Under the surface

An adventure for Gemini by Magnus Sjöström

English translation by J.A. „Heretic“ Hagen

This adventure for Gemini is designed for three or more players. There are situations in the adventure which can
be difficult to solve for inexperienced role-players, but the Narrator can easily reduce the „threat factor“ if he
wishes it by diminishing the number of opponents or by reducing the difficulty levels for attribute rolls.
It may seem that there are unnecessarily many possibilities for fights in this episode, but there are always
methods to get around the difficulties without using force. If the characters prefer to use persuasion and
argumentation then they will never have to fight.
In certain cases they may even get support from Non-Player-Characters (NPCs) to vanquish the Darkness. The
NPCs which are most likely to appear are described in the relevant section, and not in a section before. In that
adventure they are detailed in a somehow different way than normal, only with their most remarkable qualities
and with a more general description of their qualities and capacities. That does not mean to infringe the average
values. Feel free to write us and tell us what you think about that way to describe Narrator characters. As
Narrator you should always give the characters the possibility to get out of problems without the use of force.

Geographical setting
Anywhere in the province Sein lies the inconspicuous village Grayham surrounded by a dense pine forest. The
village consists of fifty smaller wooden cottages and three bigger cottage made of bricks. Directly in the north
of the village lies on a height the small fortress which gave the name to the village, Grayburgh1. Grayburgh was
for along time the half-year-castle for the nobility and so it remained even after the church started to rule the
province, but after the uprising of the nobles it took the domain of the noble family which owned the castle.
If one goes westwards from the village, through the rampant forest, one reaches after a few kilometres a hill on
which a number of big flat rocks lie like a sacrifice altar. The people call that place Spearslope and it served for
a long time as a place for executions.
Now it is more or less forgotten and few people have visited it in the current decade. East of Grayham is a lake
with musty and oozy water. This lake has its own myth dealing with its past. ore about that lateron.
One comes to and for the village on the way that extends southward from the village, through the forest and over
the hills. (You as Narrator can place that adventure a in the selected churchly province, if you want, or place it in
the province you desire.)

Background
In the beautiful fortification lives since almost a decade a group of monks. They have withdrawn to this remote
place to contemplate the One’s teachings. The abbot of the monastery, Berius, considered it his foremost duty to
find a means for the fight against the Darkness, which now stands at the world’s doorstep on the way to enslave
mankind. He sought in all the scriptures which were accessible, but the only result was an increasing paranoia, a
total feeling that the Darkness was impossible to stop and that there was nothing to be done except to find a
sacred place to escape to.
A place like that was however not to find and Berius began to see all over indications of the Darkness in the
monastery’s vicinity, presumably in Grayham. The nice and just villagers had surely begun to fall for the
Darkness and it did not seem to be more than a question of time before the first heretics would appear even
eventually in his own flock! Soon Berius saw the Darkness even everywhere and his behaviour began slowly to
change.
He ordered the monks of the monastery to minimize their contact with the villagers. His morning sermon began
in a higher degree to deal with the curses that would hit those who did not follow the godfearing way. Slowly
but surely the whole monastery shifted towards a suspicious attitude and suspicion began to spread among the
brethren. Was that the motive to believe that if the Darkness was already amidst them, how should they know
whom to trust in that case?
The abbot was overjoyed the day he saw an escort of churchmen approaching the portal of the fortification. In
front of the men who were on their way to the monastery walked an inquisitor! In the heart of the abbot was
born a desire if the inquisitor would maybe able to bring some security and purification to that godforsaken
place.
The inquisitor presented himself as Grevorius and explained that he had been hunting an extremely zealous
heretic for a long time. His traces had lead them to Grayham and Grayburgh, but the long journey had been
1
Literally the names mean „gray village“ and „gray castle“ in Swedish.

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tiresome and they needed a place to rest, to fill their food supplies and for spiritual serenity. The abbot did not
hesitate to present his theory about the heretics in the village to the inquisitor, who at first did not pay attention
in particular.
Shortly after the inquisitor and his entourage came to Grayburgh weird things started to happen, and now it is
only a question of time before the whole village will be in danger...

Evil in the forest lake

The lake in the West of Grayham is a way to the Darkness, a door between the human realm and the eternal evil.
That was not always so, but in that times becomes the human superstition about the Darkness exactly what
teases the evil to manifest itself. Most people of the district know the tale about the little forest lake, even if the
history is going lost, and perhaps it was exactly that what has given the lake its power. In Gemini’s world the
believe indeed can displace mountains!

The tale of the drowned girl

There is a local tale that the lake was fresh and clear for a long time. If one was sick and went into the water and
swam to the other side he could come out as a healthy and well person. The illness sinks into the deep and never
befell the person again.
The tale tells that once a nobleman lived together with his wife in the castle but he had a secret relation with the
daughter of one of the woodcutters in the forest. The girl told the nobleman one day that she was pregnant, so he
asked her for a rendezvous at the lake in the same night. He assured her that he wanted nothing else than to hold
her and her baby, but when she came to the lake that night he knocked her unconscious and drowned her in the
water.
After that the surface of the previously clear spring blackened and it remained muddy and stinking. It is said that
all illnesses who had sunk into the depth of the lake now came up to the surface.
From that point on the tale differs; some assert that the nobleman was found floating in the lake with an
expression of horror on his face, others affirm that he never was seen again, but that the only thing that was
found were wet traces of female feet in his bedroom.
It may have been as one wishes. Somehow the people avoid to go near the lake unnecessarily, and the hunters
who pass the water avoid to look into that water because of fear to see the dead girl looking back to them form
the deep.

Evil awakes
The lake’s evil influence has remained in its closest vicinity till now. Till now. Recently arrived a group of the
churchmen at the monastery in the hills. One of them was the inquisitor Grevorius, entirely unaware of the fact
that he was a direct descendant of the pregnant peasant girl in the musty water of the lake and that within him he
bears a seed of the Darkness which the lake may wake to life. Below the surface of the water cry the girl and her
unborn child for vengeance, and unpleasant affairs begin to happen in the vicinity of the village. Grevorius has
awoken the sword which comes to raise against him and finally cause his death.

The lake’s power

The lake in the forest is actually a whole dark relic, the water of which corrupts and enslaves they who drink of
it and turns her minds to dark images of what they once were. The dirty and evil-smelling water-surface is a
portal a human mind can fall through to find itself eye in eye with the Darkness...
Those who already fell for the Darkness, or those who raised higher above that level, can fell the lake’s power
like a musty chill in its vicinity.
A person with a Nature under -25 or over +25 can discover that the lake works as a dark relic if he or she come
closer than 15 meters. Persons with a Nature of higher than +30 or lower than -30 feel the lake’s presence in the
whole forest and can detect the rough direction with a difficult MEN-roll.
Presently next to the lake the rest from a couple of bony spruces forms a natural cave which is inhabited by a
wolverine. The wolverine is a really frightening beast which is surely blood-thirsty and evil. The wolverine who
lives at the lake has been corrupted by the Darkness during a long time and is precisely so horrifying as the
myths claim.
In this adventure the wolverine becomes a horrible instrument in the hands of the Darkness’ herald Arkain Baal.

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What happened till now
Three weeks ago inquisitor Grevorius sent six of his men to comb the monastery’s surroundings. They never
returned. When they did not return after a couple of days he himself with the remaining twelve soldiers went to
see what could have happened to them. The only trace that he found was what got to have been their camp for
the night, close to the little lake. There was no sign of a fight, which led him to the erroneous deduction that if
they had not disappeared there if they had not been probably assaulted in another place while coming back to
their night camp.
After further investigations Grevorius found the Spearslope and on the big stone blocks traces of dried blood
were found. Now he was sure that his men had been assaulted by a group of heretics which must conceal
themselves either in the village or near the village.
Probably they held their dark masses in places there and he saw it as his task to find them and to disable them.
He sent instantly one of his knights with a message to the nearest town, to report that to his superior. Afterwards
he began to plan his play.

Behind the scenes

The soldiers did not disappear on the Spearslope but at the lake. They laid down to sleep at the lake and while
they slept the lake’s influence, increased by the black herald Arkain crept into their minds, so that they at
daybreak were not able to resist to drink of it. After that they were in the hands of Darkness. The ground around
the beautiful execution place is full of cavities and bearcaves, many of them big enough for a group to hide in.
The heretics plan to use the power of Darkness they found in the lake, found through the tale of the drowned
girl, to vanquish their pursuers.
The blood at the Spearslope however comes from a dark ritual executed by Arkain who was firstly hunted by the
inquisitor and then came to that region. Arkain’s first aim is now to defeat Grevorius and he plans to do that
with the help of those of his men which he has enslaved just before.

The characters
If the player characters have any affiliation to the Church then this is reason enough to send them to Greyham to
investigate if it is true what the inquisitor reported. If they do not have any relation with the Church they may be
hired to escort a trader and his goods to that district which is sufficiently remote to be haunted by bandits.
Disregarding of that they come to the little village exactly in time to become either heroes or villains.
The course of action of the adventure depends to a great degree on the characters and the role they choose to
take in the notable and terrible story which takes place in the little village of Grayham.

Course of action and overview

The actions are given here in chronological order.
Each action is described then to greater detail in the section which you find in the overview. That should make it
easier to get a look at all the possibilities which may appear during the play. The actions are closely ted to the
places which the characters can investigate and which can be found in the section Places at the end of the
adventure. This here is the only complete overview of the adventure’s action. Although the course of action is
directed quite strictly you must be quite flexible because the action is often independent of the fact that the
characters are present. On the other hand, the characters will presumably investigate many places on their own
and what will happen then is detailed in the description of the places. But this is far from covering all the
thinkable possibilities.

Night 1
The characters arrive at Greyham in the evening. Disregarding if they work for the Church or if they are there
for another reason they must take accommodation in the inn. If they are employed by the Church and wonder
why they cannot reside in the monastery, the explanation may be that there is not enough room for them in the
monastery at the moment (an obvious lie if one thinks of the fact that it is a former fortification which enough
space. The real reason is of course that the abbot does not believe that they really are what they claim to be;
instead he believes them to be in the service of the Darkness. At night the village idiot Helmut sees figures
which seem to rise from the water of the lake. Confer A Fool talks.

Day 2
In the morning the characters can see Helmut standing in the middle of the market-place and tell anyone that
„the watermen“ appeared in the forest during the night. The villagers do not care about that but treat him as if he

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were a child with a vivid imagination. If the characters question him about the whole thing they can hear what
he has seen. Later that day they meet mater Brytner who is taking his pregnant woman to the healer of the
village. The time has come and she experiences pains. Brytner cannot conceal his happiness and if the characters
offer their help to carry his wife to the healer’s cottage, he is very thankful towards them while he tells them that
this is his third child.
If the characters want to visit the monastery during the day, go to the section The monastery. If they want to
investigate what Helmut told, proceed with the section The lake.
In the afternoon one can hear a cry from the healer’s cabin, and when the day is going to end, the birth still has
not ended.

Night 2
In the night persons with a good hearing wake up by a terrible cry coming from the healer’s cabin. F the players
wake up and rush to the place, they see how Mrs. Brytner in death’s spasms gives birth to her third child, a
grotesquely misshapen boy. More about that in the section The third son.

Day 3
Rumour of the distasteful happening reaches the monastery during the night, and it does not take the abbot and
the inquisitor a long time to come to the conclusion that this obviously has to do with heretics in the family
Brytner. Immediately they send six men to fetch them to the monastery, where they burn them if no-one
intervenes. More about that in the paragraph Burn, heretic, burn.

Night 3
During the night the enslaved soldiers come to Atar Bevin’s cottage. The dogs bark frenetically while they drag
the man away to the lake where they force him to drink of the muddy water. If the characters for any reason
have the possibility to interfere to stop that go the paragraph The enslaved ones wander.

Day 4
In the morning arrives the message of what has happened during the night at the characters if they have not
witnessed them personally. They may then know that the dog-breeder has disappeared during the night and that
there are conspicuous signs of a fight in his house.
Additionally a hunter of the district has not returned from his hunting tour and many people in the village talk
and whisper about what can have happened to the man. If they go to Bevin’s cottage proceed with the paragraph
Bevin’s cottage. The hunter became victim of the heretics as went to the Spearslope where he accidentally
stumbled in their camp. There is nothing if the characters decide to search there, but if they for whatever motive
choose to investigate the old execution place, then go to Spearslope.

Night 4
The dark power which lures in the lake has for a long time influenced the wolverine which lives there under its
influence. Arkain sees a chance to shatter this way the men of the Church and sends the wolverine to the
monastery where it attacks the abbot in the night who takes his evening bath. The abbot is torn to pieces before
he even understands what is going on and found by the inquisitor directly after midnight. This one draws the
conclusion that the heretics are now also in the monastery and that the sole right thing is to tear the monks out of
her beds to count them and to find out who has committed the heinous deed. The result of his harsh
„interrogation“ is that three totally innocent monks confess the crime and will burn together in the evening.

Day 5
The inquisitor’s look fixes on the village, where he finds a number of suspect heretics. He decides to interrogate
the village idiot Helmut who acts as a notable villain. If the characters have a good relation with the inquisitor
they can be allowed to see the abbot’s body and the scene of the murder, if they ask. The paragraph’s title is The
bathing pod –horror’s abode.
If the inquisitor does not encounter any problem to take Helmut with him for an interrogation, he will do so
during the day but all which he says is that he has seen the watermen at the lake. Nevertheless he will be
imprisoned in the monastery to be interrogated again.
In the afternoon the heretics are detected by two hunters detected when they are near the lake. Scared by their
appearance the hunters run to the village and tell what they have seen. If the characters are fast enough to go to
the lake they face the heretics in a bloody confrontation. If they wait for the inquisitor’s men they will arrive
after the heretics have already withdrawn to the Spearslope. If they have the ability of tracking they can follow
the heretics to their camp and attack them together with the inquisitor and his soldiers. If the heretics are

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defeated here, the inquisitor believes that the whole affair is solved and he declares that his escort leaves already
the next day. He offers the characters to join his escort if they want. But Arkain and the inquisitor’s soldiers will
not be there.

Night 5
In the night the heretics attack the loneliest cottage of the village and attempt to take as many inhabitants as
possible with them to the water, and simultaneously the wolverine is sent again to the monastery. There it kills
three of the inquisitor’s sleeping soldiers. If the characters sleep in the village then read the passage Fight
against the fallen ones. If they contrarily decided to make company with the inquisitor in the monastery then go
to Wolverine, wolverine!

Day 6
The inquisitor becomes mad when he finds the dead soldiers and as he hears of the nightly happening in the
village he decides to take his remaining soldiers and to examine the lake closer. He decides to take with him all
the men capable of fighting which he can find and the characters are on the top of his list. He makes it clear that
he expects their full co-operation before they go to the lake. Right at the lake the fallen ones are waiting for them
for the final confrontation. Cf. Confrontation.
As the inquisitor goes back to the monastery after the fight, a last surprise awaits him, and the characters who
are probably following him up there may have the chance to prove themselves in a final combat. Go to Revenge
at last.
Thereafter the only thing left to do is to give an account to solve the threads in What happens then.

The story begins

Through the tight spruce forest shines a light coming from a cottage window. It is late and you are tired to walk
against the whipping wind and the cold rain. A sign at the side of the road announces that you are now coming
to Grayham – 143 inhabitants. The first impression tells you that Grayham lives up to its name. The village
consists of mainly of timber cottages but with a few exceptions. The only buildings which differ from the
majority are three stone houses which are situated side by side at the village square.
The biggest one of them has a wooden sign hanging from the front. It says “The third man – inn and tavern” in
colourful letters.
In the cold autumn night that is a coveted thing with warm food and a dry bed. Then you become aware of the
dark shadow which lies over Grayham. When the glances wander upward you see the fortress Grayburgh.
Formerly a castle for the nobility’s hunting voyages, it is now a monastery for ascetic monks who have
withdrawn to this bleak place to study the teachings of the One. There is something heavy and dejected over the
One’s abode in this night.

The characters arrive at Grayham in the evening. The main street, if it can be labelled as such, is abandoned
with exception of a pregnant woman and her husband (master Brytner) who are closing the window hatches of
their house. It rains and a cold wind blows and the simple inn looks as an inviting foundation. Grayham appears
against the sky as a prickly shape of stone, high in the mountains which raise beyond the village. As the
Narrator, you should make the characters comprehend at first that it is not advisable to go to the monastery
under this circumstances if they should want to rest there for the night. Their horses are tired, the wind and the
rain make the way through the rocks treacherously. The little light which the eclipsed sun emits is shut out by
massive rain clouds. Moreover, it is not even sure that they make it to the monastery because they have never
been here. If they nevertheless go to the monastery at that hour, then proceed with the paragraph The monastery.

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The Third Man
The first thing you notice when you make the first step into the inn’s dining-room is the warmth, directly
followed by the smell of food which enters your nostrils. The room you come in is big and square-shaped, with
an open fireplace at the opposite wall.
A lone man is sitting at a desk close to the counter. The man is dressed in rags of indefinite colours and seems to
be drunk. Above the mantelpiece hangs a portrait of a stern man dressed in fine, although old-fashioned clothes.
He looks like one of the nobles which in former times ruled the province – probably one of them who
participated in the sovereign’s uprising. What amazes you is that his portrait is still hanging there. During the
time in which you were approximately sitting there, a man has sneaked behind the counter without making a
sound. He is tall and incredibly thin. He has a hooked nose and a high hairline. He says with a rasping voice:
“Welcome in the Third Man.”

In the tavern there is only another man besides “Bone” and that is the village idiot Helmut. He sits and totters as
if he is quite drunk, and it fits that he even drools as if he was paid for it.
If the characters appears to be well-off, or if the seem to be churchmen they will be served with utmost kindness
and speed. They will be also have to pay more expensive prices for everything they buy. On the contrary, if the
look like common travellers without much money they will be treated somehow less kindly. On the other hand,
they will not be exposed to “Bone’s” creative pricesetting.
The tavern has four single rooms, two double-rooms and two swabs for the really poor. The rooms all have
plain furniture but they are warm and tidy and on an evening like that even the plainest room feels like a piece of
heaven.
There is a warm bath if someone wants to take one but that costs extra. For horses there are places in the stable
and if one is fanatically careful with one’s coins, one can sleep in the attic almost for free.

Conversation with Helmut

If one goes to Helmut and begins a conversation with him, one realizes soon that he is not the brightest. Even in
his brightest moment Helmut is half crazy and
moreover he is absolutely drunk now and half in the realm of dreams, so that it is almost impossible to make him
understand the most basic questions one could think of asking him.

Conversation with “Bone”

Bone is tired and a little petulant, but he answers the questions he is asked. He can tell that Helmut has been mad
for all of his life and after his father died three years ago he has been drunk most of the time.
He can also tell that the village does have had little contact with the monastery in the last time and that they
have been short of hunting bag ultimately (he is unaware of the fact that the heretics at the Spearslope plunder
the hunter’s traps in the nights). After the characters have ordered their rooms or their food he throws out
Helmut and closes the door of the tavern. Then he wishes a good night and disappears.

The picture
The picture shows the inquisitor’s forefather and an attentive character can recognize the inquisitor (if they have
already met him). If they have additionally heard the tale of the drowned girl they may make up the link to the
inquisitor. If they understand that this is the key to the action, then there is a good chance that they try to meet
him, maybe also to kill him. That will solve some problems, however that may cause considerable conflicts with
the church in the future.

A fool talks
In the morning after the character’s arrival they are awoken by Helmut standing on the market-place in front of
the tavern and yelling inconceivable stuff. The villagers don not pay him attention and no-one seems to care
what he prattles.
If the characters are of the inquisitive kind and if they listen accurately they can hear him shout that he has
indeed “seen the watermen in the forest”. A interrogation of Helmut results in the following information:
I have seen them! They were all watery, watery like the water. Just that, and I do not want to have the water! I
cannot remember but I have seem them before, indeed before they wore uniforms! Churchly ale indeed, can one
really drink that there what they drink?... I believe that there is no beast there... One can hope that there is no
more left to drink... ale can be expensive... and with a sword! They must have been on the hunt for heretics!

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In the previous night Helmut wandered drunken through the forest and arrived finally at the lake. He fell asleep
in an bush, but was awoken by the sound of a metallic chink. As he looked up, he saw the six soldiers who had
fallen for the lake’s influence when they came to drink of the dark water. He recognized their uniforms and
understood that they had something to do with the monastery. The he saw them walking into the darkness of the
forest while he himself began to sway backwards to the village. He can tell the characters where the lake is if
they ask him that.

The third son

In the second night the third son of the family Brytner is born and the mother deceases in the cot. As if that was
not tragical enough by itself , the child is additionally badly misshapen. Its skeleton seems to be hooked and the
head is misshapen. Master Brytner becomes desperate about the loss of his wife and collapses on the floor of the
healer’s hut. The child lies in a cradle close to a window looking to the forest. While master Brytner is covering
the body of his wife with a blanket to bury her the next day, the baby disappears from the cradle.
That is the deed of the wolverine living at the lake which during its nightly hunt prowls in the vicinity of the
village. In a split second it leaps into the room, kills the child and jumps through the window with its prey in the
fangs. When the healer then comes in to look after the little one, he discovers only the empty cradle with blood-
stained blankets below the open window. This happening will have the consequence that the inquisitor will
accuse master Brytner and his son of heresy; more about that in Burn, heretic, burn.

If the characters come rushing to the healer’s cabin when they hear the dying mother’s scream they will enter the
healer’s cabin at the time the wolverine makes its visit.
The characters then can hear what happens in the adjacent room (very difficult) and can run in to see the beast
leaping through the window with the child in the jaws. To pursue it in the dark of the night turns out to be
impossible but if the characters witness the disappearance of the child then they have a possibility to convince
the inquisitor of the innocence of the family Brytner.

Burn, heretic, burn!

N the morning of the third day one of the inquisitor’s men who visits the village to buy food hears tales about
the tragic happening of the previous night.
He reports that to the inquisitor who at once draws over-hasty deductions. The inquisitor deducts that the
deformed child is the result of worshipping the Darkness in the family Brytner and the One’s punishment for the
sins. He believes also that the disappearance means a sacrifice to the Darkness.
He also concludes that the healer in the village can be concerned and that it is best to call even him for an
interrogation. The inquisitor himself rides down to the village, accompanied by ten soldiers; there with drags out
of their house master Brytner and his two sons (thirteen and fifteen years old) with force. He does the same with
the healer and his wife; after that he talks with a loud voice on the market place in front of the tavern to the
inhabitants of the village.

Villagers! I come to you with a sinister message this morning, a message which I have hoped for the longest
time to avoid. Heretics will soon walk among you. Heretics, friends of the Darkness, reprobated ones, there are
many names for those who have chosen to differ form the One’s teachings! They hide their track well but
nothing escapes the sharp eyes of the inquisition. I have found convincing proofs that this family (he points with
his hand in the direction of the captives) worships the Darkness and that they have not hesitated to commit the
most loathsome of all crimes: a child sacrifice! It is my intention to take those sinners to the interrogation so
that they will recognize their crimes and I will not permit to let the case rest until they reveal who else in this
village belongs to the Darkness’ errands. May the One be with you on this day of grief!

After this speech the inquisitor and the soldiers ride to the monastery with their prisoners taken in a tow. In the
village remain the shocked people but it does not last very long until a debate is in full swing. Most of them are
convinced that the Brytner family and the healer are innocent of this accusation but they are scared of the
inquisitor’s speech to adopt a contrary posture; for the smith they are presumably guilty and those who do not
want to believe that have maybe have something to hide by themselves.
Insinuations and accusations fly through the air and some fights break out. The whole affair causes that the
atmosphere in the village becomes conspicuously more silent and suspicious than before.
If the characters are in the village at that fateful occasion they have a glorious opportunity to direct the course of
action in a less destructive direction. There are several possibilities:

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 They may wish to defend the accused before the whole village, something which can prove to be fatal; the
inquisitor does not like to have his authority questioned, and a fiery exchange of opinions with him in front
of the surrounding witnesses can result in the fact that he accuses the characters themselves of being heretics
and takes them as prisoners (or they break free form such an intent, which in consequence can convert them
in fugitives from the Church).
 A better method to defend the accused is to go to the monastery together, where they can talk with the
inquisitor in private. Then his authority is not challenged in public and he will be more willing to listen to
alternative explanations. If the characters have witnessed the child’s disappearing or if they were together
with Brytner and the healer while the child disappeared they can give the accused an alibi. The inquisitor is
willing to listen to what they have to say and if the characters do not behave biased or strangely, then he has
no reason to suppose that they lie to save an outlander. In that case he will leave the prisoners free but it will
require a lot of persuasion before he approves that. (The entire sequence offers a lot of possibilities for good
role-playing. An argumentative duel between the inquisitor and the characters could be one of the climaxes
of the evening. Keep in mind that the characters should get the impression that it could be dangerous for
them if they should fail to convince the inquisitor that the smith is innocent, since it is not impossible that the
can be misjudged for being heretics.)
 If the characters stay in the village after the prisoners have been carried away to the monastery, a charismatic
personality has the chance to influence the people’s mass to fight against the soldiers. By delivering an
impressive speech about the false accusation the inquisitor came up with and by insinuating that anybody in
the village can be the next victim of the insane churchman one can really call the villagers to arms. What will
happen then is hard to predict but to attack the monastery with the enraged mob is not the easiest thing. Even
if the villagers outnumber the soldiers, the soldiers are better equipped for the fight and they have
additionally a fortress for their defence. Of course there is a large number of possibilities for clever plans to
free the prisoners but I will not dwell on this here. It is entirely up to the Narrator to direct such a
development of action.
 It exists, of course, also a possibility for the characters believe in the inquisitor’s accusations and that they
themselves join the search for signs of heretics in the village. If they offer to help the inquisitor by spying on
the village they will win his confidence. (This development of action is also thrilling, and you as the Narrator
have the possibility to place false traces which the suspicious players can follow.)
 If the characters do not intervene the family Brytner, the healer and his wife are found guilty of heresy and
they will be burned at the stake in the castleyard the next morning.

The march of the enslaved

In the night the slaves of the lake under the leadership of Arkain Baal – who witnesses the incident from a safe
distance – attack the remote lying hut of the dog-breeder Atar Bevins. The surround the cabins and break in
through the window openings on two sides of the hut. If the characters are in the village when that happens they
may wake up by the barking of the dogs but that demands that anyone of them succeeds with a fairly difficult
Listen roll. If anyone of the characters is awake he hears the unusual barking of the dogs. It takes about five
minutes to get to the kennel on foot, plus the time the characters need to put on armour or else. The attack
against the kennel takes five minutes after the dogs started to bark; if the characters hurry directly from where
they hear the barking, they should arrive approximately when the soldiers carry the unconscious Mr. Bevin with
them to the lake.
Now there are two alternatives:
 The characters attack the six soldiers. This is perhaps the instinctive reaction but it is definitively the best
solution. If they rush to fight them they may save Mr. Bevin but a fight with the six soldiers is risky. If the
characters are no trained fighters they may fall victim to the lake before the night is over. If the succeed
defeating the reprobated soldiers they will not now what the wanted to do with him (Bevin) and they must try
track them back through the forest to find out from where they come.

 The characters follow the soldiers to the lake. This is a less evident plan but it is preferable. If the characters
follow the soldiers and do not reveal their presence they will see how the soldiers take Mr. Bevin to the lake
and force him to drink from it. It is hard to predict what the characters will do after that but hopefully they
begin to get an impression of what is going on. Perhaps they attack the soldiers, perhaps they draw the
incorrect conclusion that all soldiers in the monastery are also allied with this six, perhaps they withdraw to
the village without doing anything. You as Narrator must prepared to improvise strongly in that situation.

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If the characters vanquish all who have fallen under the control of the lake they have principally overcome the
Darkness, at least for a time, but the lake will remain as a constant menace for the surrounding and Arkain Baal
has not given up yet.

The bath-tub – abode of horror

In the fourth night the abbot of the monastery is killed by the wolverine which lives at the lake under Arkain’s
influence. It gets into the monastery through the waste gutter which runs from the castleyard out to the
mountainside. Thereafter it goes to the door to the ablution-room which, unluckily for the abbot, does not close
correctly. At that time the abbot is about to take his evening bath lying asleep in one of the bathing-tubs. When
he hears something it is already to late; the wolverine throws itself upon him and kills him within a few seconds.
The body is lying there for the rest of the night while the wolverine sneaks out of the monastery and hides in the
forest.
When the body is found, the characters can perhaps prevent that three innocent monks burn for this but that
requires that they have a good relation with the inquisitor, so that they get his permission to see the crime scene.
The body of the abbot is resting in the cellar of the monastery awaiting its burial and it is terribly mutilated. The
torso is ripped to pieces and one of the arms is almost torn off the body. The face is
mostly untouched and shows an expression of terror. It does not take a genius to see that it was hardly a sword
nor an axe which caused that damage but the inquisitor considers that it is „impossible“ to get in the monastery
from the outside without being detected. (The inquisitor is not a stupid person but he is to a lesser degree
suspicious towards his fellow citizens and that causes him now to jump to conclusions.)
The crime scene is bloody and the bath-tube in which the abbot lies is filled with dark-red water. Blood has been
sprayed allover the room and has formed pools, now coagulated with the colour changing to dark-brown.
A successful Search roll (fairly heavy) reveals dark and gruff hair in the bath-tube. It does obviously not belong
to the abbot and if a person with hunting experience (Wilderness) or someone who is familiar with wild animals
for another reason can estimate with a PER-roll that the hair comes from an animal’s fur. A really good roll can
disclose that it is likely from a marten-like animal.
If the characters investigate the corridors in the monastery they will find the garbage chute. The hole in the wall
is too small for a grown-up man to go in through it and to climb up to the opening is obviously very risky even
for an experienced climber. Some hairs are sticking here but it requires a PER-roll with critical difficulty to
discover it.

To prove to the inquisitor that the monks are innocent the characters need to realize how the murderer came in
and what a kind of animal is involved. The inquisitor may be suspicious but he realizes quickly what is the most
plausible explanation and sets the monks free, however without excusing for his error. Moreover, he is still
convinced that improprieties are going on in the monastery.

Fighting the fallen

In the fifth night the village is attacked by those who have fallen under the lake’s influence. The farest house
which is situated closest to the forest receives a visit and if no-one discovers the whole affair six more persons
will join the evil of the Darkness. The soldiers run to the paths the same way they did at Atar Bevin’s hut and
force their way in through the window openings. They drive the four children and the adults to the lake. If the
characters sleep in the tavern they awake if the succeed with a fairly difficult Listen roll. Should they for
whatever reason be awake, the roll gets normal difficulty instead. The attack lasts approximately ten minutes
after the soldiers have entered through the windows of the house. If the characters chose to fight the reprobated,
the noise of the combat will attract the villagers which will come to help immediately under the condition that
the characters have not made themselves very unpopular.

Wolverine, wolverine!
At the same time the village is under attack, the wolverine goes back to the monastery and if the entrance which
it used the last time is still open, it takes the same way in as before. If the way in is closed now, it will lie in wait
in the bushes which flank the way to the monastery and waits for a possibility to get in the monastery where it
will attack the inquisitor.
If the wolverine manages to enter the monastery it sneaks the same way as the last time in the ablutions-chamber
crosses sleeping monastery up to the fifth floor where five soldiers lie asleep but without having closed the door
properly. It attacks one of the soldiers who, however, does not die soundless, and his two room-mates wake up
in time to defend themselves. The wolverine inflicts a mortal wound to one of them biting his throat and throws
itself over the remaining one who has taken up his weapon just in time. In spite of that the sleepy and horrified

9
men does not succeed in wounding the wolverine before it kills him too. The fight and the screaming wake up
all persons on the same floor and soon the nightly hunt for the wolverine keeps going. If the characters do not
sleep in the monastery they miss this hunt and the wolverine escapes hiding in the lavatory. Nevertheless, the
rumour reaches the village and is spread...

Confrontation
In the morning after the village has suffered the attack the inquisitor decides to have a look at the lake. He enrols
all men fit to bear arms he can get (the characters) and turns against what he believes to be the last fight in this
dirty drama. If the characters have defeated all the fallen soldiers then heretics are waiting for them at the lake
and if all heretics are vanquished too, it becomes very lonely at the dirty water-place. Then there is not much left
to do. Please consider that if as well the heretics as well as the fallen soldiers and perhaps some villagers wait at
the lake the characters will suffer a raw deal. If the slaves of the lake are more than eight it is preferable that the
heretics are not there for not making the lives of the heroes of the story too difficult.
Please reflect that Arkain is above all out to kill the inquisitor, a descendant of the one who a long time ago
drowned the innocent girl in the muddy water. If the inquisitor dies, the lake will fall to rest for a while and all
his slaves will begin to throw up the muddy water before falling unconsciously on the ground. When this
persons gradually regain consciousness it turns out that they do not remember what they did in the time they
were under the lake’s influence, and only nightmares remain to remind them of what really happened. Arkain
has done what he wanted to, but alas has lost the control over his new slaves as the Darkness in the lake dies
when the evil ‘s source is broken.

Revenge at last
If all the lake’s slaves fall without killing the inquisitor, then there is only little left to play: the wolverine (given
the fact that it has not been killed to). It waits in the monastery and tries to sneak into the inquisitor’s room on the
fifth floor. When the inquisitor enters the room, tired after the actions of the day, he notices a strong stench
coming from the vicious wolverine which has spent the day in the lavatory but which now is above him with the
jaws hanging from the roof. If no-one of the characters is there to interfere, inquisitor Grevorius’ life ends here.
And the lake falls back to sleep.

Places
A short description of the most important places in the adventure.

Grayham
The village Grayham consist, as previously said, , of fifty wooden cottages and of three bigger houses of stone.
The cottages made of wood have a thatched roof and are inhabited by hunters, peasants and artisans. The total
population of the village is about onehundered-fifty persons, about a third of them are children. There is no
church in the village but previously the town-hall was used to hold mass. That custom was introduced by one of
the monks who came down from the monastery and performed the mass, but in the last time no monk has shown
up in the village – something which made the villagers wonder. In spite of that there is virtually no-one who
complains about that. The men work hard each day in the week, so there is no-one who considers it as a
catastrophe if instead of attending the mass on the day of leisure one can sleep a few hours longer.

The smithy
In the centre of the village lies the first of the three brick-houses which belongs to the smith of the village,
Grimnus Brytner. It is said that the family Brytner has dwarven blood in the veins since they are very able
artisans and by all means the members of the family Brytner are all shorter than average. Master Brytner, as he is
called, is a skilful, if not brilliant, smith who feels strong pride about a well-done work.

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The inn „The Third Man“
Brytner’s closest neighbour is the tavern of the village, also the inn, the Third Man. The inn has two floors,
four single rooms and two double-rooms. Wine and food are of approved quality but there is not „the little
extra“ one can find in the taverns of bigger towns. The inn is run by an unhealthy lean man who is known by the
nickname „Bone“. He is an honest man who nevertheless does not hesitate to put up higher prices for the well-
to-do guests. He is also known for his fiery temper and his shrill voice.

City hall
The third house of stone is the house of the village council. Once every half a year the people meet there to deal
with possible problems or discuss how the year’s harvest will be. These days even a bailiff is here who has
come to collect the taxes or to deal with violations of the law which may have occurred. Nevertheless, the city
hall is not used most of the time.

The fools’s hut

In the village’s outskirts, near the rim of the forest, lies a ramshackle hut which is inhabited by the idiot Helmut.
He is rarely seen in the village but strolls around in the forest in the night and sleeps during the day. Few know
what he really does for a living but most assume that he plunders other people’s traps in the night. More than
one angry hunter has found his snares empty at morning and then it Helmut is often blamed. In spite of that he is
mostly left in peace and there is virtually no-one who thinks he does more serious things than poaching and
stealing potatoes.

The dog’s kennel

Five-hundred meters south of the village is the house in which Atar Bevin lives. Esquire Bevin breeds hounds
and has for that purpose a kennel with ten dogs directly behind the house. Because of the dogs he lives outside
of the village. The people do not like to hear the dogs bark in the mid of the night. Mr. Bevin also really hunts
dangerous beasts of prey which ravage the region, for example bears and wolves.

The monastery
Located lonely on the verge of the mountain stands the dreary stone-building which once served as a place for
the nobility’s fickle pleasures but now it is a retreat for those who want to dedicate their lives to study the
teachings of the One. The heavy door which leads into the castleyard is closed and there are no guards visible
through the loop-holes which formerly would have served to keep bandits and enemies away. The large tower of
the core building appears above the walls like an ominous figure. No flag or banner decorates the grey walls, no
sound of life or business is heard through the howling of the wind. This is truly a desolate place, a home for
lonely souls.
If the characters arrive here at night, they will not get in if they do not climb over the castle walls. There are no
guards on the top of the wall; the only guards who are awake at that time of the day are two who patrol in the
central building.
During the day one can ring a bell and one will be let in through a minor lateral door (To open the large front
door takes too much time).
The monastery consists of a five floors high central building which is shaped like a four-sided tower adjacent to
a smaller pavilion. The wall around the core building is four meters high and has a tower at each corner. These
towers are all ramshackle and unmanned since a long time ago. A stable for up to thirty horses can be found at
the northern side of the wall. The castleyard itself is deserted, with a small belltower in the midth, close to the
well. The bell is used by the monks to call to the meeting every morning and evening. Thirty monks and fifteen
soldiers live in the monastery when the adventure begins.

1st floor
Formerly the banqueting-hall and the kitchen were here; now the hall serves as dining-room for the monks, and
even a bath-room with three big pods has been installed here. The bath-room has a small door leading to the
castleyard, a door which does not close properly because of wry hinges. This will mean bad luck for certain
persons.
Side to side with the bath-room is the lavatory with space for five persons.

2nd floor
This is the floor where the monks live. It was originally the floor for the servants and their small rooms now
serve as the friar’s cells.
Every chamber has a hard bed, a small closet and also a washing basin.

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3rd floor
This floor contains the chapel, that room in which the monks hold their masses. A small altar in an almost empty
hall (apart from the spartanic wooden benches) give the room an austere and meditative mood.

4th floor
Formerly for the nobles, the floor contains the private chambers of the abbot. The abbot is a shining example of
the fact that what valid for the lower ranks of the Church’s servants regarding comfort and accommodation is
not necessarily valid for the higher ranks too. The abbot’s room is a flamboyantly equipped room with a broad
of massive oak with a large writing-table of carved wood. On the bedside-table lies a big, leather-covered copy
of Nomen.

5th floor
At the moment lives here the inquisitor with his soldiers; here is also the monastery’s library. The soldiers sleep
in the diverse rooms in groups of three.

What can the characters accomplish in the monastery?

That depends wholly on when they choose to visit it. If they go there during the first days, the abbot will meet
them with suspicion and will not share his suspicions about heretics in the region with them, but he will try to
convince them to do good in the village. If they ask difficult questions, he will wind and answers as evasive as
possible.
The inquisitor will neither welcome them with open arms; will firstly try to find out what kind of characters they
are. If they pressure him with questions, he will give them only short answers.

The inhabitants of the monastery

Abbot Berius – paranoid head of the monastery
The abbot is a stout man in his Sixties; he is bald and his face is furrowed by the hands of time. He has a pair of
piercing eyes and he has never a light expression on his face; instead he is always of bad humour. He also wears
a golden ornament in the shape of the One’s symbol around his neck.
He is by his nature a fearful and nervous person, and this nervosity has progressed over the years to a full-
fledged. He believes constantly that the agents of the Darkness are around and has the tendency to distrust all
strangers who do not wear the Church’s symbol on their clothing.
Most of all he distrusts women with whom he has never made good experiences.
Most conspicuous basic attributes: MEN 16 • AGL 4
Nature: 4
Lacks all fighting abilities, is clumsy.

Inquisitor Grevorius – grim interrogation leader

Grevorius is a man in his early Forties. He has short raven-black hair combed backwards and he lacks the left
ear-lobe after a confrontation with heretics some years ago. His nose is hooked and he has a pointed chin. No-
one would ever call him good-looking but he is conspicuous in a striking way. He constantly wears the white
robe of an inquisitor and leaves rarely his room without his sword at his side. He is easy to irritate and is
exaggeratedly suspicious but he is not the worst inquisitor in the Church’s service and he can be quite
reasonable if his mood permits it.
Most conspicuous basic attributes: MEN 13 • AGL 13 • PER 15
Nature: 14
Very good in combat and awareness abilities

Brother Balus – the abbot’s right hand

Balus is the monk who – apart from the abbot – has the highest authority in the monastery. He is fifty years old
and has a white ring of hair around his bald head. He has a snub-nose and a too large mouth; he cannot be called
attractive by anyone’s estimation. The only thing that speaks well for him is that he is diligent and loyal,
something that gained him the abbot’s confidence. Baldus is a real bore who likely never has laughed in his
whole life.
Most conspicuous basic attribute: CHAR 5
Nature: 12
Expert in learning, useless in combat.

12
The lake
If you step out of the underwood you stand on a glade surrounded by pines and spruces. In the centre of the calm
glade is a small lake, the water of which is stagnant and musty. Mud and parts of plants float on the surface of
the foul smelling water and the bottom of the lake cannot be spotted. Neither the sounds of birds nor the clank o
frodents can be heard and even the wind seems to be unnaturally silent...

When the characters come to the lake they can find the tracks of boots which show that there have been
activities in this place lately. If the characters come here during the first days they find only the tracks of the first
six soldiers but as the action overview explains there will be a feverish activity at the lake in the following days.
As the Narrator you have to adapt the trails which the characters can find here to give them the opportunity to
discover the meanwhile fallen soldiers if they are clever enough to follow the tracks; and later in the adventure
they can find the heretic’s traces leading back to their hiding-place at the Spearslope. Those which drank from
the lake and fell for the Darkness have gathered in a distance of three kilometres in the forest where they rest at
day and wait for the night and for Arkain to come and fetch them. They are accurate in hiding their tracks and to
find them should be very difficult.

The lake’s henchmen

Indifferent and quiet are those who have fallen for the water’s power. They operate indifferently but act as fast
as usual in combat. They ignore pain and feel neither fear nor terror. The enslaved soldiers use broadswords and
round shields and wear chainmail and helmet.
The villagers fallen for the Darkness use the weapons the have at hand: hay-forks, scythes and similar things.
All villagers have 10 in all basic attributes and have no fighting abilities.
The soldiers have AGL 12 and are experience fighters.

The wolverine
The wolverine is a large marten animal which weighs about forty kilograms. It has a dark-brown fur and sharp
claws. It is an excellent climber and this peculiar wolverine is totally mad.
Most conspicuous basic attribute: STR 20 • AGL 19 • PHY 16 • PER 15
Absolutely life-threatening in combat.
Because of the ferocious nature of the wolverine it goes berserk in combat, which gives it the capacity to take an
accumulated deadly wound without falling to the ground; besides it has an extra attack at the end of each round.
Claws and bite do the same damage, namely 4. The fur has RV 2.

Bevin’s cabin
If the characters arrive to late to save Mr. Bevin as am arriving they may nevertheless take the time to have a
closer look at his house.
The cottage is simple and consists of only two rooms. easy and consist exclusively two chamber. A dead dog
lies inside under on of the smashed windows and there are obvious signs of a fight in the bed-room. The
furniture is in disorder and there are dirty bootprints allover the floor. It is obvious that those who attacked the
cabin have not killed Mr. Bevin instantly since there is no trace of blood except around the dead dog. The
characters can conclude that the attackers have taken him elsewhere...

The Spearslope
In dark majesty rises the place called Spearslope. The Spearslope, actually not more than a steep hill with
stoneblocks dispersed everywhere, gives an uncanny impression in the now so quiet forest. Light fog rises from
the moss and covers the feet like a veil. On the top of the hill there are three rectangular stoneblocks which in
former times where used for executions, a testimonial of the original purpose of that place.
The region around the Spearslope is full of stoneblocks and hollows. The execution place itself is situated on the
top of the hill and consists of three rectangular rocks, two by three meters large and one meter high. The rocks
are dark and scary; around them is a dark aura after so many people’s lives ended here.

The heretics
In one of the many caves around the Spearslope is a group of heretics which inquisitor Grevorius hunts since he
has come to this place. They are five in number and lead by a very dangerous man, Arkain Baal, who realizes
that he can use the lake to take his revenge with the inquisitor. After several weeks of escape from the Church
the heretics need to rest. And they have chosen this place because it seems to be avoided by normal people.

13
Besides, it is good that the game in this district guaranteed food supply. In the third night the heretics kill a
hunter from the village who by mistake stumble into their hideaway. The wife of the hunter can tell that her
husband has said to place some snares around the Spearslope in spite of that this place is regarded as haunted. At
the Spearslope there are tracks of several persons, even if the heretics tried to sweep them behind them. The
heretic’s den is in a quite big cavern which has two entrances, each one has a diameter of not more than one
meter. Additionally, they have camouflaged the openings with sticks to make a discovery even more difficult.

Arkain Baal – Dark herald

Arkain is a titanic man, about two meters tall, but not particularly broad-shouldered. He wears his red hair in a
long braid over his back and is very pale. His eyes are gray and seem to burn with a cold fire. Arkain wears a
dark-gray coak with hood and has armoured gloves of dark iron. In the left ear hang five silver rings and he has
a scroll in a leather-case chained to his belt. At first sight Arkain looks like he is in his Thirties but his look is
considerably older. His tunic and pants are black and at the moment quite dirty. His only weapon is a war club
of steel with the club’s head shaped like a raven.
Arkain Baal is runnning from the Church since many years. His fall to the Darkness was fast and irrevocable. In
his youth he was a novice in one of the many monasteries of the Church, but somewhen on his way he found
writings about a stronger and finer power than the One offered. The dark seed within him grew till the day when
he heard of the Iron Gate’s opening. Below the darkened sun he swore loyalty to the Darkness and in the same
night he sealed his vow he wandered from room to room and killed the sleeping monks in their cells. Then he
went out to find the task the Darkness had for him.
Arkain is extremely charismatic and emanates self-confidence as well as determination. He is a master in
manipulating those around him and can make doubt all except the most pure-hearted Knights Templar. He is
totally unscrupulous and cares for no-one but himself and his own goals. He will gladly sacrifice all his
henchmen if that helps him to escape.
Most conspicuous basic attribute: CHAR 18 • AGL 13 • STR 8 • PER 14 • MEN 14
Nature: -15
Outstanding in all forms of Communication, very good in combat with the war club and unarmed combat.
Special object: Arkain wears a war club of a dwarven smith with peculiar appearance (cf. description above).
That shape makes the weapon also to be used as a missile weapon (throwing weapon) and the ravenhead’s bill is
excellent for piercing armour. It is quite heavy and is to be used as a two-handed weapon. Along the grip are
dwarven runes engraved with the weapons name: Bloodbird.
STR 8 • DAM 10* • AV 15
*all armour values are halved

The scroll chained to the belt is Arkain’s own diary and it is veritable treasury for heretics. He uses it as his own
“holy scripture”, as he tells his companions.
If Arkain sees the situation becoming dangerous at any time during the adventure he will flee and use his
disciples for a distraction manoeuvre if he must. If he escapes he can become an excellent nemesis in future
episodes.

Nomus – dwarven heretic

Nomus is a young dwarf with coal-black hair and broad shoulders. He is always well-shaved and wears a brown
tunic and gray trousers. He has a heavy crossbow and a shortsword. He has a broad nose and eyes sitting placed
closely together; around his neck is a large scar as if caused by a snare.
Nomus is a feeble-minded and unsure dwarf who does not own any leading ability. That makes him an excellent
instrument for Arkain Baal’s plans because he follows all orders blindly.
Most conspicuous basic attributes: MEN 4 • CHAR 6 • STR 15 • PER 15
Nature: -13
Good in combat, incompetent at most other things.

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Remaining heretics
Willing to sacrifice themselves and dirty are the adjectives which are describing best these bunch of shaggy and
dirty men. They all have followed Baal for such a long time that there is no hope for them and they are hardly
especially mentally sharp anymore.
Most conspicuous basic attribute: AGL 12
Nature: -10
Good in combat and wilderness.

What happens then?

If the heretics escape, they may become a recurrent danger, especially Arkain Baal can appear again and again in
further adventures. If the inquisitor survives he may employ the characters for the hunt for the fleeing heretic
and perhaps he might wish to extinguish the Darkness’ influence in the lake. And is the Spearslope really
haunted? At least the villagers believe it anyway. Is the monastery’s problem over now that the abbot is dead or
does the incident feed rebellious thoughts about the Darkness’ power?
Wait and see.
And is the war club Bloodbird really cursed, as some dwarfs claim? There are many possibilities to continue the
tale but that’s up to the Narrator.

15