You stand in near darkness. Before you are a set of
steps that lead to the high archways that govern the entryway into the mansion
proper. A large set of dark oak double doors sit patiently closed awaiting your
advance. You notice small crystal blue eyes peering at you from behind a dark
window beside the doorway. [The Haunt – 4]
My greeting might be a bit early, but there's method to my madness: I believe it’s time
to begin to consider what you might do, if not actually begin prepping, for the upcoming Eve before it’s too late. If you’re going to, that is.
Even so far back as the ‘80s, at the dawn of my gaming
life, I’d always had the hankering for a session or two at this time of year where
undead and created creatures took centre stage, and all manner of things bumped
in the night. It’s the perfect excuse for a one-shot, don’t you think?
Something quick and clean and won’t escape the bounds of the weekend nearest
the eve in question.
What might scratch that itch? Something from Call of
Cthulhu? That would work. Most assuredly! But what if you and your group don’t
play CoC? There’s Ravenloft, whether the iconic AD&D I6, or any module from AD&D’s 2nd edition Ravenloft setting. But none of those, if
any, are short enough for what we want, though. We’re thinking one-shots here,
not lengthy adventures or campaigns. I imagine a quick search of DMs Guild or DriveThuRPG
will dig up a horde of short appropriate adventures, each as creepy as the next. But which
one should you choose? That depends. What edition do you play? Does that matter? It might. It might not. Most adventures
there will be written for 5th edition. That’s no surprise. 5e is
the edition of the day, at present, the one most players and DMs are familiar with.
So, with that edition in mind, if I may be so bold, might
I draw your attention to “The Haunt,” from P.B. Publishing? (P.B. Publishing is
Phil Beckwith, by the way. He wrote it, he laid it out, and he also contributed
to the interior illustrations.) Have you heard about it? You might have. It’s
not new. It was published in 2017, and has since spawned two sequels, to date. I’m
being so bold because it’s garnered good reviews. As it should. It truly is creepy. And fun. And it’s still
“in print” (as I write this). All three are. Better yet, the entire trilogy can
be had, either individually, or as a combined “Special Hardcover Edition,” if
that suits your fancy. Does its edition matter? Not a jot. This one will be rather easy to convert to the edition of your choice.
What’s it about? I can’t say, not without spoilers. And I will not, for that reason. I
expect that Mr. Phil Beckwith would like you to purchase this fruit of his labour, if you haven’t already.
What I can say about it is that it’s a challenging adventure. And it’s
about a haunted house. Kind of.
As you approach the mansion you notice that the
blackness of the stone is unnatural and almost tainted. The air grows thick,
and what little light that the night gives somehow becomes duller and duller
the closer that you get to the evil dwelling. [The Haunt – 4]
Of course it gives off an evil vibe. What would be the point of the
adventure, otherwise?
There are a number of Hooks to get you started, some more applicable to its story than others. These are
the best of the five given:
- The PCs have been approached by an elderly wizard who offers them a handsome reward for rescuing his apprentice who has entered but not returned from Montarthas Manor. This was two tenday ago.
- The PCs have heard rumor of a powerful necromantic jewel which lies in the heart of the manor. They hear it is worth a fortune to the right people.
- People have been going missing when traveling in the areas around the manor. The local town’s mayor has offered some freelance adventuring work to anyone who is brave enough to enter and investigate the manor.
I might note that it was written with The Forgotten
Realms in mind, but only insofar as there are references to its calendar; however,
as the entirety of the adventure is enacted within a mansion, it’s about as
generic as you can get. I mean that: There is no mention of what the surrounding countryside looks like, let alone the approach, other than there need be a ruined city or town nearby. There is the cover picture to speak of; you could describe the exterior just so, but seeing that mention of that dark and dreary forest depicted doesn't make it into the text of the adventure, you are not obligated to that. That said, nothing screams Halloween like a cabin in the woods....
Be forewarned: This adventure is not for a hack-and-slash
group. The author even says as much.
There is combat. It’s written for D&D, after all, and
I’ve yet to encounter an adventure module that did not have a melee or two. But
they’re infrequent. There’s a lot of “flavour,” and puzzles to be sorted.
I will say that here is a prevailing menace, a very good one, that hunts the PCs. I don't believe that's much of a spoiler. Such things are standard trope in horror films and literature these days. It does help stitch the story together. And there is a story woven into it, BTW.
In ages past, there once stood a small city in these
parts. The city, being subject to constant orc attacks, maintained a
sufficiently defensive militia to ward away such attacks as they occurred. This
militia stood for centuries, and many commanding officers came and went
throughout the years. General Oscar Montarthas, known for being fair, firm and
stern towards his men, was the last to command this post. [The Haunt – 3]
There’s more to the Background, obviously; quite a bit more, but…
spoilers….
Let’s just say that things did not turn out for the best
for Montarthas.
Nor will it for you, if you’re not careful.
The Art:
Cover art from Pexles.com
Bloody hand, by Michael Wolmarans, from The Haunt, 2017
Sources:
The Haunt, 2017
9075
I6 Ravenloft, 1983
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