Non-playable characters in the village:
Innkeeper: a corpulent and surly woman that can offer to the villagers some answers to some general questions. The woman could also offer food and restorations to the party at the GM’s discretion. She knows the following pieces of information:
- The village was attacked no more than one hour ago.
- In the previous days, around 40 Knights of the “Order of the Nord Lions” have visited the city. She does not know precisely why, but it seems that they were investigating the mysterious deaths and about the research of the Baron.
- The position of the Merchant of Pelts, who visited her half an hour before the attack and has gone to the east, near the windmill. The woman seems to have some kind of relationship with the man, and she could offer some money to the party if they find him.
City guard: he is a quite serious man, armed with a short sword and a bow. The guard was fighting nearby and survived thanks to the party’s help. The party seems to have defeated the last enemies in the village.
The guard approaches the party as soon as they stop fighting, the guard will ask them about their objective and could provide to the party the following pieces of information:
- The captain of the Knights of the “Order of the Nord Lion” is called Herbert Black, he wears metal armor with a golden lion in the middle of the chest. He explains that the knights were investigating the Castle and the research of the Baron, and in particular about the Ancient Ruins discovered under Red Rock. It seems that the captain has spent many days looking for a map of the castle.
- He also has pieces of information about a deserter of the order, who has hidden inside the local Church of Blood
Defector of the Order: he is hiding inside the Church of Blood. He is shocked, and so he talks in a very disconnected way. The door of the Church has been blocked with some benches built by the defector. To open the door an ability check on strength is required (DC 12).
If interrogated, he will tell that all the knights of the Order have visited the Castle and, apparently, they were all killed while opening the “Stone Door”.
Merchant of Pelts: throw a d6, if the result is even the Merchant is still alive, but wounded, if the result is odd, the merchant is dead.
In both cases, you will be able to find on the merchant 5d8 GP and a letter made by the captain of the “Order of the Nord Lion”. Apparently, the merchant is a trusted man, a loyal spy that usually transports hidden messages across the region. In the letter it is also revealed that the captain has found evidence that the Stone of Resurrection is real and that it is present inside the castle, behind the Stone Door in the Main Hall.
Village’s Library
It is used to list all the information about the village. It was administered by the Church for tax purposes. There are many shelves with various scrolls and books.
Behind a shelf, there is a hidden sector where there are many pieces of information about the castle and the legends around it.
The hidden sector can be found after a successful perception check (DC 12) and will reveal books and scrolls with the following information:
- The castle is property of Baron Von Herkel and his family.
- During the nights, screams, growls and screeches can be heard from the lower parts of the castle.
- Visitors stopped showing up around the castle after the baron himself started threatening them, he became solitary and used his castle as a way to keep the outside world out of it.
The previous information can be achieved also by a successful history check (DC 17) aimed specifically to recall information about the story of the castle
In this sector, it is possible also to find a rough map of the Castle and details on its entrances.
