This was an adventure idea I developed for a Dragonbane contest, but may be used in any fantasy RPG. The challenge was to create an adventure hook, present the conflict, but then provide a twist to present an interesting problem to the players.

The Call to Adventure

Footsore and weary, you come upon a palisade of rough-hewn timbers encroaching upon the road ahead. This must be the village of Gedby of which you had heard – a quiet village of hardworking people with a respectable tavern and clean, if spartan, lodgings in a rooming house. A pair of guards stand at the entrance. As you approach, you observe that their spears are clutched white-knuckled, their armor is ill-fitting and worn, and their eyes are more than wary – they’re filled with fear.

“D-do you bring a ransom demand for our Lord?” they stammer. “Why have you taken him? Is he safe?”

These men clearly have you confused for someone else. Once you clear up any misconception over who you are, you learn that their leader, Lord Jevel Slate, was abducted in the dark of night by the Knights of the White Dragon. The villagers are mystified as to the reason and are anxiously awaiting some kind of ransom demand.

The Village of Gedby
Population: 43
Leader: Lord Jevel Slate
Industry: Lumber. Agriculture (crops, goats, poultry).

The Challenge

A small band from the Knights of the White Dragon arrived yesterday in the village and were greeted and fêted by Lord Slate in his manor. They left soon after, well-fed and affable, but Lord Slate warned his people that he suspected something nefarious. The Knights’ words were fair but their eyes told another story. That night, despite an increased presence of guards at the gates, the Knights quietly entered the village under cover of darkness and kidnapped Lord Slate. It was only the bleating of Rumbuck, the Lord’s prized goat, that alerted the village to the kidnapping.

The Knights’ trail leads to some ruins east of Gedby. Lord Slate is currently being held there in a cell in the ruin’s lowest level. The villagers are desperate to effect the release of their Lord through any means, as they rely upon him to maintain their peace and safety within these dangerous lands.

The Twist

Lord Jevel Slate was recently possessed by an incorporeal demon spirit named Vrengethe, She has cast a glamor over the people of Gedby and is using them to excavate the nearby hills to uncover her bodily remains so that she may once more take her true form.

The Knights of the White Dragon have been hunting Vrengethe for weeks and only recently tracked her down to Gedby. They have captured Vrengethe, in the form of Lord Slate, thinking to destroy her once and for all. Once they had her, however, they discovered the demon placed Slate’s soul into a Soul Stone and hid it away. Not wishing to destroy Lord Slate, the Knights are debating what to do next, trying (without luck) to extract the knowledge from Vrengethe. The Spirit Stone holding Lord Slate’s soul has been implanted into the goat – Rumbuck.

The Ruins of the Knights of the White Dragon
A. Watch hall. Musty. Damp. Scattered refuse. One knight stands guard duty.
B. Horses. The Knights stable their horses here. A squire hobbling and feeding them.
C. Darkhall. Water-stained. Faded frescoes of Dragon Knights.
D. Former hall of worship. Now used by the Knights for sleep and discussion. Stairs behind the dais lead to a flooded storage room.
E. A rusty, but sturdy iron cell holds Vrengethe, still in the shape of Lord Slate. Guards keep watch over him.

Resolution

How can the PCs learn of the Knights’ true intentions? How can they rescue the real Lord Slate and defeat Vrengethe? How can they do so without harming Rumbuck?