Today I continue my solo campaign using the Scarlet Heroes rules blended with Basic Fantasy. Today we start "Shepherds of Pineford", an adventure for Basic Fantasy.
***
Nerin, Wizard, and Lufar and drinking in the town tavern when a boy comes in and starts handing around flyers. Lufar is attracted to anything written takes one from the boy.
"Its says they are seeking swordsmen to rid Pineford of a beast. Something is killing sheep and a priest."
"A blessing then," Wizard puts down his flagon, "to be rid of a troublesome priest."
Nerin hurumphs his response into his beer. Lufar reads on. "There is a reward offered to any that rid them of the beast."
"How far is Pineford?"
Lufar ponders for a moment. "A morning's walk I should say."
Nerin stands. "Lufar make up our packs."
Wizard is incredulous. "For a priest Nerin?"
"For the reward."
***
Entering Pineford from the east, they find its a mixed population of humans and halflings forming a farming community, the road is lined with small dwellings and walled fields. They soon come to the "Shepherds Hall", the largest building in the village, and make their way inside. They're greeted by a collection of elders who offer a reward of 150gp for the destruction of the threat to the village. They also offer food and board for the duration.
When Wizard asks where the enemy is, they shrug their shoulders. The leader lays it all out. "It seems to come at twilight to kill the sheep, at least, its shortly after that we find the animals."
"So we watch the animals at night. I presume you've set watch yourselves. What did you see."
"Nothing." The other elders nod. "The animals were found dead, ripped apart, the blood gone."
That night Erin and Wizard organised a patrolling watch of five villagers. The patrol would rove around the village and stock fields, while Erin and Wizard stand watch in Pinefords one and only inn.
The night passes the patrol do not see anything, but in the morning another sheep is dead. Our two heroes wander over to the site of the attack, made obviously by the bloody remains of a fleece. Wizard studies the ground and sees a bloody trail leading into the woods.
"It comes from the forest."
"Can you track it?" Nerin readies his spear.
"Yes."
The two heroes set off into the wood following the trail. After two hours they find ground soaked with blood, and a large writhing spiked plant sitting in the center over the body of a sheep!
"We have it!" Wizard smiles.
"Put it to sleep."
"It's a plant Nerin, it does not sleep."
Nerin grunts and drops his pack extracting a flask of oil. "I'll burn it." He tosses the oil towards the spiked vine. The flask explodes into flame behind the vine. It clearly feels the heat and starts moving slowly away from the flames.
Nerin pulls out his second and final flask, and lobs that at the plant, this time it engulfs the spiked plant, which starts wickedly throwing out lengths of spiked tendrils lashing at anything within reach, Nerin and wizard keep back.
The flames burn for quite some time but when the last lick of orange light snuffs out the vine continues to move, now dragging itself towards the heroes. The back up keep their distance.
Wizard starts shooting arrows into the largest vines, many arrows miss, but those that hit, cause it to bleed red sap. He down to his last couple before the things stops moving.
While Wizard rests, Nerin builds a fire over the remains and burns the thing to ashes. Before the fire dies completely back, they head back to the village and collect the reward.
Once they get home Nerin notes the room is well kept, apart from a small table being covered in papers, clearly Lufar has been doing some of his own research. Lufar's eyes light up when Nerin hands him his 12gp share.
Notes: There is more to this adventure another whole location, apparently the evil vine came from this evil location, but there is nothing in the scenario that directs you there, so nothing drew my PCs that way. I'll likely visit that site as part of another adventure.
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