while trying to murder another victim.  Grine still has the bite mark, since the murder attempt was only a few days ago.  Lazne also knows of the hidden marsh cottage with the golems, which will also have incriminating evidence in it after the two golems are destroyed, that points to Vorgstag and Grine as the culprits of these particular murders.

HERGSTAG.  You can use Hergstag from the module; a small hamlet across the river that's been abandoned the last few weeks.  The Beast is actually responsible for these murders here, though—there's little to discover here that Captain Daramid's rangers haven't already.  There's no mystery to uncover here, really—although in the wake of the murder, dangerous wild animals may have taken up residence in the remains of the village.

SANCTUARY.  This is an asylum located just upriver from Mittermarkt, and easily visible from the walls.  As noted in the module, it's been burned and abandoned in the last several weeks; although it wasn't "the Shambling Man" who is responsible; it was the Beast itself, trying to find Lechfeld.  The place has been inhabited by a small pack of ghouls since its destruction, though—three of them.  Because of their proximity, they will shortly present a real threat to the town if not dealt with.

The ghouls here come from another small town (which I'll need to add to the map) just a hex or two up the road (and river) from Mittermarkt, at the crossroads of the main road, which continues from Mittermarkt into Vetala County, and a small, poorly maintained and infrequently used narrow path that heads towards Eltdown.  This small town is named Frouxerr, and if it needs to be detailed, use the map of Carrion Hill from the adventure of the same name.

Meanwhile, in Ebenbach, while the ghosts are wreaking havoc, this is also causing a great deal of turmoil in the small village, including the expression of strange madness and more.  The following take place in The vicinity of Ebenbach.

MONUMENT DESECRATION.  The possession of Gibs is more or less as detailed in the first module; although there's no Vesorianna holding the ghosts in; it's the professor's stolen amulet that has allowed them to wander freely.  But the possession is a nice touch, with its sleepwalking mischief, up to murder.

NURSERY RHYMES.  Children around town have started saying a bizarre nursery rhyme.  They profess no knowledge of how they learned it, and may even be confused when they are interrupted and asked about it, as if they didn't even know that they were saying it.

Baby, baby, naughty baby,
Hush, you squalling thing, I say.
Peace this moment, peace, or maybe
The Mourning Maid will pass this way.

Baby, baby, she's a vicious crone,
Heart as black as Mittermarkt's steeple,
And she feasts on those not grown
Every day on naughty people.

Baby, baby, if she hears you
As she passes by the house,
Limb from limb at once she'll tear you,
Just as a cat tears a mouse.

And she'll beat you, beat you, beat you,
And she'll beat you into pap,
And she'll eat you, eat you, eat you,
Every morsel snap, snap, snap.

Of course, the Mourning Maiden is a ghost released by the loss of the amulet.  Not unlike The Woman in Black, she targets children in particular as victims.

RAT SWARMS.  The Pied Piper haunt manifests during the day too, in a minor fashion.  Rat swarms appear suddenly from wells, fields, sewers, or other places, and run wild through the village, frightening everyone before disappearing again into the countryside.  This can happen several times a day for a few days, until the Pied Piper haunt is destroyed.

RESTLESS DEAD.  It's not just ghosts, of course.  If you want to step up the scariness, have a handful of bodies actually crawl out of the graveyard here and there at night.  No more than one a night, and not every night, but this can be done up to three times before the villagers are panicked about it.

RESTLESS DEAD: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: hand strike +1 (1d6) STR: -1, DEX: -1, MND: -4, S: undead immunities, only takes half damage from arrows or bullets.

All of this starts less than a week after the death of Alpon Lechfeld, and contributes the rumor that spreads like wildfire that he's a necromancer and rests uneasily in his own grave, tormenting the poor people of Mittermarkt and Ebenbach following his death.