“Who’s A Pretty Girl”

Recommended party level 5 or higher

The City of Northguard is a small but growing logging town along the Veldran River. Many of the building look new and are made of thick logs with thatched roofs. There’s an inn called “The Oak Hill,” a smithy, and a number of small shops lining the main thoroughfair. As you enter the town square you see a small crowd with pitchforks and torches standing in front what appears to be the town jail. Two men appear to be yelling at one another, a human and a half-orc.

“She needs to be stopped,” says the human.

“She’s just a child,” pleads the half-orc. “Whilma would never hurt a fly. Please. Don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry Brugta but justice must be done,” says the human and he leads the mob away. The half-orc collapses onto the ground with his hands on his eyes. The half-orc sees you and calls out to you. “You are adventurer’s aren’t you? Please you’ve got to help me. It’s my daughter, Whilma. They think she’s a vampire. They’re going to kill her. I just lost my wife. I can’t lose my little girl too.”

Brugta will explain the story if asked. His daughter has long struggled with her appearance. She considered herself very ugly. It didn’t help that she took after her father. A few weeks ago she bought a gold collar from a store called Odrick’s Oddities. It’s still here if the players want to go talk to Odrick and find out more about the collar. She started wearing the collar all of the time and she changed. She became much more confident. She started wearing lipstick. Boys began to call on her. Then, last night she called out to her mother Melian. That’s something she had not done since she was a little girl. When Melian didn’t return, Brugta went to investigate. He found Whilma drinking Melian’s blood. Brugta shouted out and Whilma fled. Melian died before Brugta could get her to a healer.

The players can follow the mob who are using hunting dogs to track down Whilma. They aren’t moving fast and the barking will help the players find them. The dogs have tracked Whilma deep into the forest and stop at a cave entrance. Within the entrance are a number of human bones. The hunting party will spend some time debating what to do and may even encourage the players to explore the cave. Inside the cave is a small group of vampires who have taken Whilma in. They recognize her as a fellow vampire.

1. Against the side of a large hill is a small hole that opens into a tunnel. It reeks of death and decay. Small bones litter the outside of the cave and more are just visible within.

The bones are mostly animal but there are a few humanoid bones mixed in it. An investigation or survival check DC 15 will find footsteps have recently come through the tunnel and crushed some of the bones underfoot.

2. The tunnel splits off here. To the left is a small cave. In the center is a dirty pool of water. The slow and steady drip of water echoes loudly.

An investigation or perception check DC 12 will see something shiny in the pool. It’s a ring of evasion (see Dungeon Masters guide). However, there’s a gray ooze floating on the pool. Any player that reaches for the ring or attempts to enter the pool will be attacked by the ooze. It will gain advantage on the first attack.

3. The tunnel opens into a small cave with a large hole on the far end. You hear some sort of movement from the hole. On the right wall of this cave is another small tunnel. You see a splash of fresh blood on the ground leading into the tunnel.

The hole is home to a number of bats. A nature check DC 15 will identify them as harmless brown bats. The bats will leave the players alone unless disturbed. There are two bat swarms inside the hole that will attack if disturbed or threatened.

4. By far this is the largest cave you have seen so far. The ceiling is about 10 feet high and covered in stalactites. On the far wall are a number of barrels and huddled against them is a small figure in a dirty white nightgown.

The barrels contain blood. They are enchanted to keep it fresh. This is a vampire safe house. It is guarded by vampire spawn (see Monster Manual). There will be one spawn for every two players. The vampires will remain hidden until the players approach Whilma. Initially she will be fairly pretty for a half-orc. Her clothes are dirty and blood-stained. She has the white golden collar of seduction around her neck. When she is approached, she will tearfully explain that she didn’t mean to kill her mother. She didn’t know. She thought the collar would just make her pretty. Instead it turned her into a vampire. She will pull it off. As she does, the players will see sharp barbs rip from her neck where the collar dug into her. However, since she pulls it off willingly she will not be decapitated. She will, however, change and her appearance will become quite hideous to behold. The vampires will emerge at this point and call her a traitor before attacking. The vampires will attack Whilma first if they get a chance.

5. This small ante-chamber has a number of coffins inside. Some are in disrepair and barely holding together while there are two that appear almost new. The layer of dust on them suggests they have not been used in some time. A small cache of 200 gold pieces are hidden in this room. An Investigation or Perception check DC 14 will find the bag under a pillow in one of the coffins.