Blood in the Snow Part 1 - an old school adventure using Beyond the Wall RPG

 Farms in the hamlet of Winterton are being raided at night.  Who, or what, is doing the raiding is a mystery. Animals have disappeared and now a visiting merchant has gone missing.  The only clue is a blood drenched hat sitting in the snow along a stretch of road.

Blood in the Snow - The Hamlet of Winterton by Roan Studio.

Rules: Beyond the Wall by Flatland Games.

Adventure: Blood in the Snow by Roan Studios

Solo GM Emulator: MUSE 

Scene 1: The Blue Goose Inn

PC's and NPC.  Hugo de Winter the would be knight (PC), Culdus the devout acolyte (PC), Rhian the Forester (PC), Strawberri the Fay Foundling (PC ) Old Mercenary (NPC, Possible PC), The Merchants Wife (NPC) and a Tavern full of other NPC, too numerous to mention.

The snows have come suddenly and early to the area around Winterton, it is now impossible to venture beyond the boundary of the hamlet and many visitors and a few traders now find themselves forced to stay in the Blue Goose, not that many mind, the cellar is full of good ales and wines, not least of all the famous Winterton Abbey Icewine, the very thing that brings the visitors, merchants (and others) to this small hamlet in the first place.

The Blue Goose Inn is therefor busy, added to those from outside the hamlet are many Wintertonians too, including Hugo and Rhian who are sat at a table with their friend and mentor, Ranogg, the old mercenary, both are intently listening to him recite some tale of an old adventure which he enthusiastically tells between mouthful's of hot stew.

The inns door opens and a tall girl, slim with an almost white complexion and strawberry coloured hair walks in brandishing 6 fish in her hands, with an air of indifference to those around her Straberri Cottoncloud,  walks up to the bar and thumps the fish on the counter, much to the landlord, Martain Wicklow's annoyance.

Martain - "Hey, Srawberri, mind my customers and mind my fish, no good to me battered girl"

Strawberri - "six trout, almost froze a death catching them we did, worth a glass of Icewine Master Wicklow, if not two, anything less and I take em back home".

Question to Oracle - Does Strawberri get a glass of icewine?

Roll on 1d6 = 4, 'Yes but'

Martain - "six lousy trout, not worth 3 copper coins each, and you expecting Icewine for em, here girl, one glass but you explain to your folks why your not taking coins home, n' don't you be telling me yours only caught six, I known your parents longer n' you girl and I bet they kept the best for em selve's"

Martain the landlord is a good friend of Jhonuss the fisherman and his wife, the once monk now innkeeper is one of the few villages who has any time for the young Fay, and hand her a glass of Icewine, worth more than 10 times the fish.  As she turns to join her two friend, Hugo and Rhian, Culdus the young acolyte enters the inn.

As Strawberri sits herself down next to Rhian, Hugo spots his friend.

Hugo - "hy, Culdus!"

Culdus spots his friend and rushes over.

Hugo - "What brings you from the Abbey on a night like tonight, monk's drank all the Icewine so sent you to get some from the Blue Goose" (Strawberri quickly covers her glass with her hand).

Culdus - "Farmer Thamus' youngest is bad with winter sickness, I went to see if there was anything I could do, good master Korte the herbalist had already been with a draught for the wee one, should be better soon, but Farmer Thamus says he has been raided. He couldn’t make out the bandits through the snowfall but they looked smaller than human, making off with a young pig as they scurried away towards the direction of the abbey he said."

The old Mercenary puts down his spoon with a clatter on the table.

Mercenary - "you see anything lad, on your way over from the abbey?"

Question to oracle- did Culdus see anything unusual?

Roll on 1d6 = 2 'no'

Culdus - "It must of happened before I set out, snow has been falling, if there were any tracks left they would have been covered by now".

At that point the inn door is thrown open and the millers wife runs in, almost out of breath, 

"Where's my husband, there you are, get home now, petrified your daughter is, me to"

 She tells of having heard muffled screams and squeals coming from beyond the abbey, on the roadway near the edge of the ravine. In the blowing snow she thought she could make out the faint flicker of torches, but the lights soon disappeared. 

A patron at the inn, after hearing of these events, becomes frantic. Her husband, and his guard, have yet to return from a wine sampling trip to the abbey. She is clearly upset and pleads with any able-looking individuals to go out and search for her husband, fearing that he may have gotten himself into trouble. It is obvious that none of the other patrons or locals are up to the task, even at the offer of 5 gold pieces per individual simply to search. 

Question to oracle- does anyone in the Inn volunteer to help search?

Roll on 1d6 = 2 'no'

Not one person offers to help and most of the locals get up and begin to leave the inn.

The old Mercenary kicks Hugo under the table.

Old Mercenary - "Hugo lad, you are a man of great deeds, offer your help lad"

Hugo - "for 5 gold coins, maybe we could hold out for more before we risk our necks.

Question to oracle- does the lady seem willing to offer more money?

Roll on 1d6 = 2 'no'

Old Mercenary - "that's not the chivalric way lad, not if you want to become a knight..."

Hugo shushes the old mercenary and gets to his feet.

Hugo, "Yes!  Fear not my lady, I am Hugo of Winterton and my Friend here is Brother Culdus of the Abbey, we will find your husband and guard, and my other friends here will help too, what say you Rhian? Strawberri?  Good, we shall be on our way and with gods grace we will return with good news!"

Giving his friends little choice but to accompany him, Hugo heads for the door,the lady shouts her thanks and gratitueds to the party, promising the reward on their return.

The old mercenary finishes his stew, then he too leaves the Inn.  With only his guests left, Martain Wicklow locks the doors for the night,  "Best to be safe, when the watchman's lad and the others return, fear not, I will let them in".

Next post: Part 2 - The search for the merchant.