Friday Encounter: How the Korred Stole Midwinter

Art by Boudicca

This encounter is best suited for when the PCs are on the road, though it could be used if they happen to be in a small town close to a mountainous area for an extended period of time. If you are keeping track of in-game time, it should be used in the winter, preferrably in the days leading up to an important winter holiday (especially one that celebrates values of giving and generosity). In the Lunar Lands, this would be Midwinter, which takes place on the winter solstice, but feel free to adjust the details to fit your setting.

The encounter is, of course, a homage to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Keep in mind that familiarity with the story may make the optimal solution to the scenario too obvious - if you think this will be a problem, you may want to play down the Seuss references at your discretion.

Background

Midwinter is an important holiday across the land, with almost every community having their own traditions. During the harsh winter months, and the longest night of the year, such celebrations bolster morale and keep families together when everyone is holed up inside and the snow blankets the fields. But sometimes, these traditions hold more practical purposes. As one of the days where the boundaries between this world and realms beyond is weakened, Midwinter provides opportunities for magic to creep into everyday life - and not always for the better. To that end, some holiday rituals are practiced to repel otherworldly influence and protect people against its threats.

For the village of Werdorf, this is especially important. The village sits at the foot of the imposing Mount Fladenbrot, at the top of which dwells Geisel, a korred. This fey spirit would like nothing better than to terrorize the town and work mischief, but every Midwinter, the townspeople hold a great ceremony to keep him at bay for the next year. This has only come to harden Geisel's heart and make him desire revenge on the town below, but thanks to the spell, he is unable to enter the village, save for a short window of time toward the year's end before the next ceremony can be completed.

That is, until he got a terrible idea. If he was to disrupt the ceremony, he would be able to wreak havoc all he pleased. And when strangers come to town, he sees just the opportunity he needs...

The Encounter

Ideally, the party should arrive in Werdorf about two or three days prior to Midwinter. There, they will discover the townspeople hard at work decorating for the occasion, hanging greens and baubles from the doorways and rooftops and erecting a towering fir in the town square. Notably, the fence that surrounds the village is covered in iron horseshoes. If they ask around, they will be directed to Boris, the town headman, who can explain the story:

As long as everyone has known, Geisel the korred has dwelled in the caverns of Mount Fladenbrot, and his power waxes as the nights grow longer and the year grows to a close. Long ago, the greedy creature entered the town one Midwinter, where he stole all of its food and wealth, set the animals loose, and caused the crops to fail. Ever since, the townspeople hold a great feast on Midwinter, sacrificing a wether to the god Torvald to ensure the village stays warded against him for another year. The horseshoes on the fences are to turn away the fair folk so that Geisel doesn't interfere as the people prepare for the celebrations. No one knows why Geisel has such spite for the townspeople; perhaps his heart is simply too full of malice.

Boris will happily invite the PCs to participate in the ceremony, and directs them to the inn if they need a place to stay until the time comes. In the inn, they will run into Thurl, a deep-voiced local minstrel who can be found entertaining a crowd of children by performing a song cursing Geisel with many colorful insults. If the PCs are in need of healing, Boris can also point them toward Theo Zoice, the town doctor, who can mend their wounds.

If the PCs stay in Werdorf - ideally over the next day - they will hear the grinding of wheels against the road. Investigating the noise, they will find an old man in a shabby, patched cloak, hobbling along at the side of a donkey pulling a cart just outside the fence. The man claims to be an itinerant tinker, but one who has fallen upon hard times, and he barely has enough ore to sustain his craft. He points to one of the horseshoes along the fence and asks if he can have it to melt down (he will not touch it himself, insisting it be placed in his cart).

The "tinker" is, of course, Geisel in disguise, and the "donkey" is really his pet blink dog. The two are out looking to compromise the ward on the village so that he can slip in on the night of Midwinter's Eve and steal the food and decorations needed for the feast. If the PCs show suspicion, Geisel will firmly deny any knowledge of the story and implore them to have mercy on a poor man. He will thank them greatly for any aid they provide and continue down the road.

If Boris learns of the missing horseshoe, he will be aghast, fearing for the safety of his people (it has been generations since their traditions began, and he has never seen Geisel attack anyone, but he doesn't want to take his chances). If he sees that the PCs look armed or capable, he will implore they storm Mount Fladenbrot and deal with the korred before anyone comes to harm!

Further Developments

If the horseshoe was removed from the fence, Geisel and his blink dog will descend on the village at midnight on Midwinter's Eve, stealing the food for the feast and any garlands and ornaments from the town, even carrying away the tree in the town square. When the townspeople discover the theft the next day, Boris will demand the PCs take up arms against Geisel in retaliation - if the rituals won't work, the korred must be expelled by force!

Should the party attack Geisel's home with open hostility, he will harry them from the top of the mountain, throwing rocks at them and sending his blink dog to attack them as they ascend the slopes. If the PCs make it to the top of the mountain, he has two ropes woven from his hair that are placed by the entrance to his cave, and a third inside, and will command them to ensnare any intruders while he attacks them. If he is dispatched, the party can find a hoard of 3d10x10 GP's worth of gold and jewels, plus a hat of disguise, within his lair.

If, on the other hand, the party comes without weapons drawn, or if they showed him an act of generosity (for instance, offering money or resources of their own, rather than the horseshoe, when he met them in disguise), the korred will be more friendly. He will relate that he always felt left out of the town's Midwinter celebrations and just wanted to be a part of them - but, of course, the fair folk have very different ideas of celebration than humans, and the devastation he wreaked on the town was merely his way of getting in the holiday spirit. Ever since then, however, he grew bitter from how he was spurned by the townspeople and sought revenge.

If the PCs can convince Geisel to leave the village in peace and for Boris to let him in on Midwinter to share in the celebration, peace will be made between the korred and the people of Werdorf. He will join in the feast and even perform the sacrifice of the wether. At the end of the night, due to the spell, he will be forced to return to his mountain for the next year, but he wouldn't want to deny the people of their merriment, and looks forward to joining in again next year. Before he leaves, however, he will give out gifts for everyone in the town, including the PCs.

Each PC should receive a magic item suited to their character and class (use your judgment; you know your players better than I do). Furthermore, the party will have made an ally of Geisel, and he will be willing to lend his aid if called upon in the future.