A drop-in encounter for any town or village (or even a party wandering through a forest). Great for mid-session, mid-campaign, or as a palate cleanser. Mid-level parties (levels 4–8) are recommended.
The intent of this encounter is to test the morals of the player characters and help define their growth as heroes (or anti-heroes). Regardless of the outcome, this encounter is going to give a clearer picture of who the characters are, and their role in the world around them.
Check out “The Creature of Castrum Novum”, a horror adventure with moral quandaries that your players will love:
“The moans coming from an abandoned house are ignored by everyone… but they are very real, and very present.”
The hearth inside this home is kept eternally aflame, but the hearth is alive. This magical and alchemical creation is actually a man named Fortunato, turned into a living hearth by a warlock named Montressor.
The nearby town of Volterra was plagued by three Etruscan Stryx: vampires who feed off the pain of young men in the night. The women of the town, in an effort to save their husbands and sons, tricked Montressor into believing that a hermit named Fortunato was responsible for bringing the Etruscan Stryx to Volterra. Enraged after his own son was left a husk of his former self, Montressor lured Fortunato into an abandoned home, got him drunk, and transformed him into the living hearth.
Sensing his suffering when the hearth was ignited that night by Montressor, the Etruscan Stryx arrived at the home, where Montressor was able to lock them in a vault underground, kept fed and at bay for all eternity… as long as the hearth that was once Fortunato was ignited every night.
The Abandoned House
If you utilize this encounter in a town or village, the party will notice that every night some men carry wood to an abandoned house and light can be seen dancing through the covered windows.
If this encounter is used in a forest, the PCs see men pass by their camp at night carrying wood. If approached, the men tell the heroes that they must ignite Fortune’s Hearth. Being in a rush, they briefly explain that the hearth helps the town stay healthy, but no explanation is given as to how.
The Moans
Later that night, loud moans can be heard coming from the reportedly abandoned house. An investigation into the house (the doors and windows are locked and must be picked open) reveals an empty, unfurnished home with curtains covering the windows, and a stone hearth on the far end, burning through the night. The moans seem to be coming from the hearth, but it is unclear how the sounds are being made, since it appears to be a normal hearth.
Magical detection may reveal a powerful curse is contained in the hearth.
A deeper search of the home reveals a hidden vault in the basement:
Asking local townsfolk about the moans allows the PCs to learn the following:
“The hearth sings to keep disease-spreading rodents and insects away from the town of Volterra.”
“Fortunato has made the ultimate sacrifice for our wellbeing.”
“Etruscan Stryx will never plague the town of Volterra again.”
The Revelation
Approaching Giancarlo and asking about the hearth grants the PCs the knowledge of the hearth’s origin, as Giancarlo does not hesitate to reveal its true origin and purpose.
He does not willingly give the PCs the key to the vault, but they can try to convince him. If they are able to get the key and open the vault, they find the Etruscan Stryx in a pleasure-induced trance within. They are not active, but they are alive. One of them seeks freedom, and manages to whisper and reveal two ways to release them:
Keep the hearth from igniting one night and leave the vault doors open.
Completely destroy the hearth to release the curse.
The Decision
With the revelations made, the PCs have a choice to make.
This option makes the Etruscan Stryx thirst for pain and suffering until they are released from the vault and allowed to feed. Fortunato lives forever as a hearth, unable to move or speak, and locals refuse to destroy him. If the Etruscan Stryx are released, the town eventually loses all its men and the women flee, leaving behind a ghost town.
Fortunato is taken out of his misery, but the Etruscan Stryx are in the same position as above. If they are released, the same outcome befalls the town of Volterra. If they are not released, they eventually escape on their own, leading to the same outcome, just later in time.
This could lead to a longer quest, but the results of saving Fortunato are the same as the first two options regardless. Additionally, Fortunato seeks out Montressor to exact revenge on his captor.
The town continues to thrive, and Fortunato continues to suffer for all eternity. The Etruscan Stryx are trapped for eternity as well.
Releasing the Etruscan Stryx unleashes hell on earth, and the PCs must try to kill the vampires once and for all. This would be a very difficult battle, and Fortunato’s dilemma still remains. The heroes would then have to decide what to do with the living hearth.
The Aftermath
The town of Volterra is destroyed. Fortunato eventually finds himself free of his prison, but seeks vengeance on his oppressor, and maybe even on the PCs if they left him to suffer as a hearth.
May unleash the spirit of Fortunato upon the town and maybe even the PCs themselves.
Leads to a quest for vengeance from Fortunato, and the PCs make an ally. The town, however, is a different story.
Leads to the eternal suffering of an innocent man, but the fortune of hundreds in the town. However, Montressor may have gained a thirst for power and used this torture method on others, and may even turn an ally or friend of the PCs into a living hearth in the future…
Spares the town of the plague and may even save Fortunato. However, the minds of all involved have been corrupted and Montressor returns to find an excuse to entrap others, with full support of the townsfolk. This leads to a dark fate for the entire region, and implications for the future of the party’s friends and loved ones.
If you liked this encounter, check out “The Creature of Castrum Novum”, an adventure you can drop in to any setting!
