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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 528785" data-attributes="member: 221">The Haunting of Briarwood ValleyThis short adventure is intended for PCs of approximately 5th to 7th level. IntroductionEveryone has avoided Briarwood Valley for years.  Even though it has some of the most fertile soil in the region its reputation has kept people from using it and so only trees and briars flourish in what could be prime farmland.  Years ago a powerful and privacy loving druid named Transim kept the locals away.  And even though he died almost fifteen years ago, it seems some spirit still wishes for the valley to remain unused.  Old Beggins Trufflegrubber can tell you of the time he wandered into the valley hunting rabbits.  A rainbow of colors assaulted him from the briars and he wandered for some time blind.  Sergeant Taffins can recall the time he once took soldiers there to try and drive away the spirits and ended up being chased from the valley by a huge grey beast with a powerful horn which vanished as quickly as it appeared.  And no one likes to really talk of the wandering soul found turned to stone at the edge of Briarwood Valley but those who know of it can point to the fountain in the square where the statue still stands.  Everyone has avoided Briarwood Valley for years but now the spirits haunting the valley have gone too far.  Each night for the past week a malicious spirit has stolen the best spirits from the local tavern.  Each night witnesses have seen a Barrel of Mead fly from the tavern and head north towards the valley.  At last the town will do what it should have done years ago and hire some adventurers to clear the valley of the spirits that haunt it.Plot HooksThere are a few ways for DMs to draw their PCs into investigating the haunting of Briarwood Valley.  Heroic PCs who are native to the local area have doubtlessly gained a reputation by this point and can be urged to perform this community service as a way of building an even greater reputation.  Less then heroic PCs probably also have a reputation but the town can promise large cash rewards for finding the evil spirits responsible for taking the best mead in town.  If the PCs are more of the wandering sort, it is advised that the DM make the village the location of something important to a larger quest.  The villagers will gladly turn the item over to the PCs in exchange for the small matter of investigating the ‘haunting.’Whats Really HappeningTransim was indeed a powerful druid.  As such he made some powerful enemies.  One enemy in particular, a demon who Transim had crossed plotted an insidious revenge.  He personally fertilized some Ankheg eggs and secretly planted them in the soil of Transim’s land.  He knew that his half-fiend children would wreak havoc with Transim’s beloved home.  However Transim died before the demon’s offspring were mature enough to carry out his plan.  Indeed the egg-cycle of the ankhegs, like that of the locust, can often last many years.  In the interim, two ‘disciples’ of Transim’s, a mated pair of awakened rabbits, Thornpaw and Thistlenose, continued to inhabit Briarwood Valley.  There they raised their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren until the whole valley was a regular warren of rabbits.  Thornpaw used a ring of telekinesis and a rod of wonder to defend the valley from the nearby humans.  It was the workings of the rod of wonder which gave the valley the reputation of being haunted.  Life was good for the rabbits until the ankhegs hatched and started burrowing and hunting.  The easiest prey for the young monsters was rabbit.  Thornpaw could scarcely fight the savage creatures and before a week was finished he was the only rabbit left in the valley.  Even the love of his life, Thistlenose was dead.  Wanting revenge but knowing he needed someone to fight the horrible beasts, Thornpaw used his ring to steal mead from the villagers in the hopes they would send capable fighters into the valley.Briarwood Valley and the Half-fiend Ankhegs PCs who enter Briarwood valley will first notice the briars.  Large briar patches grow between scattered trees and make movement slow and sometimes painful.  Observant PCs will also notice the many rabbit holes in the midst of the briars.  They may also find one or two ankheg tunnels.  If they hunt the whole valley they will also find the mostly devoured and partially burnt remains of several deer and two bears.  As well, Transim’s old hut is in the valley, but the rabbits long ago carried off anything of value and buried it in the valley.There are two ways for the PCs to encounter the half-fiend ankhegs.  The first is for them to traverse one of the tunnels they find at the end of which will be an ankheg, grown to maturity on a diet of rabbit meat (and some deer and bear as well.)  The ankheg’s also come to the surface at night, hunting anything moving on the surface.  The half-fiend ankhegs all have bat wings (50% of them can fly with them) and flaming red eyes that glow in the dark.  They are just smart enough that a few of them might even coordinate an attack.  Their favorite attack for larger prey is to first use their darkness ability and then rush in and attack while the prey is disoriented.  DMs are encouraged to play up the attacks by the ankhegs, making them truly memorable and perhaps a little frightening.  The ankhegs have hunted all the other prey in the immediate vicinity and the PCs will not escape attack at night.  The ankhegs will even attack through the dirt floor of Transim’s hut should the PCs spend the night there.  In total, there are two clutches of half-fiend ankhegs with three to each clutch.  ConclusionThe PCs may never piece together the whole story, but if they kill the ankhegs, they will have a story to tell.  Furthermore the mead will stop disappearing with the death of the ankhegs and the villagers will subsequently honor any bargain they made with the PC’s.  And finally, the PCs will awaken the next morning to find a bag of gold (2000 gp) and a Staff of Swarming Insects by their beds, courtesy of a grateful and avenged rabbit and a dead druid.</blockquote>

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