Sourn Monastery Murder Mystery

A solitary monastery of gray stone, known for its fine library. Once supported by a thriving village it now stands alone, for the nearby houses are abandoned and left to the wilderness to reclaim. A grisly murder has occured only days before the PCs arrive. The monks speak of monsters or wildpeople, for who else could it be? Yet, the thick oak door was locked and barred for monsters, and wildmen should be loathe to approach the church even at night. In desperation, their abbot turn to the PCs for aid to find the culprit and permanently rid the region of this malice.

A guess-who scenario.

** VICTIM **
PHILIMUS, the Young - Librarian. Found dead two nights ago by JON in the scriptorium, shortly before vigils. Currently, the body is in the hospice.

If the corpse is examined, its intestines are missing. Further, Philimus holds a lock of black hair from the assailant in his clenched fist.

The library key is missing.

** LOCATIONS **
SCRIPTORIUM - Philimus' body was found in the scriptorium, blocking the only door out. It took JON great effort to push the door open. The door to the library is locked, the key is missing.

The glassless windows in the scriptorium are too narrow for a full-grown man to climb through.

In the garden by these windows, there are footprints among the sage and thyme.

LIBRARY - locked, no other way in or out except through the scriptorium. Contains a wealth of books, among them Methodius compiled list

** Persons at the Monastery **
ORFWAL - Abbot. Massive frame, gray hair, voice and manners that speak of a temper that is not always peaceful. Taking his religious tasks seriously, he has not been outside the monastery for several years but he has a secret ambition of leaving. Was alone in his room at the time of murder.

BERTHAL - Butterer. Tall, stern, with black hair. His chores occupies most of his day, and with the exceptions for occasional trips to the neighbouring village to collect produce he has spent all his time at the monastery since he arrived sixteen years ago. Though none of the other monks know, he is the father of MERGITH, currently staying in the guest dormitory; he was there with extra provisions at the time of murder.

HERVORIUS - Garden master & Pharmacist. Rotund, jovial and sympathetic. Far from a zealot, he dabbles in Alchemy for his own amusement. At the time of the murder, he and GIDDEN were in the hospice together to experiment with a philtre. Can tell of brother LITHFARN who died 3 months ago seemingly from a beast attack, with wounds resembling those of PHILIMUS.

GIDDENS - Choir leader. Excellent voice, contrasting with his a small and almost brittle build. Black hair, green eyes. Recently returned to the monastery from a pilgrimage to the monaster of St Aventine. Was with HERVORIUS in the hospice at the time of the murder.

VINNICK - First copyist. Blond, slender and beautiful. His handwriting is exquisite, as are his illuminations, but he is lazy and self-absorbed. Knows that MERGITH is a blood relative of one of the senior monks. Claims to have been sleeping at the time of the murder; was in fact by the guest dormitory to blackmail MERGITH into intercourse but hid as he heard that she was not alone.

MALDER - Novice, arrived just over three months ago from Whytesun monastery for a period of training. Young, small build, raven hair. Claims to have been sleeping by the time of the murder. Has library key (but will get rid of it as soon as he can, perhaps by framing someone else) in his robes, and a book of demon lore hidden in his mattress. He took it in hope of learning more about the demon that possesses him, if confronted he will lie and try to flee when he can.
Is possessed by a demon of Hunger; has to feed on human intestines each month to retain its human shape:
HUNGERER: 3HD, fights/acts as 6HD, piercing bone-fingers 1d8+piercing: 1/2 armour, TR 4 regenerates 1HD per round, demonic: +1 action, MV 8.

JON - Carpenter/Layman. Broad-shouldered, black hair. Came to the monastery with his son Jon-Jon after the death of LITHFARN to reinforce the gate and do maintenance work to fortify the ageing monastery, has been here since. Lives in the West dormitory/Workshop. Found the body of PHILIMUS and raised the alarm; had to apply all his strength to push the  door open since the body was immediately behind it.

JON-JON - Errand-boy. Brown-haired and brown-eyed child, showing a knack for wood-working. Was sleeping at the time of the murder. Friends with MERGITH, knows that she is afraid of someone in the monastery.

MERGITH - Seamstress. Young, yet hair turning white. Was taken in by the monks after her her mother and younger sister was killed a month ago, and has lived in the guest dormitory since. Her memories of the attack are vague, and she is beset by nightmares. She can tell that the attacker was alone and resembled a man, but with long fingers that pierced flesh like a spear. She can also tell that she believes the same creature attacked a group of hunters about two months ago; all of them were found dead and with their intestines removed. Is afraid of VINNICK, who knows one of the monks is her father and use this knowledge to try blackmail her into sexual favours. For this reason, she is planning to escape the monastery. Was in the guest dormitory with BERTHAL at the time of the murder.

** CLUE STRUCTURE **

 

12 remnants of the Witch King's rule

1 Crucifixion Field. A hundred of old wooden crosses, some standing Ts, others like spokes of a wheel attached to trees, yet others leaning against another or lying crashed to the ground. Yellow bones and torn cloth covers the soil, or sit stuck like grisly trophies on the ash-gray frames.
2 The vanished host. The helmets and harnesses of a great host lie scattered here, as if the soldiers wearing them disappeared into thin air. Thin vines run across the rusty metal like capillaries, the scent of their dark flowers mingling with soot and iron. During storms, lightning strikes here with alarming frequency.
3 Feasting crows. Wicker baskets containing human remains hang from leafless trees.  Crows leap from the branches or sit on the ground, too fat to fly. A small band of goblins are here, ransacking the baskets for anything of value (2d6, 1HD, spears 1d6+poison: save or 1d6 for 1d6 rounds). A tiny silver ring lies in one of the baskets.
4 The Bone construct. A mile-long trail of debris and broken vegetation leads west, ending in a mass of charred bones and corroded copper vaguely resembling a toppled giant. The spirits that once held the construct together have nearly disspated, but their sighs echo like a low drone. Each night the abomination briefly animates again, crawling towards Ys under great agony.
5 Witch-King's Highway. A black road runs like a cruel scar through the land. Built with the relentless trample of iron boots and dread sorcery as its architects, the road cuts unflinching through razed villages and excavated hillsides for miles without a bend. Locals and wildlife both react to those traveling the road with instinctive fear, and prefer not to cross it.
6 Watch tower. A dark watch-tower, its door sealed with lead. If opened, a wind of decay rushes out with a scream (save vs magic or all equipment is dented). Inside is a golden trumpet, which can produce a similar gust if blown.
7 Village of condemned. Circling a crude cross of gray timber are eight wooden houses, built in haste and - it seems from their placement - animosity. The houses live pale ogrish men (4HD, hide, wrought iron spears 1d10, size +1d4) and their hounds (1HD, bite 1d6, close). All of them have faces covered in runes of the Witch-King, and their eyes are gorged out and their tongues cut. An itinerant monk, brother Amfred, is held hostage in hope that his prayers will absolve them of their curse, but their recurrent fits of rage suggest that it is far from done.
8 Sinking village. A small village, abandoned for years, sinking into the swamp. Five ragged women (2HD, bows 1d6, spears 1d8) are resting among the houses, while tracking down a knight golem than killed their husbands to visit their revenge.
9 Abandoned fishing village. Rotting shacks, slowly falling into the gray ocean. Torn nets like spider web between the houses, over a ground yellow with fish bones. In the decrepit houses 4d6 silver-haired children live, soldiers from the Witch King's army (as 1/2HD wolves). Monstrous from war they move like a pack of dogs, raiding and killing whatever they find for food.
10 A sentry. A thin figure, wearing a badly damaged suit of armor (3HD, maille+helm, rusted scimitar: 1d8, fast, demon: 2 actions). Its head is covered by maille and an iron helm, but the silhouette seems too featureless for a human. When it spots the PCs, it lifts a bronze horn in signal, but no sound emerges. All PCs must make a magic save; on a miss their head rings with haunting trumpet blasts as soon as no other sound is heard, making perception checks HARD and making good sleep impossible.
11 Howling soldiers. A pack of howling soldiers (2d6, 4HD, wrought iron over pale flesh, black maces 1d8 + concussion, size +1d4).
12 Knight golem. A rusting knight golem (8HD, plate+helm, giant scimitar: 1d12+bleeding: 1 fatigue/round, demonic: double actions). It moves on all four with animal grace, and reacts to human presence with predatory instincts. Killing it produces a strong blast (1d8, reach 5) but anyone who survives it gains +1d4 SPI. Within it is a thick golden ring (+2 to climbing and jumping checks), that fuels it through some sorcery.

20 forest locations

Untamed wilderness is a staple in many campaigns, yet it is seldom present in encounters or hex keys. This became a problem in my home campaign, where the PCs kept running into people or things constructed by people an awful lot for being alone in the wilderness. So here are 20 locations that are just wilderness: no dead adventurers, no overgrown ruins, no elfin hunting parties - just things that could presumably be there regardless of civilization.

1. A suffocating blanket of spider web covers the land, with only the tallest firs piercing through it. Sounds become muffled and light dim, as countless broken threads fill the air.
2. Elk cemetery. The remains of a hundred elks that have come to die here, remarkably intact as if unmolested by scavengers
3. Hunting ground. Mangled remains of deer and beavers hang from the forking branches of old trees, their stench attracting flies and wasps in the millions.
4. A small pond, only a few feet across, where a large toad is being eaten alive by tadpoles.
5. The forest is silent here, and dead birds litter the ground.
6. For as far as the eye can see all trees stand dead, with lichens like cerements covering their gaunt frames.
7. A wild-fire must have raged here, for the pale birches are charred and broken and the damp ground black with soot. When the wind blows, burnt branches fall in clouds of ash silent save for the muffled thud at impact.
8. A large boulder lies fallen from the skies in the bog. Migrating birds flock around it; incapable of leaving its magnetism, they cackle in fear and confusion or turn to cannibalism as they starve.
9. Under the roots of this old alder lies countless broken skulls, as if the tree grew out of them.
10. Tumorous mushrooms cover the aspens here, draining their life. The air is thick with spores.
11. A dead Auroch. Birds are eating it clear to the bone, but the head remains intact and strangely life-like.
12. A giant wolf lies dead by a pond, apparently drowned. Banded leeches crawl over its body in a futile search for blood.
13. A dying elk lies by a wind-fell. Attacked and abandoned by a predator that took its hind-leg, it brays to its kin in panicked confusion.
14. The alder-trees are crawling with pale larvae that eat their leaves and spin silky cocoons from the naked branches.
15. Black vortices of swarming insects rise and fall over the bog. Anything yellow will attract thousands of them, laying eggs and stinging indiscriminately.
16. The trees stand skeletal under black cormorant nests on a ground made sterile by their droppings.
17. A sinewy vine is piercing the old trees here, slowly toppling them with its strangling grasp.
18. The corpse of a great wyrm, more than twenty paces long. Dead for long, its inherent toxicity have prevented it from being eaten and left it in a half-mummified state.
19. Animal mass-grave. In a crevice lies the bones of countless hares, squirrels and other small animals. All bones are split and the marrow removed, but there is no sign of tools.
20. The hundred-man oak. A gnarled tree, tall as a hundred men. A wyvern (HD7, L, bite 1d10+poison) lives among its branches, poisoning the proud tree with its saliva. Anyone touching the tree must save or be beset by hopelessness causing them to always act last.