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IRON DM 2013--Entries, Judgements, Commentary, & Trash-Talk
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<blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 6152824" data-attributes="member: 221"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">The Haunting of Weeping Oak</span></strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>The small village of Weeping Oak, known primarily for its soft wool, cured lamb shanks, and quaint wood-carvings, lies three days journey from the larger community of Hillsfold. Hillsfold has, of recent year, risen in prominence and power due to a conflux of religious and political events. The promotion of the Bishop Alzarn, a native of Hillsfold, to Grand Celestial Clergy of the King's Own, the subsequent expansion of the Temple in Hillsfold, and the establishment of a Knight's Lodge have all worked to make the once sleepy backwater city into a true economic and political entity. And, as its power has grown, so has its reach and influence upon the surrounding countryside. </p><p></p><p>Hillsfold has, of late, in all good faith, been sending emissaries to neighboring towns and villages, offering protection and seeking to establish a union of sister communities, all under the leadership of Hillsfold. By and large other communities have readily agreed, in no small part due to their reverence for the priests of the Hillsfold Temple and theirespect for the protective power of the Knight's Lodge.</p><p></p><p>But Weeping Oak is quite content to be its own village and wants no part of Hillsfold's scheme. Their reasoning lies in the faith of the villagers. They are followers of a heretical sect of druidic priests which disdain the dogma of the King's Faith, and instead follow a more primitive nature worship. Their faith is largely benign, excepting the kidnapping and sacrifice of a virgin during the Summer Harvest moon, and the fact that the elite of the faith are all werewolves. Recognizing that the Priests of Hillsfold would condemn their heresy, and would send missionaries to try and convert them, or maybe even kill them, the villagers have agreed upon a plan to make their village, one of the furthest from Hillsfold within the region, unpalatable as a sister community. Their plan involves claiming that their village appear is cursed and haunted; and they are going to use an actual haunted bridge, north of the village, to aid them.</p><p></p><p><strong>Synopsis</strong></p><p>The PCs are approached by representatives of the powers of Hillsfold, who earnestly desire to help the plight of the village of Weeping Oak. Weeping Oak has begged off joining the collection of communities Hillsfold desires to lead, citing, as their reason for doing so, the fact that they are cursed and their fear of spreading this curse to others. Upset that Weeping Oak is apparently suffering so from some calamity or other, and thinking that solving the problem will demonstrate Hillsfold's good intentions, they want the PCs to investigate the problems of Weeping Oak and, if possible, settle them, exorcizing any demons or curses that might actually afflict the smaller community. </p><p></p><p>The PCs, traveling to Weeping Oak, find it a rather pleasant community, full of seemingly cheerful people; except when the subject of the curse is brought up. Then each villager has a dread story to tell about the ghastly haunts reported by their neighbors, the sickness and death visited upon this herd or that, and the problems they have had with the harvests in recent years. As the PCs further investigate, they do discover strange things afoot, especially north of town at the bridge called “Daemin's Stand” by the locals, which is haunted by a powerful ghost.</p><p></p><p>In the meantime, the PCs are also attacked by a spellcasting werewolf (a priest who disagrees with the plan), are led on several wild goose chases, including dealing with any local monsters the villagers can find, and find themselves suffering from apparent food poisoning. </p><p></p><p>The more the PCs investigate, both in Weeping Oak, and in Hillsfold, the more they realize the villagers must be lying. Eventually, they discover the true nature of Weeping Oak's secret, or at least a part of it, and must decide whether to confront the heretical cult, or else let it be.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Village and Its Secrets</strong></p><p>The villagers of Weeping Oak are, outwardly, a perfectly normal group of people. They are cheerful and friendly to strangers. However, the leaders of the community are actually druidic werewolves belonging to an old cult of blood-sacrifices and cannibalism. Little evidence of this cult shows in the mannerisms of the villagers, though there are signs here and there of the “old faith.” Likewise the King's Shrine in the middle of town is little used, except when the priest from Hillsfold visits. Then the villagers take turns pretending to pay their respects. </p><p></p><p>PCs investigating the village discover that the villagers are only too eager to share with them their problems and the problems caused by the “curse.” In truth, at the beginning of concocting this plan, the villagers gathered around their sacred oak and told a variety of spooky tales, implausible stories, and fabricated fictions to one another, so that they could truthfully pass on such tales as having “been heard.” Thus, while each villager has only a limited number of things they can report as having happened to them bad, they have a wealth of tales to tell about what their neighbors have reported happening. In particular, the villagers try to point the PCs towards Daemin's Stand, a bridge north of town, as the center of the curse.</p><p></p><p>The High Priest of Weeping Oak, and his acolytes, live as normal villagers most of the year, only donning their robes for ceremonies at night, or taking their alternate forms to hunt during the full moons. These druidic priests are all in full control of their wolf nature and are careful to commit their heinous acts of violence as werewolves in such a way as to not leave any signs pointing to Weeping Oak. Still and all, the regions around Weeping Oak are said to be full of werewolves but the village itself reports no such thing as plaguing them.</p><p></p><p>North of Hillsfold is an old bridge, called, “Daemin's Stand” by the locals, in honor of one of their priests of old who used the bridge as a choke point to single-handedly stop the advance of an orc horde. Though the powerful priest, Daemin, died in the fight, his effort weakened the horde and allowed the rest of the village time to prepare an effective defense. Since that time, the ghost of the lycanthropic priest has haunted the bridge, attacking those not of the faith, but healing and blessing the remains of his “flock,” when they bring him offerings. Though the wood of the bridge is failing, and the villagers no longer use it for travel, they do not knock it down, out of respect for their hero and benefactor, considering the bridge sacred. In fact, if the PCs are stealthy they can observe the villagers interacting with the ghost. However, the villagers all provide accounts other than the truth to the PCs about the nature of the ghost there. A few claim it is a vengeful demon. Some of them claim it is the spirit of a highwayman who died in the waters under the bridge. Others say that it is the collective spirits of murder victims and their deranged killer haunting the bridge. Still others claim that it is a sign of the gods' wrath and that the village must remain isolated from all others until it passes. The villagers also all suggest various ways of laying the spirit to rest, all of them futile, and some of them dangerous, such as sacrificing a live wyvern upon the bridge, defeating the ghost in unarmed combat, or spending 24 hours in prayer and silent meditation upon the bridge. Truthfully the villagers hope the ghost kills the PCs, thereby creating more evidence for the seriousness of their “curse.”</p><p></p><p>West of the village, in the woods, upon a blood-soaked hill, is an ancient, gnarled oak: the sacred tree of the village. This tree drinks in virgin blood once each year in a ceremony meant to bless the village. If the PCs should discover and try to desecrate the site, they bring the wrath of the village down upon them and find the whole village turns out to hunt them.</p><p></p><p><strong>Investigating in the Great Library</strong></p><p>There is, in Hillsfold, connected to the new Knight's Lodge, a grand library with records going back three hundred years on the communities around Hillsfold. If the PCs think to return there to investigate the bridge, or Weeping Oak, they can discover the story of Daemin's Stand, absent any mention of lycanthropy. Alternately, they can discover that the founders of the community were elsewhere accused of being werewolves, and that the community was once suspected of heresy but no charges were ever brought. </p><p></p><p><strong>Events During the Adventure</strong></p><p>It is likely that the PCs try to destroy the ghost of Daemin and fail; the only way to lay his spirit to rest is to utterly destroy the village he is sworn to protect (albeit he is limited in that protection by his being anchored to the bridge that bears his name). The villagers use such failure as prove of their cursed status and thus as further reason why Hillsfold should not want to associate too closely with them (though cany observers will note the village still wants to sell its wares). </p><p></p><p>If the PCs are around near to the Summer Equinox, they hear reports of a kidnapped girl in a neighboring village. The girl has been taken by the priests of Weeping Oak, and will be sacrificed if the plot is not uncovered (this is one way the adventure might climax). </p><p></p><p>The PCs are attacked one night by a spellcasting werewolf, one of the priests who thinks the whole plan is foolishness. He tries to kill them and if he fails, he flees to try again.</p><p></p><p>In an attempt to make the village appear cursed, the innkeeper poisons the food of the PCs, hoping to make them violently ill.</p><p></p><p><strong>Concluding the Adventure</strong></p><p>If the PCs give up the quest to save Weeping Oak, the village remains forever independent. </p><p></p><p>If the PCs uncover the true nature of Weeping Oak's heresy, there are two ways the adventure might end: in violence or acceptance. If the villagers suspect the PCs of suspecting their heresy, they will attempt to put a good light on it, begging the PCs to look the other way, allowing the village to continue following its “ancient ways.” This goes down better if the PCs don't know about the human sacrifices and cannibalism. When these things are discovered, the village attempts to murder the PCs as quickly as possible. </p><p></p><p><em><strong>Poison Pill</strong> – the plan to make Weeping Oak appear to be cursed and haunted and therefore a poor candidate for Hillsfold's collection of communities. </em></p><p><em><strong>Decrepit Bridge</strong> - the scene of a supposed mass suicide and murder. Its haunted, alright, but the ghost cannot be laid to rest by listening to the villagers of Weeping Oak</em></p><p><em><strong>Hearsay </strong>– While there are some villagers in Weeping Oak who will claim to have seen a ghost or goblin around town, most of them report what they heard from their neighbor or friend, especially if they suspect the PCs are using magic to divine the truth. </em></p><p><em><strong>Hallowed Ground</strong> – The bridge itself is a minor religious site for the villagers, who leave offerings for the ghost there. To the west of town is a great oak tree, the true “consecrated” ground, revered by the villagers and the site of their religious celebrations. </em></p><p><em><strong>Heresy </strong>– the faith of the villagers of weeping oak: it not only reject's the king's faith, but also promotes human sacrifice, cannibalism, and lycanthropy. </em></p><p><em><strong>Wealth of Information </strong>– The town of Weeping Oak is full of information concerning the town's plight: Too much information, some of it conflicting, almost all of it wrong. Of greater help is the Grand Library of Hillfold, connected to the newly established Knight's Lodge. The scribes of the library have amassed a wealth of information on the region, including troubling histories surrounding Weeping Oak. </em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Wicht, post: 6152824, member: 221"] [B][SIZE=4]The Haunting of Weeping Oak[/SIZE][/B] [B]Background[/B] The small village of Weeping Oak, known primarily for its soft wool, cured lamb shanks, and quaint wood-carvings, lies three days journey from the larger community of Hillsfold. Hillsfold has, of recent year, risen in prominence and power due to a conflux of religious and political events. The promotion of the Bishop Alzarn, a native of Hillsfold, to Grand Celestial Clergy of the King's Own, the subsequent expansion of the Temple in Hillsfold, and the establishment of a Knight's Lodge have all worked to make the once sleepy backwater city into a true economic and political entity. And, as its power has grown, so has its reach and influence upon the surrounding countryside. Hillsfold has, of late, in all good faith, been sending emissaries to neighboring towns and villages, offering protection and seeking to establish a union of sister communities, all under the leadership of Hillsfold. By and large other communities have readily agreed, in no small part due to their reverence for the priests of the Hillsfold Temple and theirespect for the protective power of the Knight's Lodge. But Weeping Oak is quite content to be its own village and wants no part of Hillsfold's scheme. Their reasoning lies in the faith of the villagers. They are followers of a heretical sect of druidic priests which disdain the dogma of the King's Faith, and instead follow a more primitive nature worship. Their faith is largely benign, excepting the kidnapping and sacrifice of a virgin during the Summer Harvest moon, and the fact that the elite of the faith are all werewolves. Recognizing that the Priests of Hillsfold would condemn their heresy, and would send missionaries to try and convert them, or maybe even kill them, the villagers have agreed upon a plan to make their village, one of the furthest from Hillsfold within the region, unpalatable as a sister community. Their plan involves claiming that their village appear is cursed and haunted; and they are going to use an actual haunted bridge, north of the village, to aid them. [B]Synopsis[/B] The PCs are approached by representatives of the powers of Hillsfold, who earnestly desire to help the plight of the village of Weeping Oak. Weeping Oak has begged off joining the collection of communities Hillsfold desires to lead, citing, as their reason for doing so, the fact that they are cursed and their fear of spreading this curse to others. Upset that Weeping Oak is apparently suffering so from some calamity or other, and thinking that solving the problem will demonstrate Hillsfold's good intentions, they want the PCs to investigate the problems of Weeping Oak and, if possible, settle them, exorcizing any demons or curses that might actually afflict the smaller community. The PCs, traveling to Weeping Oak, find it a rather pleasant community, full of seemingly cheerful people; except when the subject of the curse is brought up. Then each villager has a dread story to tell about the ghastly haunts reported by their neighbors, the sickness and death visited upon this herd or that, and the problems they have had with the harvests in recent years. As the PCs further investigate, they do discover strange things afoot, especially north of town at the bridge called “Daemin's Stand” by the locals, which is haunted by a powerful ghost. In the meantime, the PCs are also attacked by a spellcasting werewolf (a priest who disagrees with the plan), are led on several wild goose chases, including dealing with any local monsters the villagers can find, and find themselves suffering from apparent food poisoning. The more the PCs investigate, both in Weeping Oak, and in Hillsfold, the more they realize the villagers must be lying. Eventually, they discover the true nature of Weeping Oak's secret, or at least a part of it, and must decide whether to confront the heretical cult, or else let it be. [B]The Village and Its Secrets[/B] The villagers of Weeping Oak are, outwardly, a perfectly normal group of people. They are cheerful and friendly to strangers. However, the leaders of the community are actually druidic werewolves belonging to an old cult of blood-sacrifices and cannibalism. Little evidence of this cult shows in the mannerisms of the villagers, though there are signs here and there of the “old faith.” Likewise the King's Shrine in the middle of town is little used, except when the priest from Hillsfold visits. Then the villagers take turns pretending to pay their respects. PCs investigating the village discover that the villagers are only too eager to share with them their problems and the problems caused by the “curse.” In truth, at the beginning of concocting this plan, the villagers gathered around their sacred oak and told a variety of spooky tales, implausible stories, and fabricated fictions to one another, so that they could truthfully pass on such tales as having “been heard.” Thus, while each villager has only a limited number of things they can report as having happened to them bad, they have a wealth of tales to tell about what their neighbors have reported happening. In particular, the villagers try to point the PCs towards Daemin's Stand, a bridge north of town, as the center of the curse. The High Priest of Weeping Oak, and his acolytes, live as normal villagers most of the year, only donning their robes for ceremonies at night, or taking their alternate forms to hunt during the full moons. These druidic priests are all in full control of their wolf nature and are careful to commit their heinous acts of violence as werewolves in such a way as to not leave any signs pointing to Weeping Oak. Still and all, the regions around Weeping Oak are said to be full of werewolves but the village itself reports no such thing as plaguing them. North of Hillsfold is an old bridge, called, “Daemin's Stand” by the locals, in honor of one of their priests of old who used the bridge as a choke point to single-handedly stop the advance of an orc horde. Though the powerful priest, Daemin, died in the fight, his effort weakened the horde and allowed the rest of the village time to prepare an effective defense. Since that time, the ghost of the lycanthropic priest has haunted the bridge, attacking those not of the faith, but healing and blessing the remains of his “flock,” when they bring him offerings. Though the wood of the bridge is failing, and the villagers no longer use it for travel, they do not knock it down, out of respect for their hero and benefactor, considering the bridge sacred. In fact, if the PCs are stealthy they can observe the villagers interacting with the ghost. However, the villagers all provide accounts other than the truth to the PCs about the nature of the ghost there. A few claim it is a vengeful demon. Some of them claim it is the spirit of a highwayman who died in the waters under the bridge. Others say that it is the collective spirits of murder victims and their deranged killer haunting the bridge. Still others claim that it is a sign of the gods' wrath and that the village must remain isolated from all others until it passes. The villagers also all suggest various ways of laying the spirit to rest, all of them futile, and some of them dangerous, such as sacrificing a live wyvern upon the bridge, defeating the ghost in unarmed combat, or spending 24 hours in prayer and silent meditation upon the bridge. Truthfully the villagers hope the ghost kills the PCs, thereby creating more evidence for the seriousness of their “curse.” West of the village, in the woods, upon a blood-soaked hill, is an ancient, gnarled oak: the sacred tree of the village. This tree drinks in virgin blood once each year in a ceremony meant to bless the village. If the PCs should discover and try to desecrate the site, they bring the wrath of the village down upon them and find the whole village turns out to hunt them. [B]Investigating in the Great Library[/B] There is, in Hillsfold, connected to the new Knight's Lodge, a grand library with records going back three hundred years on the communities around Hillsfold. If the PCs think to return there to investigate the bridge, or Weeping Oak, they can discover the story of Daemin's Stand, absent any mention of lycanthropy. Alternately, they can discover that the founders of the community were elsewhere accused of being werewolves, and that the community was once suspected of heresy but no charges were ever brought. [B]Events During the Adventure[/B] It is likely that the PCs try to destroy the ghost of Daemin and fail; the only way to lay his spirit to rest is to utterly destroy the village he is sworn to protect (albeit he is limited in that protection by his being anchored to the bridge that bears his name). The villagers use such failure as prove of their cursed status and thus as further reason why Hillsfold should not want to associate too closely with them (though cany observers will note the village still wants to sell its wares). If the PCs are around near to the Summer Equinox, they hear reports of a kidnapped girl in a neighboring village. The girl has been taken by the priests of Weeping Oak, and will be sacrificed if the plot is not uncovered (this is one way the adventure might climax). The PCs are attacked one night by a spellcasting werewolf, one of the priests who thinks the whole plan is foolishness. He tries to kill them and if he fails, he flees to try again. In an attempt to make the village appear cursed, the innkeeper poisons the food of the PCs, hoping to make them violently ill. [B]Concluding the Adventure[/B] If the PCs give up the quest to save Weeping Oak, the village remains forever independent. If the PCs uncover the true nature of Weeping Oak's heresy, there are two ways the adventure might end: in violence or acceptance. If the villagers suspect the PCs of suspecting their heresy, they will attempt to put a good light on it, begging the PCs to look the other way, allowing the village to continue following its “ancient ways.” This goes down better if the PCs don't know about the human sacrifices and cannibalism. When these things are discovered, the village attempts to murder the PCs as quickly as possible. [I][B]Poison Pill[/B] – the plan to make Weeping Oak appear to be cursed and haunted and therefore a poor candidate for Hillsfold's collection of communities. [B]Decrepit Bridge[/B] - the scene of a supposed mass suicide and murder. Its haunted, alright, but the ghost cannot be laid to rest by listening to the villagers of Weeping Oak [B]Hearsay [/B]– While there are some villagers in Weeping Oak who will claim to have seen a ghost or goblin around town, most of them report what they heard from their neighbor or friend, especially if they suspect the PCs are using magic to divine the truth. [B]Hallowed Ground[/B] – The bridge itself is a minor religious site for the villagers, who leave offerings for the ghost there. To the west of town is a great oak tree, the true “consecrated” ground, revered by the villagers and the site of their religious celebrations. [B]Heresy [/B]– the faith of the villagers of weeping oak: it not only reject's the king's faith, but also promotes human sacrifice, cannibalism, and lycanthropy. [B]Wealth of Information [/B]– The town of Weeping Oak is full of information concerning the town's plight: Too much information, some of it conflicting, almost all of it wrong. Of greater help is the Grand Library of Hillfold, connected to the newly established Knight's Lodge. The scribes of the library have amassed a wealth of information on the region, including troubling histories surrounding Weeping Oak. [/I] [/QUOTE]
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