The Lord of Glen-Castle

The Lord of Glen-Castle

With nowhere else to turn, a young mother named Erin calls on the PCs. She tells them:

• A year ago, she wed a strange Knight: the Lord of Glen-Castle
• He never spoke his true name
• A week ago, she bore a child, named Alard
• Three days went by. Fairy music was heard, and the child was carried off, replaced by bread and milk
• Now the knight is gone, and the castle is fading

Erin doesn't know what made her family disappear, but she suspects eldritch malfeasance. She asks the PCs follow her to the castle and help her locate her family. She vows that her husband will handsomely reward the PCs if they rescue him and the child.

The Knight

One of the Fair Folk who sought a mortal life. This was granted on the condition that his true name was never uttered again. He married Erin, moved her into his new castle, and they started a family. But she unknowingly spoke his name, so he was forsworn and Fairy claimed its due. The Knight is an Oathbreaker.

The White Red-Eared Hounds

Silent Barghest trackers from Fairy. During this adventure, whenever falsehood is uttered, hounds appear on a nearby crest.

The Pale Hand

A clammy horse-sized hand, its skin wrinkly and translucent. It floats and contorts and can squeeze through the tiniest openings, and takes what is owed. The Hand took both babe and Knight.

Stat: 6 Wounds: 8 Speed: 3
Attacks: scratch 2 (1 sq)
Armor: none
Talents: Take, Lull, Wring, Command Fey

The Hollow Hills

Sparsely populated and heavily wooded rolling hills. Named for their numerous caves, which according to tales, are home to Fair Folk, monsters, and other wild things. Glen-Castle is out in the Hollow Hills. Three ancient crones also haunt the Hills.

Glen-Castle

An austere estate nestled in a narrow notch amongst towering pines. It is fading. Once-solid stone melts from top to bottom like a candle, though it remains cool to the touch. Choking vines and mold eat it from the ground up. The relentless rain washes the castle away. Within days, the castle is no more.

Castle Map Key

Draw on the Event Deck below when moving between rooms.

1. Foyer. Moldy stairs ascend to the melting roof. Two suits of animated armor (Restless Dead) pore on a game of chess. They speak eloquently and guard the castle fiercely.
2. Library. Musty tomes on shelves fuzzy with mold. A leather-bound book tells of three old crones who grant wishes. The crones live in a swamp, a bramble-choked forest, and a cave. Contains a map to each. It also bears a Major Arcana word.
3. Nursery. The babe's cradle sinks slowly into the soft stone floor. In the cradle rests only stale bread and curdled milk. Under the cradle is a wet hole in the ground—a tunnel leading out to the Fairy Mound.
4. Trophy Room. Dozens of elk heads line the walls. Rusting spears, bows, and swords hang on racks. A large painting depicts the Wild Hunt, the Devil at the lead, with hounds, ghosts, and witches in the march. If anyone steals from the castle, a hound leaves the painting and pursues the thief.
5. Erin's Chamber. Intact. Antique furniture, old clothes, embroidery paraphernalia. Map and cartography tools.
6. Knight's Chamber. Damp. Cold dew covers the sheets. The bed has never been slept in. In a locked chest is a mirror that shows the truth and a letter bearing the Knight's name: Dewdrops-in-Summer.

Event Deck. I-X: Fairy music. XI-XV: Erin has momentary amnesia. XVI-XIX: Shade attacks. XX: Temperature drops. XXI: The Pale Hand approaches. It wants Erin's memories of her family. It flinches and flees if met with resistance.

The Crones

Old friends of the knight. These Hags give the PCs artifacts that may help save Erin's family—if the PCs accept their bargains.

Swamp Crone

Empty eye sockets that dart around as if beholding some unseen dancer. Dwells in a hut of sticks floating on a lily pad. She bestows a needle in exchange for one PC's true name.

The Needle—the user can bind two creatures together with an unseen bond, recovering any lost memories the two shared, but making charms and manipulations easier to achieve.

Forest Crone

Gray teeth that clack together when she speaks. Dwells in a large hollow tree. She grants a thimble in exchange for access to one PC's sight (she can see what the PC sees whenever she wishes).

The Thimble—the one carrying the thimble is protected from attempts to magically charm or bewitch them, but is unable to break promises or oaths.

Cave Crone

Long blond hair that drags behind her. The maw to her cave is camouflaged by hanging vines. She presents scissors in exchange for a PC's life (the PC's life ends).

The Scissors—the user can sever bonds between two creatures. This breaks any spells or glamours they have over the other, but inflicts an excruciating Wound to both.

The Fairy Mound

A cramped subterranean den. Roots creep out of the ceiling and walls. Fairy music seems to issue from everywhere. It smells of parsley and pine. Beetles and dew-worms twitch in the dirt.

The Knight is at a table, seated next to a woman with elongated, otherworldly features: his Fairy Bride (Hag). She gently rocks Erin's slumbering child in a silver cradle. The Pale Hand caresses the Knight, petting him like a cat. He is in a reverie, barely recognizes his human wife, and can't focus on conversation for more than a few seconds at a time. The Knight wears a pleasant smile and offers visitors tea in a distant dreamlike voice.

Should the PCs disturb the tranquility of the den, the Pale Hand warns them by aggressively raising its middle finger at the PCs and pointing at the exit. If this is ignored, the Pale Hand rises into the air and attacks. It also commands the Knight and the Bride to attack. They fight to the death because they must.