Eberron Episode II: Part 3, Trouble at Brey Hills Farms

Introduction

The Brey Hills farmstead is a peaceful, beautiful dairy and vegetable farm, sitting on isolated acreage near the edge of Lake Brey. Farmer Eustice “Old Man” Bonebane first settled this plot over sixty years ago—but unknown to the farmer or anyone else, his steading was not the first settlement here.

A hundred years before the farm fields were first tilled, a demonic cult exiled from Thrane excavated a small dungeon beneath this isolated spot. They conducted foul rites and dark ceremonies there, as cults do, but the eruption of the Last War messed up their plans, and they never really got their evil aspirations off the ground. The dungeon had been abandoned for decades before Bonebane claimed the land above it, and the farmer has no idea what lies beneath his fields.

A few weeks ago, a troublesome quasit named Yobro found its way into the dungeon through a long-dormant portal in its central shrine. The quasit has grand designs on seeing the shrine reopened for abyssal business, and has had a pack of summoned dretches doing clean up in the tunnels and chambers of the abandoned site. Even as the demons work, though, the renewed dark magic of the shrine has begun to pollute the farm’s well water, with results to be revealed to the characters during this encounter.

Zeez's Job at Starilaskur's Adventure Guild:

A goblin who goes by the name Zeez was supposed to hear from Bonebane 2 days ago. It has already been 3 days and Zeez is worried. Zeez is no fighter and needs some brave adventurers to find Bonebane for him and ensure his safety.

Zeez has provided some details and a rough sketch so you have a pretty faint idea of how Bonebane looks like.

Encounter Summary

The characters are drawn to unexpected trouble at a quiet farmstead. Old Man Bonebane and all of his farmhands have gone missing, and a herd of cows seen wandering the place have been infected with a murderous curse. 

After surviving the cursed cow assault, the characters come under attack by the also-murderously-cursed farmer. Sort of. By relieving Old Man Bonebane of his curse or successfully investigating the deserted farmstead for clues, the characters discover a mysterious sinkhole leading down to unknown dangers. But for now Bonebane is their priority and they should head back.

Down on the Farm

As the characters approach Breezy Hills, all seems quiet at first glance. Perhaps too quiet. Read or paraphrase the following to set the scene:

"Breezy Hills farmstead is a lovely place. Quiet and bucolic. No sign of trouble. Birds are chirping in the trees that line the cart path leading to a large barn and a well-kept house. The promised breeze is light and warm, setting a bucket hanging from the well swinging to and fro. The inferred hills are a series of tilled slopes spreading around the house and barn, covered with rich beds of sunflowers and vegetables. Everything looks fine here. Totally fine."

 

As the characters draw closer, they’ll presumably keep an eye out for any farmhands or workers—and might feel a touch uneasy when they fail to see anyone. The door of the house stands wide open, as do the broad double doors of the barn. The only creatures that can be seen are livestock in pens, chickens scratching around the farmyard, and a small herd of cows beside the barn. A herd of cows with a difference.

"Dairy cows are milling around the open space before the barn, looking as though the farmhands are getting them ready for milking. Which makes it especially odd that no farmhands can be seen. Even odder is that the fence marking the edge of the cow pasture has been knocked down, apparently leaving the cows free to wander the farmstead.

 

One of those cows glances up at your approach. It assesses you with a strangely intelligent gleam in its eye. Other cows turn to see you. They all smile in a sinister fashion. Then as one, they begin to laugh as they charge toward you—a horrid, guttural, chuckling mooing!"

 MONSTERS: 8 Cursed Cows

Looking Around

With the cows dispensed with, the characters are free to investigate the farmstead. But what they discover only deepens the mystery. The place appears deserted, even as it shows signs that at least one person is still around. (See “The Wrath of Old Man Bonebane” below for details on that one person.) As the characters explore, reveal the following:

• The animals still in their pens have been fed and watered recently, but there’s no sign of any humanoid inhabitants of the farm.
• The house appears normally tidy and well kept, but its front door is wide open and its floors are marked by muddy footprints coming and going.
• Half-eaten food has been left on plates littering the kitchen, which is buzzing with flies.
• The bed in the house’s one bedroom is filthy, showing signs that someone has been sleeping in it wearing muddy clothing and boots.
• The horrible smell of sour milk can be noted by anyone approaching the barn. Inside, a milking station is set up and shows signs of having been recently used. A number of milk canisters have been filled, but then have been left standing in the open to spoil.
• The loft in the barn features a comfortable sleeping area for five farmhands. The beds are all neatly made. A compost bucket near the door contains fruit peelings and bread crusts that are starting to go moldy.

Tainted Well

Any character who investigates the well at the center of the farmyard immediately notices a strange, bitter scent hanging on the air. Water from the well smells and tastes fine. But a character who drinks or sniffs the water and succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana or Nature) check discerns that it has been magically tainted. (The well water is the source of the curse that afflicted the cows, as the characters will later discover.)

The well bottom 30 feet below ground is a small aquifer that fills with water from an underground stream flowing in and out through narrow cracks in the ground. Characters who poke around down there find no access to the source of the water’s corruption.

Bonebane

"A bloodcurdling shriek suddenly rises. A figure appears—a human male dressed in reeking, muddy farm clothes and unlaced boots. The light of madness blazes in his eyes, and the knife he holds in his hand catches the light as he lurches toward you. He looks exactly like how Zeez described Bonebane would look like. This must be Bonebane!"

Bonebane acts first as he surprises the characters. He won't be able to do much as he too isn't a fighter. If he drops to 0 hit points, he is knocked unconscious.

MONSTERS: 1 Commoner

As an action, a character can attempt a DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Medicine) check to assess Old Man Bonebane. A success confirms that he’s under the same curse seen in the cows, but that his advanced age and feeble state have put sharp limits on his murderous rage.

The curse can be removed from the farmer if a character uses a healer’s kit, applies holy water, or improvises an interesting remedy as an action and makes a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. With each failed check, Old Man Bonebane lurches back to consciousness, tries to head butt the closest character, and knocks himself out again in the process. Casting protection from evil and good, lesser restoration, or a similar spell on Old Man Bonebane also returns him to normal.

Trouble Down Below

The characters can discover the entry point to the next encounter either by talking to Old Man Bonebane once the curse is lifted from him, or by further exploration. Any conversation with Bonebane reveals that he’s a crotchety, ungrateful sort, as well as the following:

• The strange, bitter scent at the well first appeared about a week ago. The water tasted fine and the animals showed no ill signs from drinking it, so the farmer didn’t worry about it.
• Two days past, a sinkhole suddenly appeared in the woods some hundred feet behind the barn. Bonebane remembers one of his five farmhands, Luke, saying he’d seen stonework at the bottom of the hole, and that he wanted to go down to investigate.
• The farmer remembers nothing else after that. (When the curse finally took over his mind, Bonebane’s memory was broken. But the curse’s limited effect on him meant that he simply continued his feeding and milking duties, just a little bit grumpier than usual.)

If the characters don’t talk to Bonebane, they eventually discover the sinkhole with any expanded search of the farmstead. They should probably head back since their job is done.

If the characters choose to investigate the sinkhole, they will eventually encounter a collapsed tunnel with no way through. A dead end. They should probably head back and report to the guildhall for now.