The Heap-Thing of Skunk Glen

Little did they know a creature dwelled in a cave at
the bottom of the glen, and when it heard it won't be
getting “new” clothes this year, it fumed and raged
and swore to ruin this new spring festival. It made the
pies rot and the broken tools come to life and beat the
villagers. With enchanted bonfire smoke and spring
melodies it beguiled the villagers to come to its lair
in Skunk Glen, where it stole their tools, and shoes,
and even their names (or some say, their skin!).

Fortunately, there was someone at the
village that saved the day…

STARTER ADVENTURE
The Heap-Thing of Skunk Glen is a starter adventure, designed to walk
you and your group through your first game of Legend in the Mist.
Before running it as a Narrator, it is suggested that you read through
it and refer to the rules mentioned within.

BACKGROUND

Every year at the end of winter, the villagers of Ravenhome
(see sidebar) perform the ceremony of Spring Renewal.

Every person – from child to elder – picks a few old items, such as
tattered clothes or tools broken beyond repair, and adds them to a
special cart that is then ceremoniously pushed over an outcrop of rock
into the Skunk Glen ravine. After that, a celebration is held in the
village green, sharing food, singing, and dancing around a big bonfire.
The old of the previous winter is sent off, and the new is welcomed.

CHANGING CUSTOMS
This year, however, Alderman Beaks has convinced the villagers that
rubbish and broken furniture can be better utilized as fuel for the
festive bonfire. He has his reasons (see the Rumors of What's to Come
below), but to the others he explains it thus: what better way to use
old, discarded things than to drive away the last cold of winter?

RUMORS OF WHAT'S TO COME
Alderman Beaks is a wise man who would not go against a beloved,
established tradition without a good reason.

Recently he has heard, through traders and acquaintances, of a
growing number of bandits on the road, and of strangers roaming
about who harbor ill-intent. Troubled, he went to receive advice from
the village Wise One, and conversed with others in the community.

Eventually, the Alderman decided the villagers would be better served
reserving some of the logs ordinarily meant for the great festival
bonfire – to be used for fortification, if such a dire need arises. So, he
found an alternative source of fuel for the bonfire – the discarded items
themselves – unknowingly starting a feud with the Heap-Thing.

Read Aloud Text
Text formatted in the following
way is meant to be read aloud
to the players. You can use
it for Establishing a scene
or a part of a scene:

The piemaker's house
is a mess – bubbling
filling thickening in
iron pots, empty crusts
cooling down on a long
wooden bench, and
flour everywhere.

Soloing This Adventure
You can play this adventure
in Solo or Co-Op mode using
the Oracle rules (page 238).
To avoid most of the spoilers,
do not read sections marked
until explicitly told
with
to do so by the instructions
marked as SOLO.

Where is Ravenhome?
Ravenhome is a village set at
the center of the pastoral
valley of Ravensdale, itself
a small part of a remote
mountain region known as
the Dales. It is the default
opening location for the Wake
of The Oldways campaign
included in the Hearts of
Ravensdale Setting Book.
You can play this adventure
as a warm-up for the
campaign, or alternatively,
set this adventure in any
village in your setting.

Creature
of Twilight
If your game is set in the
official Hearts of Ravensdale
setting, the Heap-Thing is
a “Creature of Twilight”, a
cunning monster of sorts.
See more in the Hearts of
Ravensdale Setting Book.

Playing

the Wise One
If one of the Heroes is the
Wise One (from the Legend in
the Mist demo game), let that
player know they already know
about the Alderman's true
reasons for deviating from
tradition, and should probably
keep it to themselves. No one
will be served by having panic
spread through the village just
before the Spring Renewal
ceremony. From that point on,
it's their choice whether to
reveal this information or not.

THE DISGRUNTLED CREATURE
Unbeknownst to any in the village, a strange creature dwells at the
bottom of the ravine, a magical being that has lived there since time
immemorial. Perhaps, in days of yore, it looked not unlike a person,
albeit with gnarled limbs, scaly green skin, and eyes like orbs of amber;
but owing to its greed, it had become part-rubbish, a Heap-Thing. It has
always considered the discarded possessions of the village as a gift and
an invitation to indirectly take part in the celebration.

This year, believing itself to have been rudely disinvited, it vows to ruin
the Spring Renewal celebration, using its magic first to inflict various
minor troubles on the villagers, then to cause complete bedlam during
the festivity, forcing the villagers to join its own twisted festival in its
trash heap, with no regard to their safety.

Synopsis

The adventure begins with the Heroes helping with the Ceremony
Preparations, during which you introduce some of the village people
and set the atmosphere. When the ceremony begins, it quickly turns
into Bedlam on the Green, with villagers acting intoxicated under
the influence of the Heap-Thing's curse.

Even as the Heroes manage to undo the curse at the green, several of
the villagers have already begun on a Delirious Procession, making
their way toward the Heap-Thing's lair down the ravine, risking life
and limb unless the Heroes are there to help shake them out of it.
At the Bottom of the Skunk Glen, the Heroes are asked to present a
customary gift to be allowed through the trash pile and into the Heap-
Thing's domain, where they find its Festival of Mockery, confront
the Heap-Thing, and bring an end to the whole debacle, one way or
another.

Hooks: How Are The Heroes Involved?

The Heroes of your Fellowship – if they are already united in a
Fellowship – may have different backgrounds and different motivations
to become embroiled in this adventure. They may be:
• Villagers from Ravenhome (or whichever village you have chosen
to set this adventure in)

• Visitors from other communities, or local recluses who live nearby
and have come in for the annual ceremony

• Travelers, wanderers, or folk heroes passing through or staying at
the village

• Monster hunters or sorcerers who have heard mysterious rumors of
Skunk Glen

• Other strange creatures passing through, looking for others of their
kin or for a new lair

OPENING SCENE:
CEREMONY PREPARATIONS

THE GAME LOOP, SIMPLE AND QUICK ACTIONS, REACTIONS
Make sure everyone has their Heroes ready, then read this
out loud to start things off:

Although the last cold of winter is still felt in the air this
morning, the people of Ravenhome are unusually active.
There's a sweet sort of tension in the air – anticipation
for the Spring Renewal celebration. Finally, it came
around! It's tonight!

Spring Renewal, being the first outdoor event after
winter, is an opportunity to finally have some fun with
all your loved ones, making merry under the open sky and
bright stars. But first, there's work to be done: preparing
food, setting tables, raking the village green, and more.

One important job is to collect the clothes deemed too
worn and the furniture deemed too broken to repair to the
Discarded Cart. Every year, the contents of the cart are
spilled over the edge of Skunk Glen to symbolize renewal.
It's a Ravenhome tradition as old as the village itself, but
you've heard rumors the tradition itself might go through
a renewal this year.

You dress up quickly, finish breakfast, and make your
way to the center of the village. It's time to join in with
the preparations.

Meeting At The Village Square

The village square is a muddy enclosure surrounded by houses and facing the
larger building of the village hall. From here, one only needs to take a few steps
outward to get a good look at almost anywhere in the village, which is why
Alderman Beaks is often found nearby.

The Alderman isn't here yet, but he has sent word to the Heroes to come, so he
can meet with them. How do they arrive? Let's play this scene using the game
loop (page 20).

ESTABLISH
Establish the scene by describing it, and let the Heroes know they all happen to
be here this morning (with some exceptions allowed). There are no immediate
Challenges or Threats, and the stakes of the scene are yet to be revealed.

ACTION
Choose a Hero to take action first. Have them describe how they arrive at the
scene, what they look like, what they say or do, and how they respond to the
excitement in the village. These are all Simple actions (Vol. I, page 150), so no
need to roll the dice yet.

Symbolic
Shedding Of

The Old
The people of Ravenhome
are not a wasteful lot.
Most broken items they
repair or repurpose.
However, the Spring
Renewal festival is a
symbolic act of letting go
of the old and welcoming
the fresh and the new,
and it is considered bad
luck to not throw out
anything. And so with
great reluctance, even the
hoarders of Ravenhome
add at least one small item
to the cart each year.

About The Alderman
Beaks is a charming man
in his fifties, with crows
feet that accompany his
constant smile. Even when
he is being serious, he keeps
a hint of jovialness in his
eyes, and he is always willing
to compromise. The people of
Ravenhome have only seen
him truly angry three times,
and all three have become
part of village legend.

Asking About The

Changing Customs
If asked about the change
to the Discarded Cart
tradition, Beaks is quick to
confirm that this year, the
junk will be burned instead
of discarded. “Just as fun,
if not more so. And possibly
even more symbolic, don't
you think?” He'll also press
there's a lot that still needs
to be done for tonight.
If they keep asking, he'll
eventually reveal to them his
worries about the dangers
he foresees in the coming
season, and agree to discuss
this with them further
after the celebration. SOLO:
Rumors of What's
Read
to Come (page 209).
He then asks them not
to spread the rumors
around, and will become
angry-3 at the Heroes if
he suspects they did.

CONSEQUENCES
This is a low-risk activity, so let's not dish out any Consequences at
this time.

REPEAT
After each Hero's turn, re-establish the scene if anything changed,
and move to the next Hero, until everyone has placed themselves in
the scene and you all get a feel of the rhythm of the conversation.

Chores From The Alderman

ESTABLISH
Continue the scene by re-establishing it, this time with the
Alderman showing up. Alderman Beaks is looking for help, and
even if the Heroes aren't looking to get involved, he'll chase them
down to ask for their assistance. He will then assign chores to the
Heroes, as part of the preparations for the ceremony in the evening.

Choose one of the following tasks for each Hero, according to their
strengths. If you have more tasks than Heroes, use only the ones that
seem most appropriate, or give some Heroes more than one task.
• Help Wick the piemaker, who is a little overwhelmed
• Help Reeve, the alderman's wife, with the wreathes she's making
• Visit Auntie Elswith, who needs help with her discarded item
• Find out why there's a congestion on the bridge over the stream
• Speak to Hunn, the blacksmith, about the party banner stakes
not holding

The stakes of the scene are whether or not the Heroes can help the
village prepare for the celebration and do so before sunset.

Alderman Beaks is a Challenge, who poses an active Threat by
giving each Hero a chore: trying to shirk responsibility will not
go down well with the community. Accepting means facing the
Challenge of the chore (see below).

ACTION
In each Hero's turn, ask them what do they do. Do they accept the
chore? Willingly or begrudgingly? Do they try to avoid it? Unless
they take a dramatic action, resolve it with a Simple outcome.

CONSEQUENCES
Ignoring Alderman Beaks' request (Threat) leads to the Consequence
of other village folk showing displeasure with the Hero (spurned-2,
ignored-2, or disliked-2 – for the rest of the week!). This usually cannot
be lessened, so don't have the Heroes roll for a reaction yet.

REPEAT
Go through all of the Heroes until it's clear who's doing what next.

Roll Up Your Sleeves!

Spreading out around the village, have each Hero address the
task that was assigned to them by Alderman Beaks. Assume that
the Heroes can see or hear each other and lend a hand if one gets
into trouble.

ESTABLISH
Each task is a Challenge for a Hero to contend with, with its
details listed below. Describe the Challenge to the Hero, present its
inherent Threat, and clarify the stakes of their particular task.

ACTION
For each action, use a Quick outcome (Vol. I, page 151):
• Ask the Hero to describe their action.

• Ask them to count the action's Power. Each chore Challenge
listed below has tags and/or statuses that could help or hinder
certain actions – let the Hero know about those when they
become relevant.

• The Hero rolls the dice and adds their Power. Rolling 7 or more
is a Success, and rolling 9 or less leads to Consequences.

A Success means the Challenge has been overcome and the chore
was completed, but if the Hero did not achieve a Success, they
may try again when they have the spotlight.

CONSEQUENCES
Each task Challenge listed below has its own Consequences.
If a Hero ignores the Threat posed by the Challenge (such
as by throwing up their hands and leaving, or approaching
the Challenge without caution) or if their action generates
Consequence, choose one or more Consequences to deliver.

If it has an Effect, write it on a tracking card and give it to the
Hero or add it into the scene.

Allow the Hero to make a reaction roll to lessen the Effects
of a Consequence (Vol. I, page 162), using reactive tags. Tags
already invoked in the action cannot be used again.

REPEAT
Move from Hero to Hero and Establish their individual
situations, allow them to take Action, and deliver Consequences
as needed.

Once all the tasks are finished – or botched – the day has
wrapped up and the celebration begins. Continue on to Bedlam
on the Green (page 216).

This Is The Game Loop

By now, you've Established and re-established the scene,
supported Heroes' actions, delivered Consequences, and managed
reactions. Keep using this same loop throughout the adventure.

Familiar Faces
Emphasize the personalities
and behaviors of the villagers
the Heroes meet in this scene.
If a Hero has a special moment
with one of them, good or bad,
give them a story tag for it.
These emotional bonds will
become important later, when
the villagers get into trouble.

Helping Hand
A Hero helping another Hero can
add one helpful tag when counting
Power for the action, but if the
action has Consequences, they
may suffer them along with the
Hero they are helping (Vol. I, page
158).

Suspicious Minds
Heroes can spend their action
trying to understand why all these
mishaps are happening. Without
the appropriate lore or magical
ability, this is a Simple action
that fails – it just seems like bad
luck. But a witch or a monster
hunter could discover that this is
the work of a supernatural force,
if they succeed in a Quick action.
As a reward, give them alert-2 or
allow them to take an action to
prepare for trouble, if they wish.

Scene Reward
If a Hero was especially
helpful (even if they were not
successful), give them good-
will-1 or appreciated-1 with
the villager they helped most.

The Preparation Challenges

WICK, THE PIEMAKER

The piemaker's house is a mess – bubbling
filling thickening in iron pots, empty crusts

cooling down on a long wooden bench, and

flour everywhere. The smell of sugar,
spice, and sweat fills the air. A broken
table leans on the wall next to the door,

ready to be collected for the Discarded
Cart. Wick Harrow, the piemaker, looks
flushed when he stops his frantic-2 work

as you step in, shouting “All the fruit in

the pantry have rotted overnight! What
am I going to do?” His young apprentice,

Bran, approaches and whispers with
relief, “Thank the spirits you're here!”

REEVE AND THE WREATHES

(AND THE DOG)

Reeve, Alderman Beaks' wife, meets you

in her front yard, a worried look on her
face. “Quickly,” she says, with a little nod.
“It's Brown Mutt, our dog. He's gone. Not
unusual, also, not the issue – no, he took the

wreath I prepared. I made it from discarded

junk! To be burned! I thought it'll be a nice

decoration. Maybe next year everyone will
be doing it. Brown Mutt liked it, too much.
Please find him and bring the wreath back.”

AUNTIE ELSWITH

Auntie Elswith lives alone in a small cottage

at the edge of the village. It is a beautiful
building, half-covered with ivy, with hand-

painted flowers on the windows' wooden
shutters. Inside, the air is warm with the

scent of brewed chamomile and lavender.
Kindly auntie Elswith clears some folded

quilts from a wooden chair and invites

you to sit with her. She then explains
“I want to toss out some of my broken
flower pots, but alas, the shed has been

taken over by wasps,” and she points

to the dilapidated shed outside.

CONSEQUENCES
(If no Success) Wick reluctantly uses the
spoiled fruit for some of his pies, making
their rotten stench drown the green during the
celebration.
Wick's mood sours and he shouts at the Hero
(shaken-1 or upset-1).
Impressed or furious, Wick puts the Hero to
rigorous work at the bakery for the rest of the
day (tired-2).
One of the fruit bursts open and worms pour
out (disgusted-1).

CONSEQUENCES
(If no Success) The wreath is destroyed
(Ill Tidings) and Reeve is annoyed-2 or
disappointed-2 with the Hero.
As the Hero scrambles to catch Brown Mutt,
they are scraped-2 or get themselves dirty-2.
The long search after the dog has exhausted
the Hero (tired-2).

CONSEQUENCES
(If no Success) Auntie Elswith won't be adding
her discard item to the pile this year, a sign of
bad luck for her, which could rub off on the
Hero (give either or both expecting-bad-luck-1).
Auntie Elswith is appalled by the Hero's
behavior and talks about it to the entire village
(spurned-1).
The wasps sting the Hero (stung-2).
The shed collapses on the Hero (dirty-2 and
bruised-1).

BLOCKED BRIDGE

You can hear the Dalias fighting before

you see them. Dalia Furrows and Dalia

Miuleska, heads of their respective
farmhouses, stand on the old bridge over the

stream and shout at each other, fuming-3,

fighting over whose tablecloth should
be on the main table (a veritable honor).

Promise Furrows-Miuleska, daughter
of one Dalia and daughter-in-law of the

other, stands between them at a loss.
The fight has already devolved into name-

calling. Troubled villagers stand on both
sides of the bridge, carrying furniture and

supplies for the ceremony, but the Dalias
refuse to let anyone pass until their issue is
resolved. Nothing will get across at this rate.

HUNN AND THE
CRUMMY STAKES

Hunn the blacksmith stands outside
their forge, large arms on their hips,
looking lost-2. “It's the stakes,” they say,
shuffling a foot in the dust. “Poor quality

iron, shouldn't have trusted that trader.

With such crummy stakes, I can't give

my word that the banner will hold.”
Their voice is low, as is their mood. The
raising of the two posts, which hold the main

ceremony banner, is an early evening event

the village children look forward to every
year. Hunn, gentle soul that they are, would

be devastated if no solution can be found.

CONSEQUENCES
(If no Success) Everyone is delayed and the
green is an absolute mess when the celebration
begins.
One of the Dalias insults the Hero in front of
the whole village (ridiculed-2).
One of the Dalias pushes the Hero off the
bridge (dirty-2 and soaked-2).
Helping to carry the items across has the Hero
exhausted (tired-2).

CONSEQUENCES
(If no Success) The banner cannot be raised,
and all the children are disheartened-1 for the
rest of the night.
The solution will hold but it's not exactly safe
(wobbly banner posts).
Hunn, who is prone to despair, sees their
inability to help as a personal failure (give
Hunn disheartened-2).
The Hero has an accident at the forge
(burned-1).

Victims Of The Curse
Any villager the Heroes
interacted with in previous
scenes (Beaks, Wick,
Bran, Reeve, both Dalias,
Promise, Auntie Elswith,
and Hunn), as well as the
Heroes' loved ones if they
are here, can be either
enchanted or put in danger
by an enchanted villager.

Save the ones whom the
Heroes most care about for
the Delirious Procession
(page 219) and later scenes;
they were among the first
affected and are already on
their way down the ravine.

Alternatively, villagers can
be recruited to help with a
Simple action, or a Quick
one, if there is some difficulty
to do so. A Success gains
the Hero an ally tag (such
as Hunn the blacksmith).
Trying to free a villager from
the curse or recruit them
may be affected, for better
or for worse, by tags and
statuses they gained during
the Ceremony Preparations.

BEDLAM ON THE GREEN

DETAILED ACTIONS, LIMITS

The sound of dozens of excited people envelopes
the village green, as everyone gathers to watch
the sunset and begin the spring celebration. The
green is a large open field behind the village hall,
stretching out all the way to the rock outcrop
above Skunk Glen ravine, the place from which
every spring all the collected refuse is thrown.

But not tonight – this time, the bonfire will become
the star of the show. Set in the middle of the
green, between tables set with food, a dance area
decorated with ribbons, and the musicians' stage,
the bonfire is already bright and burning tall, as
the items discarded by the village are consumed
within. In a matter of minutes, without any special
declarations, people are already eating, chatting,
and while dancing, families approach the bonfire to
throw more of their discarded items into the flames.

However, as big and joyful as the celebration soon
becomes, there is an uneasy air around. A few people on
the sidelines are fighting about the new tradition. Amid
the dancers, someone is shouting a bit too loud, another
is dancing too wildly. The music sounds twisted, as
if one instrument is playing against the others. It's
been barely a moment since sunset, but already the
party seems out of control and heading for a disaster.

During this scene, the revelry slowly turns into chaos due to the Heap-
Thing's magic, which spreads through the smoke rising from the Cursed
Bonfire – the destroyed items it wants for itself – as its fell, bewitched
music is played from under the hill. Enchanted villagers become
delirious and begin to endanger themselves, and some of the rubbish
even comes to life as effigies that attempt to take out the bonfire – which
the Heap-Thing is jealous of – but instead just set everything on fire.

TAGS IN THIS SCENE
The dense crowd makes a deafening noise; both might hinder actions.

The Challenges
• The Cursed Bonfire (Mystery, Influence) is the main Challenge of
the scene. The curse will only be lifted when the bonfire is put out
or when it burns out.

• The Enchanted Villagers (Charge) engage in wild revelry,
endangering themselves and others.

• Animated Effigies (Aggressor) made of discarded items come to
life and sow destruction.

How To Run This Scene

Begin by Establishing the scene and asking the
Heroes about what they do, following the game
loop. Start off with a causal description of the event,
and escalate your description with every turn toward
the bizarre and eventually to the wild, as the stakes
become clear: someone could get terribly hurt.

Introduce the Enchanted Villagers Challenge
first: use their Threat and if the Heroes cannot
prevent it, deliver Consequence, as normal.
When a Hero looks for the cause or breathes
in some of the smoke, start using the Cursed
Bonfire Challenge. Finally, at a moment of your
choice, to increase the stakes and the drama,
throw in the shocking Animated Effigies.

PACING WITH THREATS
As the scene becomes more chaotic, consider how
many Threats to make before each Hero's turn. For
example, you can have one enchated villager ready
to accidently set themself on fire; another, on the
other side of the green, almost pushing a Hero off
the cliff; and also an effigy, thrashing two Heroes
with flaming arms – all at the same time.

But you probably shouldn't! One Threat per Hero
turn will give them something clear to handle.
Two per Hero will already force them to choose,
leaving one Threat unaddressed. Remember to
leave the Heroes some breathing room for other
actions, such as discovering the source of the
influence and later putting out the bonfire.

If the Heroes manage themselves well, and you want
to make things harder, add more Threats. If you wish
to bring the scene to a conclusion, stop introducing
new Challenges and slow down your Threats.

DETAILED ACTIONS
Many of the Threats posed by Challenges in this
scene can be averted with a Quick action. The
same is true for actions uncovering the bonfire as
the cause of the problem.

However, the main Challenge, the Cursed Bonfire,
requires the Heroes to take Detailed actions (Vol.
I, page 151) and add a quenched, choked, or wet
status against the bonfire's put-out Limit.

Where appropriate, allow the Heroes to take Detailed
actions and spend their Power on Effects such as
removing delirious statuses or creating a helpful tag.

The Curse

Anyone at the green who inhales the smoke
becomes delirious, filled with the creature's desire
to participate in the event, to dance and make
merry. This is an ongoing Threat & Consequence
in the scene posed by the curse; villagers will
keep falling victim to its effects until the Heroes
discover the cause and put an end to it.

For Heroes, delirious is a compelling status (Vol.
I, page 170) that makes the Hero wish to join
in the celebration, and so it hinders any attempt
to disrupt the dancing and drinking. A Hero that
is overcome by the status will join the Delirious
Procession.

DISCOVERING THE CURSE
AND ITS SOURCE
If one of the Heroes pays close attention to the
smoke (a Simple action), perhaps after inhaling
some, they can notice that when the wind changes
and carries the smoke in a new direction, the
people in its way become affected. The focal point
of the curse can also be discovered in other ways
with a Quick action.

It takes uncanny vigilance, special lore, or magical
abilities (and a Quick action) to detect that the
source of the curse is under the green, at the bottom
of Skunk Glen, which can lead to the Delirious
Procession.

We Are Missing Someone…

The sudden debacle is over when the bonfire is put
out, or when it burns out. Or is it? The Heroes will
soon discover that at the edge of the village, a new
development demands their attention. Continue to
Delirious Procession (page 219).

THE CURSED BONFIRE

Mystery, Influence

The Heap-Thing is furious, jealous, and determined to ruin the “new” Spring Renewal festival. It
uses its magic to intoxicate the villagers and throw the festival into chaos. While the bonfire isn't
the source of its magic, it is its focal point of the curse, as it holds all the discarded items the Heap-

Thing feels it was robbed of. Putting it out is the best way to lift the curse; contending directly

with the creature's magic to cleanse it is a formidable feat (Might, Vol. I, page 171).

THREATS & CONSEQUENCES

LIMITS

PUT OUT THE BONFIRE 5

DRIVE MAD
The bonfire crackles loudly
and the discordant music intensifies

CLEANSE THE CURSE 4

Heroes or allies who inhale the smoke become

Enchanted Villagers regain their senses and Animated

delirious-2
More villagers fall under the curse (New Challenge:

Effigies crumble back into heaps of trash. Remove

delirious from everyone who is still at the scene.

Enchanted Villagers, or add more of them)

TAGS & STATUSES

roaring fire
Potent, strange magic

ENCHANTED VILLAGERS

Charge

Villagers that fall under the curse become careless, with clear signs of delirium: eyes glazed over, smiles too wide,

singing too loudly, and dancing with abandon, knocking into each other without care for safety or decorum.

An Enchanted Villager can be freed with a Quick action or a Detailed one (by maxing
snap out). Use delirious as a hindering status. Affecting more than a handful of villagers

with a single action is a Mighty action (Adventure, due to numbers).

THREATS & CONSEQUENCES

LIMITS

SUBDUE 1

ENDANGER
A villager begins dancing too close to the bonfire, or
to the cliff's edge, moving unexpectedly and without coordination

SNAP OUT 1

Knock themselves or others into the danger, with a misstep (Ill Tidings

as someone is injured, or give burned-2 or hanging-off-the-edge-2)

TAGS & STATUSES

delirious-2

ANIMATED EFFIGY

Aggressor

Some of the discarded items in line for the fire rise up at the Heap-Thing's command, snap and break apart,
then rearrange themselves into towering human-like shapes. They wade through the alarmed and bewildered

and try to dismantle the bonfire, but instead catch fire and spread it around, endangering the entire village.

THREATS & CONSEQUENCES

LIMITS

DESTROY 2

IGNITE ITSELF
Shamble through the crowd towards the bonfire
Swat away anyone in its path (prone-2 and also bruised-2)
Dunk its upper body into the bonfire (gain ablaze-3)

BANISH 2

TAGS & STATUSES

flammable, sharp edges

DEVASTATE
Dance among the villagers while wreathed in flames
Thrash and hit bystanders (bruised-2)
Wade through a group of people, flaming (burned-2)
Walk into a villager's house, setting it on fire (Ill Tidings)

THE DELIRIOUS
PROCESSION

JOURNEYS

“Is everyone here?” “Have you seen where Yarni has
gone?” “What have they done to the banners!”...

In all the commotion around, with people gathering and
looking distraught, one shout can be heard clearly above the
rest: “There! Someone's going down the Skunk Glen path!”

It's true – several torchlights dance in the darkness along
the ravine's edge, going down the infamous path that leads
to its bottom. The Glen path is treacherous even during
day time, and there is scarcely any reason to go down it.

Cries for attention are left unanswered, as the travellers
keep making their way downward. Suddenly, one of the
torches falls into the darkness… Everyone watching from
the green gasps in distress.

In this scene, the Heroes make their way down to the Bottom of Skunk
Glen alongside several of the villagers who were enchanted early on
during the festival and are heading down to join the Heap-Thing's party.

The glen path zigzags for a while down the hillside and ends just under
the rock outcropping that juts out of the village green by an enormous,
rotting pile of discarded items from decades, perhaps centuries, of the
Spring Renewal tradition: the entrance to the creature's lair.

March Of The
Enchanted Villagers

There are one or two dozen villagers making their
way haphazardly down the path. They are spread
out all the way down, some of them having reached
the bottom of the cliff before the Heroes even start
their way down. They are all carrying torches.

Among them are some of the Heroes' favorite
community members and loved ones – but not
all: save a few yet for the Bottom Of Skunk Glen.
Can the Heroes save them? If they do, consider
giving these NPCs as tags, to represent them
joining the Fellowship as allies for the duration of
this adventure.

The villagers are all delirious-2, which hinders
any attempt to make them stop following the path
down (a Quick action); they believe that is where the
celebration is happening, and that they must join.

Down Skunk Glen

The descent down the path is played as a Journey
Journey,
made up of Challenge Vignettes
Challenge Vignettes (page 108):
each describes a story moment along the way, a
dangerous situation that is meant to be resolved
with a single Quick outcome. Some player actions
or Consequences can make a Vignette stretch into
a longer scene, but it should be kept brief even so.

Choose a number of Vignettes to play, based on how
you want to pace the story (four is a good default).
Pick the ones that are best for your dramatic sense.
Within the story, the Vignettes shouldn't happen
immediately one after the other; make the Journey
feel longer by describing the long minutes of careful
movement down the narrow path. Getting to the
bottom might even take an hour.

The Journey ends when you have played through
your chosen number of Vignettes; the Heroes
then arrive at the bottom of the cliff. Continue to
Bottom Of Skunk Glen (page 222).

Landscape
Skunk Glen

Tags: clouded moonlight (Heroes can Simply ask
for a torch in the village, before heading down).
To make a Vignette harder, you can have the path
be very narrow, covered in slippery mud, or full of
stinging nettles.

GENERAL CONSEQUENCES

These Consequences can happen with any
Vignette.

A strong wind blows out the torch
(Complication or scratch a tag).
A Hero slips over a mossy rock or down
a rubble pile (scraped-2 or scratch a tag of
physical capability).
The sound of an uncaring villager laughing
echoes from below (worried-2 or the curse is
spreading, delirious-1).

Others In The Procession
Here are a few more villagers caught
in the spell for your use.
Giphty the Mumbler, a 15 year old teen
from one of the reclusive forester families
who live in the woods. This bright-eyed kid
has a speech impediment, for which he is
sometimes bullied, and yet he is perhaps
the most social of all the foresters.
Laurantadeara, Laury to her few friends,
moved into the village a few years ago
after leaving a land only a few around
here have even heard of. Some say she is
running away… but she certainly isn't now,
as she tumbled down a rock while going
down the path, and has a swollen ankle.
Fahira the Trader, whose hair famously
turned silver in her youth, visits the
village four times a year, in time for the
seasonal ceremonies. Being somewhat of
a hedonist, she is especially difficult to
convince to turn her back on a good party.

CRACKED STONE

The path ahead winds underneath a
cracked stone slab, which is groaning

under its own weight. [Villager
name] is crossing underneath it,

without noticing the danger.

The slab breaks and drops while someone is
walking underneath it (crushed-4 and broken
stones on the path).
A Hero is winded-2 after rushing to save the
villager.
Something used to prop the slab is crushed or
twisted (scratch a tag).

HANGING ON A LEDGE

There's a muffled groan up ahead where

a guttering torch lies. You suddenly
spot the hands of a person hanging onto

dear life on the edge of that outcrop!

After a moment, a dull thud is heard (possibly
followed by a loud cry of pain) as something
heavy hits the ravine's bottom (Ill Tidings).
While trying to help the villager up, the Hero
slips as well (hanging-off-the-edge-2).
A Hero's item slip and falls into the refuse pile
(scratch a tag).

A GLYPH OF REPELLING

A strange symbol is etched on the sheet

stone by the path, seemingly carved
with a nasty claw. Lichen grows around

the symbol, but does not cover it.

A Hero who is not delirious is cursed (unlucky-1).
A charm, amulet, or spell of protection snaps
and breaks all of a sudden (scratch a tag or
reduce a warded status).
A loud unnatural voice echoes through the
glen: “You snoopy lot, you are not my guests!”
(Exposure, scared-2 to all Heroes, or scratch
ally tags as they flee).

NIGHT OWL

A nocturnal raptor can be heard gliding
closeby, then two eyes appear, reflecting

your light, approaching rapidly.

The bird, startled, startles the Hero as well
(jumpy-2).
The bird, trying to protect its nearby nest,
scratches at someone's eyes (bleeding-2, and if
not fully lessened, also blurred-vision-2).

FEARFUL VILLAGER

[Villager Name] stands, frozen with
indecision, in front of a narrow passage
overlooking a steep drop. (They are still

under the curse, but also fearful-2)

The villager is startled, and slips and falls
down the slope (Ill Tidings).
The curse strengthens within them (they gain
delirious-3 and continue forward).
A hero slips on the drop (hanging-off-the-edge-2).

FORK IN THE ROAD

The path splits, one path leads
down more steeply, and the other
at a more gentle incline, albeit into
thick undergrowth. There's a person

inside the bushes – but they aren't

moving! (These are just discarded

clothes from last winter).

The steep path turns out to be as treacherous as
it seemed (scraped-2).
The undergrowth gets thicker and thicker,
fighting against the Heroes' movements (tired-2
or scratch a tag representing equipment that
becomes damaged).
A Hero is struck with indecisiveness or
confusion (hesitant-2 or confused-2).

Wait Until
Daylight?
Though it's rather stinky-2
and a little scary-1, the
bottom of Skunk Glen is
not a bad place to camp.
There is also the option of
returning to the village. If
the Fellowship is in a bad
way after making the climb
down, perhaps they choose
to huddle under a tree
and rest until dawn. Use
camping rules (Vol. I, page
179) to play through
such a scene. But can
they resist the call of the
Heap Thing through the
night? A camp action that
generates Consequences
gains the Hero delirious-1.

BOTTOM OF SKUNK GLEN

As expected, at the bottom of the cliff lies a giant pile of
years-old discarded items. Skunk Glen is full of narrow
crevices, and the junk here is collected in tight spaces
between walls of rock, rotten and overgrown.

As you make your last few steps down, you are greeted
with the odd sight of several villagers climbing the heap,
then picking out pieces of discarded items from past
years, as if selecting a choice cut of meat.

One of them finds the remains of a wooden doll, clutches it
to their chest… and jumps down into the pile, vanishing from
sight as the refuse opens up to swallow them.
A moment later, and the stinky maw is covered again.

In this scene, the Heroes try to enter the Heap-Thing's domain, following
the last of the village members who fell under its spell.

Entering The Pile

When the Heroes approach the pile of refuse, the Heap-Thing's compulsion
tugs at them. Anyone approaching the pile feels that something is lurking
beneath it, and that it is waiting for a gift from the villagers.

This is a Threat, and ignoring it inflicts delirious-1 as Consequences, as the
Heap-Thing's will intensifies. At this point, delirious Heroes are hindered by
the status in any action not intended to fulfill the Heap-Thing's wishes.

There are two ways to enter the domain of the Heap-Thing.

BRINGING A GIFT
The Heap-Thing opens up the pit leading to its cave to anyone who brings
it a gift – any item no matter how worn or broken (it does not have to
come from the refuse pile. Searching for an item is a Quick action, and
the Hero gains a gift tag for the item.

DIGGING THROUGH ROTTING REFUSE
Digging in through the rubbish is an action (Quick, or Detailed against
dig 3 ), but the refuse pile itself resists this and being delirious is hindering.
As a Consequence, a Hero is scraped-2 by all the items in the pile.

Once all the Heroes are through, they emerge into the Heap-Thing's
Festival of Mockery (page 223).

THE FESTIVAL
OF MOCKERY

QUESTS

You have come into the domain of
something inhuman – something
inside the heap of discarded items.
Something that is the heap.

This Heap-Thing's realm, this hidden
cave, is lit in endless twilight, full of
piles of discarded items sculpted to look
like… the villagers of Ravenhome. There
are “tables”, and “banners”, all decorated
and ready for a night of revelry, a false
celebration in full swing: Delirious
villagers wander, enchanted, between
feasts of spoiled food, songs sung by
croaking dead birds, and rotten puppets
in torn masks inviting them to dance.

At the center of this strange place,
where the bonfire should be, the
Heap-Thing towers above it all: a
huge, menacing pile of old refuse,
held together by putrefied muck,
moving of its own accord.

In this final scene, the Heroes come face-to-face
with the source of the problem, a strange creature
that no one had known lived under the hill by
their village. The stakes are high – if the Heroes
can't find a way to defeat, outsmart, or appease the
Heap-Thing, they will be stuck here forever!

TAGS IN THIS SCENE
This place is eerie, and is littered with countless
discarded items.

The Challenges
• The Heap-Thing (Aggressor, Influence), a
grasping, greedy creature enamoured with
discarded items.

• The last of the Enchanted Villagers (Charge),
who are captivated in the Heap-Thing's spell and
held captive in its realm.

Quests: Search Your Feelings

Before you begin this scene, take a pause from
the story and have each Hero read out loud to the
table their four Quests. Without telling the Heroes,
choose only one Quest of one of the Heroes that
could come into conflict in this scene. The best
candidates are:
• Quests that represent devotion or responsibilities
to Ravenhome and its people

• Quests that demand the Hero would choose a
specific approach to overcoming the Heap-Thing
(such as fighting or cunning)

• Quests that define the Hero's attitude to the
unnatural (such as fascination with strange
creatures or hatred toward them)

• Quests that mark an item as very important to
the Hero (an item which can be used as a gift to
the Heap-Thing)

It is ultimately the Hero's choice when to mark
Abandon or Milestone on a Quest, but you can
help by creating a conflict. If a Hero loves a
villager who is here, perhaps the Heap-Thing
offers to let everyone go if it could keep that person
with them. If the Hero believes all unnatural
creatures should be eradicated, perhaps you can
make them take pity on the Heap-Thing.

The Heap-Thing

Though it is a powerful being from an age bygone,
the Heap-Thing is selfish, lacks empathy or
sophistication, and has no real understanding
of humans – in fact, it is quite susceptible to the
feelings of human beings.

It welcomes anyone who enters its domain,
inviting the Heroes to stay and join the celebration
even as it mocks them relentlessly for their
meaningless efforts to go against its will, as it
believes itself to be all-powerful in its domain. As
long as the Heap-Thing Challenge has not been
overcome, only breaking its magic could allow one
to escape its domain.

WHAT DOES IT WANT
If asked, the Heap-Thing explains how it was
offended when the villagers decided not to throw
their discarded items to him, that they no longer
wanted the Thing to take part in their celebration.

SOLO: Read this only after
you've taken a successful
action to glean the origin
of the Heap-Thing, whether
through conversation,
cunning, or magic. Only then
can you try to overcome
it using its free Limit.

How The Heap-
Thing Came To Be
Long ago, when the Heap-
Thing first came to Skunk
Glen, it was a strange but
beautiful creature, not
unlike a large person, with
gnarly limbs like tree roots
covered in green scales and
eyes like orbs of amber.
The people of this place
admired it and brought it
gifts, but with every item
received the creature felt more
and more burdened by the
emotions that were attached
to it. It soon became petty
and miserable, like many of
those who brought these
offerings. But it couldn't stop
desiring more; so delectable
were these strange feelings.
It became mean and ugly, and
turned away from mortals,
yet they kept sending it
gifts every year. And so, over
the centuries, it gobbled
up and accumulated a heap
of discarded items around
it, until it could no longer
remember what it once was.

But now that some of the villagers are here, it is satisfied again – and
intends on keeping them here forever, instead of the gift of unwanted
items it was denied.

OVERCOMING THE CREATURE
There are several ways to overcome the Heap-Thing, all of which
require the Heroes to give it statuses and max out one of its Limits.
Suggest to the Heroes that they can take action to try and uncover the
creature's weaknesses (Quick or using the Discover Effect).

The Heroes can destroy the creature's body-heap or banish its spirit,
both challenging feats as the creature is large, strong, and possesses
potent magic (Might: Adventure). They may try to convince it to let
them go by appeasing it, negotiating with it, or tricking it (approaching
this directly also is difficult as the creature is in its domain, Might:
Adventure). Finally, if the Heroes discover what the Heap-Thing truly
is, they can try to free it from its burden – the heap itself – or overwhelm
it with feelings by giving it gifts of sentimental value.

SCENE REWARDS
If the Heap-Thing is destroyed, banished, or freed, its shambling
pile of trash may open up to reveal a treasure, or it may even give the
Heroes a gift of its own: a marvelous ring of woven silver threads, an
ancient amber coin, a strangely-shiny ornate spearhead, or a unscathed
dusty tome. Give this to the Heroes as a story tag, or it may be the
beginning of a new Possessions or a Relic theme.

EXITING THE DOMAIN
Overcoming the Heap-Thing causes its domain to collapse, after
which the Heroes and villagers all find themselves laying in the
refuse heap at the bottom of Skunk Glen. The sun rises, and it's time
to make the long way up back to the village.

The Last Of Them

A handful of villagers – some of the Heroes' favorites – have reached the
Heap-Thing's domain before the Heroes managed to make their way in.

Use the Enchanted Villagers Challenge profile (page 218).
However, they are delirious-3 and while inside this domain, this
status is bolstered by the Heap-Thing's magic (Might: Adventure). In
addition, they have these Threat and Consequences:

Approach the Heroes with waxy eyes and a beaming

smile and suggest they join in the revelry
Step in front of the Hero and try to sweep them into a never-
ending dance (grabbed-2)

Approach the tables of rotten food, dance barefoot

on broken refuse, or roll around in muck
Become ill, injured, or filthy (Ill Tidings)
Fall deeper under the spell of the Heap-Thing (delirious-2)

THE HEAP-THING

The Heap-Thing is a shambling pile of discarded items with many limbs, all asymmetrical

and with sharp edges. In its middle is a large maw-like opening out of which it speaks

in a wet and creaking voice, giving out a breath that reeks of rot and mold.

LIMITS

DESTROY 4

BANISH 4

OVERWHELM 4

CONVINCE 4

FREE 4

TAGS & STATUSES

sharp broken tools

Size and strength
Potent, strange magic

Master of its domain

(flattery)

SPECIAL FEATURES

GIFTS OF REFUSE
When the Heap-Thing receives

a gift, it will leave the giver
alone unless the giver bothers it
again. If the gift is of sentimental

value, the Heap-Thing is also
overwhelmed-1. If the giver marked

Abandon to give it, the Heap-

Thing is overwhelmed-3.

Aggressor, Influence

THREATS & CONSEQUENCES

CLAIM GIFT Demand an item that was
offered up for admittance to its realm

Pull the item into its maw by magic and absorb it into its body (scratch

the tag, it gains the same tag, and see Gifts of Refuse)

CONVERSE Speak with a wet voice about
how pleasant this celebration is

Describe the “beautiful” surroundings and “delicious” amenities

(delirious-3)
Threaten to harm the villagers (intimidated-2)

SWALLOW Open its maw as it reaches
with an arm to grab its victim

Grab an unwelcome guest (grabbed-4)
Pull a grabbed victim into its maw (crushed-4)
Devour some of a grabbed victim's belongings or siphon their thoughts

(scratch a power tag, and if it is emotional, the Heap-Thing gains
overwhelmed-1)

ANIMATE Nearby refuse starts moving around
on its own, with squelching sounds

Discarded items come together to create a human shape (New Challenge:

Animated Effigies, or add more of them)

THE AFTERMATH

Take a moment to sum up the adventure and take
stock of all that happened.
• How did the Heroes come out of this affair? Were
they harmed? Did they change their opinions
of creatures? Did some of them remain in the
creature's domain forever?

• How is the village a day after the incident? Is it
a matter of cleaning up a party gone wild or are
there heavier, sadder losses to account for?

• What about the villagers who were enchanted –
who survived and who will never return? Who's
pride was hurt?

• Where is the Heap-Thing now? Does it remain
under the hill, or has its spirit fled? Was it
destroyed or freed of its burdens?

• Was the old tradition kept or did the new one
prevail? Would there ever be another Spring
Renewal festival? Who is everyone blaming for
the debacle?

This is an opportunity to camp (Vol. I, page 179)
at the village and to consider again if any of the
Heroes should be marking Abandon or Milestone
on their Quests given their recent choices. If the
adventure was successful, the village may also
boon the Heroes with gifts in the form of new
story tags.