Short Adventure for 4-5 players at level 5

Overview: Reginald Hawthorne, a wealthy merchant, hires the group to destroy a monster that has been hunting his son Myles. The monster is Jack Bones. However, when the players meet Jack he offers to not kill them if they help him lure out Myles. Although Jack doesn’t really care why he was summoned, he will share that Myles is a serial killer who murders young women and keep their fingers as trophies. He was hired by a young lady who managed to escape Myles and can point them to her if that would help them decide what to do. The players may destroy Jack and collect the reward or help Jack by giving him Myles.

Adventure Hook: Any inn. Any town. The players are approached by Sir Kith, a knight who works for the Hawthorne family. Sir Kith will lead the players to Hawthorne Manor to talk with Reginald Hawthorne, Myles father.

Setup: Reginald Hawthorne is a male human, age 61. He is a short man with a thick walrus-styled mustache. Reginald a wealthy merchant who has made a fortune in textiles. He will offer the party 8,000 gold pieces if they will destroy a skeletal monster who has been tormenting his son, Myles, who has been a nervous wreck and has been hiding in his room ever since his first encounter with the creature. It was at night about three weeks ago when Jack attacked Myles while he traveled home from a local inn. Sir Kith managed to save him and brought him back to the manor house. Since then, the creature has been seen in the woods surrounding the manor house. If asked why the creature wants Myles dead, Hawthorne will say that he’s a wealthy man and wealthy men attract enemies. He knows his son is a serial killer but won’t reveal that information. Hawthorne also doesn’t volunteer the following but will answer truthfully if asked: He has already hired two other adventuring groups. Both parties were killed entirely.

Finding Jack: Jack isn’t hard to find. If the party searches the woods near Hawthorne Manor, they will find him sitting on an old stump whistling to himself. When they approach, Jack will sigh loudly.

“Again?” says the creature. “Jack be tired of killin fools. How bout we make a deal?” The creature’s skeletal smile broadens. “You help Jack and Jack won’t be killin you.” The creature tilts its’ skeletal head and looks at you expectantly.

Jack will explain that he has been hired to kill Myles by a young lady who the young man hurt bad. Her name is Rose and she’s a farmer’s daughter from a nearby village. He will give them directions to the farm if they would like more information. Jack needs the group to lure or drag Myles out of the Manor House so he can kill him. Jack can’t enter it without permission from the family, which they are not likely to give. Jack won’t like it if the group kills Myles. He wants to savor it.

The Faeler Farm

At the Faeler Farm, the group will encounter a gruff older man named Harren (Rose’s father) who will think they are hired thugs from Hawthorne and will deny knowing any girl named Rose. A successful Insight Check DC 13 will reveal to the players that the man is lying. He will need to be convinced that the group means no harm towards Rose before he will listen to them. After a successful Persuasion check DC 15 or Intimidation check DC 18, he will show the group to a nearby barn. Inside, a young lady huddles in a corner. Rose is a young half-elf woman in her early twenties. Her left hand is bandaged. She is missing four fingers from it. She will be terrified of the group and reluctant to speak especially if she thinks they work for Hawthorne. If they attempt to grab her she will hold a blade to her throat and threaten to cut it. She would rather die than go back to Myles or reveal where she hid Jack’s bone. Harren will tell them that for the past two years, young women around the village have been turning up dead. All of them were missing their fingers and all of them were last seen with Myles Hawthorne. Everyone knows that the Hawthorne boy is disturbed. There are stories about how he would torture animals as a child. However, the Hawthorne family are untouchable so no one can confront him. When Rose vanished, her father feared the worst. However, she managed to escape. She will tell them that Myles kept her locked up in a dungeon under the manor house where he tortured her. She managed to break her foot to slip out of the chains holding her. She will tell the group that Myles has a secret torture chamber in his room through a wardrobe. She summoned Jack to stop Myles from hurting her or anyone else.

The players will have a choice here. They can help Jack or they can force Rose to show them where Jack’s bone is so they can destroy him. Jack’s bone is in the local cemetery near the grave of
“Alice Winegood” one of Myles’ first victims and a good friend of Rose. If the players decide to help Jack, they can attempt to storm the Hawthorne Manor. See the Hawthorne Manor Map and use the descriptions below.

Entrance: Sir Kith and a number of guards stand at the front entrance of the Manor House. He will not allow the party to enter even if he is convinced they have destroyed Jack Bones. Sir Kith and Reginald both know that Myles likes to torture and kill young women. They will not help the players. If the player’s force entry they must fight Sir Kith (use the stats of a Guard Captain with double hit points and double attack bonuses. see Monster Manual) and twelve guards (see Monster Manual).

Entryway: The ornate entryway displays the wealth of the Hawthorne family. A set of double-doors leads visitors into the mansion proper.

Great Hall: The Great Hall features suits of armor and numerous chairs for visitors to relax. There are two open entryways leading into a nice study and an indoor greenhouse. A hallway to the left leads to the dining room. Another doorway on the left leads to the kitchens. Reginal Hawthorne can be found here.

Hawthorne Bedroom: Myles’ Bedroom is in the top right of the mansion and looks out onto the gardens. A secret door within a wardrobe (Perception check DC 12 will find it) open up into a small torture chamber where Myles beats his prisoners. The walls are lined with human fingers. Myles will be hiding in his room with a shield guardian (see Monster Manual). Once the shield guardian has been defeated, Myles will beg for mercy offering 10,000 gold pieces if the players spare his life. Jack waits in the garden. If Myles is forced out a window or drug out to the garden, Jack will rip off his fingers and eat them one at a time before snapping Myles’ neck. The players will earn 12,000 xp if they give Myles to Jack.