While walking along a trail, the party should come upon a simple cabin nestled in the woods. This is the home of Marino, a hermit and woodsman living here in solitude (alternatively, the party may come upon the hermit laying traps). If they investigate, Marino will introduce himself, noting that he makes his living as a trapper, but that he always welcomes the company of guests. He will invite the PCs into his home and offer a meal and a bed. If they refuse the offer, he will continue to pressure them, insisting that the roads are dangerous at this time (though the final decision, of course, should rest with the players).
If the PCs accept Marino's offer, he will take them into his cabin, a simple space with a dining room, a kitchen, and separate rooms for him and any guests (he claims that he gets terribly lonely in the woods and welcomes any company he can get). There is an additional door in the cabin that he keeps locked at all times (he keeps the key under the pillow on his bed), saying that it leads to the pantry and there's no reason anyone should want to be down there; if anyone attempts to enter regardless, he will get nervous and attempt to throw them out of the house if they persist. There are a number of knives and other cutting implements on the walls, all well-polished and meticulously clean - Marino explains that he has to keep them at hand for skinning animals.
The PCs will find Marino a pleasant guest for dinner. He will serve them each a meal of stewed rabbit and ask questions about their lives and adventures, taking a keen interest in their stories. After the meal, he will direct them to the guest room, where there is a communal bed for them to sleep in.
Many PCs will likely be suspicious of Marino - and for good reason. In truth, the traps he lays aren't just for wildlife. In his years of seclusion from the world, he has begun to crave human flesh - and he intends to make a meal of the party!
Marino has slipped a magic herb into every stewpot but his own (a DC 25 Perception check is needed to discern a faint smell of lavender in the stew; alternatively, detect magic and similar spells will identify an Enchantment aura in the stew). Anyone who consumes it must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or fall into a deep slumber (effects as the sleep spell) 1d4 hours later; the effect lasts for 1d6+4 hours or until woken by force (either by taking damage or by being roused by another creature as an action). If anyone refuses to eat the stew, Marino insists that he cooked it himself and that it would be terribly impolite to refuse such a gracious offer.
Once the PCs are asleep, Marino will sneak into their room and drag them down to the "pantry" - really, a cellar where he hides and prepares the bodies of his victims. In addition to a few dead rabbits and phesants, there are currently three dead bodies hanging from hooks from the ceiling, with varying amounts of flesh missing from each. Brown mold grows on the walls; Marino uses it to keep the bodies cool enough so that they won't spoil. In addition to the bodies, the cellar also contains 30 GP in a small chest and a barrel of the same herbs used in the stew.
If combat occurs, Marino has the stats of a cultist, using a long knife to defend himself. However, he knows he won't be able to overpower a healthy and prepared adventurer on his own, and will attempt to escape through whatever means are possible if he finds himself outnumbered. If this happens, on his turn, Marino will throw sand into the eyes of any pursuers; they must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or gain the Blinded condition for one round. After this, Marino will escape through a secret door on the wall of the cellar (DC 12 Perception needed to find it) that opens into a long tunnel leading to an exit deeper in the woods.
Of course, he's sure to have left more traps in his wake, if the party finds the door and decides to pursue him...
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