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The Earcards' Bargain: Terror on the Trail Part II | 3rd-Level Fifth Edition Adventure

Added 2021-08-13 15:24:51 +0000 UTC

The Earcards' Bargain: Terror on the Trail Part II

The Earcards' Bargain follows Terror on the Trail as part 2 of 2 of Death in Denial, a ghostly Fifth Edition mystery adventure for three to six characters of 3rd to 4th level, optimized for a party of four 3rd-level characters. A pair of men are murdered on the outskirts of town while on a hunting trip and their bodies are buried in a shallow grave. After the party has successfully put the spirits to rest, they have learned who committed the heinous crime—the Earcard family. The village alderman has requested that the party gather proof of the Earcards' involvement by any means necessary. What will the party find in the Earcard house? How will the Earcards react if they discover the party trespassing, and will they submit to justice if confronted with proof of their wrongdoing? What other horrors lurk in the Earcard house? This adventure takes place in the town of Sevilla in the Freelands campaign setting, but can easily be placed in any small- to medium-sized town surrounded by thick forests.

Background

Horus and Blunko were two hunters from the town of Sevilla. On a routine hunting trip in the surrounding Srafdosa Wood, they were both violently murdered by a local farmer named Jeriah and his loyal family members. Jeriah had been studying the occult and believed that a ritual to Odomus, a dark forgotten deity, would bring a bountiful harvest to his struggling orchard. Jeriah needed two human hearts for his ritual. Any human hearts would do—Horus and Blunko just proved to be easy targets, as Jeriah and his family were familiar with the pair and knew about their usual hunting trails. Jeriah and his family, which includes his wife and two teenage daughters, camped out in the Srafdosa Wood and prepared a trap for Horus and Blunko. When the two wandered into it, they were attacked by the family and killed swiftly. Jeriah removed their hearts for his ritual before the family buried the bodies in a shallow grave not far from where the murders took place. They then returned to their farm on the outskirts of town, where they would undertake the ritual.

The proved successful—Jeriah summoned a bearded devil in the basement of the house that promised him not only a bountiful harvest, but also granted him infernal powers contingent upon his continued service. The devil lurks in the house, conferring frequently with Jeriah and the rest of the family members, dragging them further into eternal damnation. It has already demanded the hearts of more victims, and the Earcard family has studiously set out in identifying suitable victims and preparing appropriate plans. If not stopped, the murders of Horus and Blunko will only be the beginning.

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