[D20cember] A is for A Prayer for the Dead

Welcome to the first D20cember post. This month, I'll be presenting short Labyrinth Lord adventures using my Get Ready, Get Set, Go! adventure series for my Ashford Valley setting (as seen in my Switching to Guns 'zine).

Enjoy!

A Prayer for the Dead: A Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Labyrinth Lord
adventure set in the Ashford Valley.

Get Ready
A few years ago, a priest of St. Nobian named Brother Nicholas found an abandoned but ancient cemetery off of the Deep Forest Road. Recently, he's been having trouble with grave-robbers!

Get Set
The PCs may be wandering through the Ashford Valley and encounter the priest waiting along the side of the road for any heroes who can help him out. He doesn't have much in terms of reward but he can feed the PCs for about a week or so and
is more than willing to heal them.

Go!
After convincing the PCs to help, Brother Nicholas leads them several miles north of the Deep Forest Road, to a small clearing with a stone cottage (Brother Nicholas' home) and a small but well-tended cemetery with a shrine to St. Nobian.

During their stay and over the course of several nights, one or two graves are disturbed and bones are strewn about. Even if the PCs take guard shifts to try to catch the culprits, the crimes still occur (and the PC on guard falls asleep!).

If the PCs investigate the cemetery, alert characters see that the disturbed graves (3 when the PCs arrive, plus however many during their stay) all have the same kind of tombstone. The GM is free to determine how many graves with tombstones of that shape are still intact.

The tombs are being raided by a small crew of humans, lead by a magic-user named Pinch. Many years ago, when Pinch was just a boy, he saw some bandits burying something in the old cemetery (GMs choice). It must have been valuable so he remembered the shape of the headstone. Pinch followed the bandits after they buried their loot and told the authorities where to find them. All the bandits were captured and hung, Pinch got a reward (enough to pay for magical training) and, years later, he remembered the cemetery.

Mostly non-violent, the band is just interested in the loot, not outright murder. When Pinch returned with his men, he found his memory was spotty - and Brother Nicholas tending the cemetery didn't help matters.

Pinch sleeps whatever PC guard is on duty (the GM should secretly roll their saves, with the first two nights automatic) and has his henchman dig up the grave. If attacked, they will fight for one or two rounds, then flee into the woods.

Notable NPCs
Brother Nicholas; Human, Cleric, Level 2; Alignment: Lawful; Abilities: Strength 12, Dexterity 13, Constitution 11, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 12, Charisma 12. Armor Class: 8 (-1 Dex); Hit Dice: 2d6, Hit Points: 12. Attacks: mace (1d8). Languages: Common; Special Abilities: Spells (Cure Light Wounds x2*; *denotes prepared spell), Turning. Morale: 8.

Pinch; Human, Magic-User, Level 3; Alignment: Neutral; Abilities: Strength 10, Dexterity 13, Constitution 10, Intelligence 15, Wisdom 11, Charisma 11. Armor Class: 8 (-1 Dex); Hit Dice: 3d4, Hit Points: 9. Attacks: dagger (1d4). Languages: Common, Elvish; Special Abilities: Spells (Magic Missile, Charm Person*, Sleep*,
Shield, Invisibility*, Levitate, Web; * denotes prepared spell). Morale: 6.

Gravediggers (5 Normal Men); Alignment: Neutral; Armor Class: 6 (leather armor & shield); Hit Dice: 1d8, Hit Points: 6, 5, 4, 4, 3; Attacks: short sword (1d6), short bow (1d6) or shovel (1d6); Save: NM; Morale: 5.

How this adventure fits into the Switching to Guns articles on the Ashford Valley is up to the GM and whether the PCs become longtime foes of Pinch and his crew or lifelong friends is up to the players.