A lone church stands atop a hill on the outskirts of Aleford, long since forgotten by the peaceful people who reside there. The few headless statues and marred venerated decor have made it impossible to discern which of the gods it was built for.
Nowadays, the abandoned church serves as a resting place for vagrants and where kids hunt for ghosts. The gentle folks of Aleford don't particularly mind this fact, but they do mind that there had been a slew of reports of vagrants going missing lately. Despite the reports, the local knight, Paul and his squire, Ron refuse to investigate, claiming they have more important things to tend to... to the surprise of no one.
To take matters into their own hands, the owner of the Sweet Tap tavern, Geogran and a few other Aleford residents pooled together some money to levy a quest through the Adventurers Guild. Whether or not you're a guilder, that's where you come in.
Location: Aleford (Pormont)
Party Size: 2-4
Difficulty: Tier 1 (mostly E-D ranked masteries and equipment)
Expected Length: Medium. 5-6 posts per person.
Objectives
- Find out what happened to the vagrants living at the Hillside Church
- If they are in trouble, help them
- This quest is composed of 3 parts. It doesn't matter how long each part needs to be, but all 3 should be covered for the quest to be completed.
- See this guide for how to use the battle system.
Part 1 largely involves getting to know the town and exploring some connections that will help you complete your quest. Spend the time to get to know some folks and get the lay of the land.
- Per its description, the town of Aleford is a vibrant village full of hardworking people who give it their all during the day and drink at night. All the buildings in the village are connected to a single cobblestone road that curves with the village's elevation. There are only a handful of businesses in Aleford, most of which revolves around the production of the town's famed export, Aleford's Ale.
- Lodging: You may stay at Geogran's tavern, which is also his residence. He will let you stay on the third floor, where you'll be in the room across from his eldest daughter, Marnie and middle child Desnie. Marnie is obsessed with adventuring and will seek to bother as much as humanly possible unless you're a girl, then she couldn't give two hoots about you. Desnie is only into books, so she's not likely to socialize with you unless you're a book-smart type of person. Geogran and his wife Atlas is a draft beer fanatics and will detract you from your quest with an endless sampling of their latest recipe if you're not careful.
- Knight Quarter. There is only a single knight quarter in Aleford, operated by Paul Fauley, a heartthrob cassanova who cares more about getting into girls' pants than knightly duty. His foil is Ron Bearden, the son of the village's chief who's aiming to leave Falderen and join the Lions Pride. If you are enjoying a night of drinking, there's a 1d4 (1) chance you'll run into Paul hitting on Atlas.
- Spend a day here and sample the village's hospitality.
Your goal for part 2 is to get to the abandoned church. According to the villagers, it's on top of a tall hill. Though, in case you weren't aware, there are many tall hills in the area. There are a few ways you can get to the Abandoned Church.
The church itself is in a great state of disrepair. The main door is leaning off the hinge, windows are smashed, and a bunch of bricks are piled up next to a partition wall leading inside. At the very least the roof was in one piece, which might explain why vagrants sought refuge there.
- Marnie. If you managed to indulge Marnie in her games and dream of becoming an adventuress. She would personally take you to the church herself, since she's played there a lot when she was younger.
- Ron. If you are a part of the Lions, Ron will readily help you out.
- Exploration. You can figure out the direction yourself through exploration. After all, if you want a job to be done right, do it yourself. Make an Awareness Check (DC 35). You may attempt this roll as many times as possible, but each time you or your thread partner fail, it costs you about half a day of being lost in the wilderness.
The church itself is in a great state of disrepair. The main door is leaning off the hinge, windows are smashed, and a bunch of bricks are piled up next to a partition wall leading inside. At the very least the roof was in one piece, which might explain why vagrants sought refuge there.
Part 3 is the climax of the quest. Check below to see what you encounter. Roll a 1d4.
Armed Skeletons (Auto Monster Guide)
Whatever the case may be, you saw an eyeball staring at you the moment you entered the Animancer's workspace. There's no way they will return to the church now.
(If you would like to square up against the Animancer, themselves, request a DM to spice your thread.)
Bring the vagrants' remains back to the village and inform them about what had happened.
- You are ambushed by a barrage of arrows. Take 35 damage. The enemy disappears immediately afterwards.
- You are ambushed by a barrage of arrows but are able to dodge just in time for a glancing blow. Take 10 damage. The enemy disappears immediately afterwards.
- You spotted a skeleton sniper hiding up on the roof. Make an attack (DC 35) to kill it, otherwise, it will escape.
- Nothing happened.
Armed Skeletons (Auto Monster Guide)
- 4 LP per person
- DC 20
- Retal 15
Whatever the case may be, you saw an eyeball staring at you the moment you entered the Animancer's workspace. There's no way they will return to the church now.
(If you would like to square up against the Animancer, themselves, request a DM to spice your thread.)
Bring the vagrants' remains back to the village and inform them about what had happened.
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