Hard Rain in Rosewood (Monster of the Week/PbtA)
Warning – this adventure contains children in peril, and possible harm to children.
Ingredients
Swift Action
Tin Star
Waterlogged Sewers
Debt Collector
Hidden Knife
Underground Dance
Concept
The town of Rosewood is home to a cult worshipping Yg-Salla, the Great Serpent. They have been holding ecstatic rites in the caverns connected to the town’s sewers for years. Several weeks ago they actually managed to summon their scaly master, who appeared through a rift and promptly killed most of the revelling cultists and then disappeared into the sewer system. Since then the town has been subject to a series of disappearances and rumours of a giant reptile in local sewers and waterways. The cultists are desperate to control Yg-Salla but will need to find him first. In the meanwhile, townsfolk continue to disappear in alarming numbers.
Hook
Sometime this afternoon, a girl named Jessica Martin disappeared from her home in a southern suburb of Rosewood. She took a backpack and some supplies and left a note for her parents telling them she was going to find a monster she’d heard about and capture it, just like her hero Jack Colton from tv. Her backpack contained a flashlight, some nylon rope, a pen knife, some sandwiches, and her Jack Colton Adventurer’s Club pin, a cheap tin star, but one of her prized possessions. She hasn’t been seen for several hours. About an hour ago, the torrential rain that the weather-man had been promising started to fall with a vengeance. Investigators will have to act swiftly if they want to save Jesse before the sewers flood.
Countdown
- Day – Yg-Salla awakens. The beast is seen in the river just north of town, close to the storm sewer outlet
- Shadows – the rain intensifies, runoff becomes dangerous is spots. A Public Works employee is found torn apart at the pumping station north of town.
- Sunset – Jessica’s uncle Chester assaults a police officer who ‘wasn’t doing enough’ and sets off into the sewers armed with a shotgun. Some roads become impassable due to water.
- Dusk – Cultists slip into the sewers to search for Yg-Salla, armed with ritual knives dipped in snake blood. Some sewers in the downtown star overflowing.
- Nightfall – running battles in the sewers as Chester, the Cultists, and Yg-Salla clash in the shadows.
- Midnight – Yg-Salla will devour the town, one victim at a time. The sewers overflow.
Yg-Salla, the Great Scaled One
A Chthonic spirit that like a cross between a squid and an alligator. Eyeless and about 20’ long, with four legs, iridescent scales, a wicked beak, and a mane of tentacles sprouting from it’s shoulders.
Powers: Tremor Sense - does not need light to see;
Natural Climber – can climb walls and most ceilings with ease
Harm Capacity – 14
Attacks – Savage Fury – claws and beak (3-harm close)
Armour – Scaly Hide: 2-Armour
Weaknesses –
- vulnerable to silver (+1 Harm and pierces Armour)
- True Name – calling out Yg-Salla’s true name while holding one of the Cultist’s ritual silver blades will allow you control the beast, or banish it back to it’s dimension.
The Sewers Location: maze (confuse and separate)
A bewildering mix of old and new construction, full of narrow passages and odd open areas. These tunnels fill steadily while it rains.
The Cavern Location: Crossroads (motivation: to bring people together)
Natural caves connect to the sewers. This is where the cult holds its rituals. Hidden here is a cache of silver ritual knives. A group of cultists will likely be performing a ecstatic ritual here when the hunters arrive, with loud drums, wild dancing and murmured incantations.
Cult of the Great Serpent Minion: Guardian (motivation: to bar the way or protect their master)
There are about 20 cultists that will slip into the tunnels over the course of the evening. Each is armed with a sliver ritual knife (Harm-2 close). They will either be searching for the beast, performing a ritual, or guarding the tunnels close the cavern
Chester Martin Bystander: Helper (motivation: to join the hunt)
Jessica’s Uncle. He is a debt collector and enforcer for a local gang. Violent and headstrong, but he does truly want to save his niece.
Jessica Martin Bystander: Victim (motivation: to place herself in danger)
An adventurous girl who loves the outdoors and exploring. She is quite brave, but her over-confidence often leads her into danger.
Police Chief Stan Burdock Bystander: Sceptic (motivation: to deny supernatural explanations)
He’s been chief for years. He has no belief in the supernatural and doesn’t want ‘amateurs’ anywhere near his investigation. He will start sending officers into the tunnel shortly after the rain starts.