KEEPER HILL
A Fantasy Core and
D&D 5th Edition Fantasy Ireland
© Jerry Harris 2016
(This link will take you to the
Fantasy Core Playtest Rules.)
Character Entry
Award 1 XP if the Characters volunteer for the mission.
While relaxing for the evening at the Drunken Shamrock, the Characters are interrupted by a panicked
farmer. “There’s undead comin’ out of
the woods, and taint even All Hallow’s Eve!”
This should get their attention, being the King’s Men and responsible
for the safety for the people of the county.
The Characters are lead on a short trip to a Kavanagh tenet
farmer. A mob has gathered and are
looking upon two dead Ghouls. Father Macgillycuddy
is already there and consecrating the corpses so they do not rise again. Nialls
Kavanagh is also in the process of being alerted. He’ll begin marshalling a watch to protect
his clan. The O’Grady’s will be warned
soon after. Connor O’Grady will attempt to control of the situation, which will
result in the usual shouting match between the two rival clans. (See the sample Fantasy Ireland Adventure and NPC’s for more details.)
The Ghouls were scouts who found a surface exit from the Dark Road out of
Keeper Hill. They had the misfortune of
running right into a Kavanagh raiding party who were out to steal O’Grady
cattle. Thankfully, the Ghouls were not
able to report back about finding the exit, but they won’t be the last scouts
sent out. The engagement was quick and
decisive for the raiders, who quickly sent out for help. A possible undead uprising gets everyone’s
attention.
Shortly after the Characters arrive, Sean Robins, the local Bard, arrives with a guest just as unwelcome
as the undead, a large Hobgoblin. Lady Nim told Billy to send an emissary to the Mortal World (the surface) to meet
with her emissary. Sean was then
alerted, and after being given an assortment of magical weapons, he
rendezvoused with Sarn, Billy’s
captain. Together, they present an odd
pair in front of a hostile crowd.
Sean will call for peace.
He might appreciate some help from the Characters, or the good Father
will have to intervene. With some
decorum established, Sean will ask Sarn to tell his tale. “Milesians, treachery has befallen the
Formorian clans of Keeper Hill! The
undead of the old Dwarf colony have been awoken by a foul traitor and
unleashed. They have overrun our clans
and are now searching out new victims.
In the name of my Lord William of the Goblin Clan of Keeper Hill, I
beseech thee for mercy and aid against this mutual foe of all who live.” (Milesians are humans and Formorians are
Humanoids, by the way.)
Well, this statement starts off a lively debate. The majority opinion is to let the Formorians
be exterminated. The humans will deal
with the threat as needed. Sean will
argue that if the Formorians all fall inside Keeper Hill, they’ll join the
undead and be even more formidable. Macgillycuddy
will opine, “I should prefer that the undead die in the Formorian hill than
upon our fields with our people fighting them.”
Sarn will stay quiet during the proceedings. It’s up to the Character to ask him questions
or insert themselves into the argument. Sarn
will tell them about the conference, the traitor, the undead being unleashed,
and that the Goblins and the other resident clan, the Grimlocks, are in
hiding. [This is why you should have
read the Background section.] He’ll omit
mentioning the magic mirror and just say that the traitor was caught in the
act.
It’s really up to the Players if they want to help at this
point, but if they don’t, the undead will return in force the next night and
attack the village. (This doesn’t happen
if the Characters go now.) Sean will
find other volunteers to give the magic weapons to. The Characters will have to find an opening
to the Dark Road
in order to get inside Keeper Hill.
Someone will see where the undead are coming from. The Characters can ambush them and get inside
that way. The Characters can recover the
magic weapons from the dead volunteers that they’ll find once there. (The volunteers will be Zombies at that
point. If Sean is with the group, he
should make them feel appropriately guilty.)
If Players decide to help, they’ll be doing so over the
objections of the crowd, who will question their loyalties, fighting for the
Humanoids rather defending the human lands.
They might wish to answer them, because they’re not going to be getting
heroes’ welcome when (if) they return, if they just walk off. Sarn will lead the group, along with Sean,
into the woods. Father Macgillycuddy
blesses the group (each member gets a one-time +2 bonus to any roll, whenever they wish to use it in this
adventure). The bard promises to help smooth
things over with the townsfolk on their behalf later.
On a more practical level, Sean starts unloading a bag with
gifts. He gives a +1 magic weapon to each member of the party, ranging from
longswords to warrior types, short swords or rapiers to roguish types, and
daggers to wizard types (whatever seems appropriate). He announces them as a gift from one of the
Ladies of the Enchanted Glade, Nim, to aid them on their dangerous quest. Sean will be reluctant to expound on why
she’s involved. Sarn will be bemused by
this revelation, but he won’t explain either (he knows about her and Billy).
[For future consideration, the Elves have so many magic
weapons they get them free with their breakfast cereal, but they seldom hand
them out to non-Fey persons. Certainly not without future
obligations. Sean Robbins found this
out the hard way with his gift from Nim.
Refusing to honor this unsaid agreement usually results in the weapon
turning into a papier-mâché simulation during their owner’s next fight.]
Sean also gives the group a little encouragement that
they’re doing the right thing. He quietly
tells them that resolving this situation would put a local Formorian lord in
their debt. “Favors are one of the most
valuable commodities one can possess in this land.” “Further,” he whispers to the group, “If
Billy is deposed at Keeper Hill, a more powerful, more fearsome Formorian lord
may take it into his head to move in. Tipperary County
Sarn steps into a dark thicket by himself for a moment and
then emerges to beckon the others. A
tunnel is revealed next to a large rock.
This is a Formorian-made opening to the surface that connects to the
Mine level, commonly used for raiding human farms for livestock. Knowing this location isn’t terribly useful,
as a magical ritual involving Formorian blood is required to open it from the
outside. Finding this exit from the
inside, without Goblin help, would require a DC 18 search and at least 2 turns
of searching. Sean bravely offers to stay
behind to rally the townsfolk and wishes the group luck. Into the bowels of the earth, they go.
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