A Midwinter Adventure
Background
History
There is a gnome named Santac Laus. He is a tinker by trade. Years ago, he was heading home from the village when he was ambushed by orcs form the Caves of Chaos. He was found by a local shepherd boy who brought him back to the town where he was cared for. Santac was so moved by the generosity of the town that he vowed that he would, as long as he is alive, bring toys to the children of this town.
He decided that he would visit on Midwinter’s Eve and deliver one toy to each family that had a child.
The Midwinter’s Eve Festival
Every year, on the longest night of the year, there is a festival. This is to celebrate the birth of a new year since from this point forward, the days would grow longer and the nights shorter. It is marked by late night parties where children are encouraged to stay up as late as they can. The towns are lit with every lamp that they can find and a large bonfire is kept going all night long.
The festival is also marked by local artisans and merchants will set up stalls and sell their wares, which people will purchase often to exchange as ‘gifts’.
The Adventure
A Crisis for Santac!
It is Midwinter’s Eve. Santac was taking his sleigh, pulled by a team of 8 caribou to the village, when he was ambushed by a party of zombies and skeletons. These undead are taking him to their master, the Necromancer, to be used in some sort of ritual. The Necromancer requires a gnome, sacrificed at midnight on Midwinter’s Eve as part of an evil ritual designed to further his efforts to litchdom.
It is early in the evening when the call from the the main tower of the Keep (an outpost located near the village) that a sleigh, pulled by caribou, is making it’s way past… and there is no driver!
If the party investigates, they will see signs of a struggle, with blood on the ornately decorated sleigh. In the back of the sleigh is several large sacs, stuffed to the brim with toys.
The sleigh tracks are easy to follow in the new snow, however, they will not be for long as it looks like it is starting to snow harder. Two of the Keep dwellers (the Captain of the Guard (see below) and may choose to help the players. If the party acts quickly, they can follow them back about a half hour form the keep where they find signs of struggle. From here, it will require a tracking role to try to find where the gnome was taken.
If the players fail to track, there are some other clues in the form of a dispatched skeleton… covered in a very light layer of snow… The skeleton has a crude amulet that bears the mark of the Necromancer. A role on lore, or if one of the keep people is with them, it will be recognized as the mark of the wizard Neflariium (now turned Necromancer) who lives in a tower just a day away.
If the party hurries, they will catch the slow moving mob of undead. The party of consists of 2 skeleton archers and 6 zombies (see below). One of the zombies is dragging a large sac that contains the unconscious gnome.
The End
After the gnome has been rescued, he will be very grateful! He will thank the party profusely but insist that he has a very important job to take care of at the nearby village. When the players wake the next morning, it will be clear and bright. The entire area is now blanketed with a fresh layer of white snow. At the foot of each of the party members’ bed is a package. This can be any magic item, tailored to the needs of the character.
NPC’s
Captain Of The Guard
AC 0, due to plate mail + 1 and shield + 1 ,
THAC0 17
HP 24
AT 1,
D 3-11 or 2-7
ML 11
He has a long sword +2 and a spear + 1 . This man is very kind, friendly and an excellent leader. (He will sometimes move about in the Outer Bailey disguised as a mercenary.) He has 15 gold pieces and a 150 g.p. gem in the pommel' of his dagger.
The Corporal of the Watch
AC 2
THACO 18
HP 15
AT 1
D 2-9
ML 11
He is dressed in plate mail and carries a shield, with sword and dagger at his waist. His long sword is a +1 magic weapon. The corporal is rather grouchy, with a low charisma, but he admires outspoken, brave fighters and is easily taken in by a pretty girl.
Skeleton Archers Zombies
Armor Class: 7 8
Movement: 12 6
Hit Dice: 2 2
Hitpoints: 8, 13 10, 8, 6, 6, 4, 10
THAC0: 19 19
No. of Attacks: 1 1
Damage/Attack: 1-6 1-8
Special Defenses: 1/2 dam edge spell immunity
Spell immunity
XP Value 175 65
