Foil the Foul Fowl

At night, the players are welcome to explore Gobbleton Hall. The Gobbletons will all be in their rooms either sleeping or reading.

Part 1. Save the Damsel

The Scream – Towards midnight, the players will all hear a man scream. The sound will come from the main hall on the first floor. Upon entering the room, the players will see Kernal Herring speared against the wall. He’s fine. It missed all of his major organs even if it is unpleasant. In an oddly calm voice, he will say that he was coming down for a late night snack when he saw the Dire Fowl carrying off Lady Maribell. He tried to stop the foul fiend but alas it was too much for him. He wall ask if someone could give him a hand getting down from the wall. There’s evidence of a fight and several strange tracks large bird tracks leading out the door and into the forest. The only others present are the two cousins, Kori and Bustard, who come down to the room after hearing the scream but after the players. They can’t find Reginald nor can they find Raven. Grandma Lulu sleeps like the dead so there’s no waking her up. The cousins offer to help their father and ask the adventurers to go save Lady Maribell.

The players can explore the house or follow the trail of the Dire Foul. The trail isn’t hard to follow so no roll is needed and it will take the players about a about a half mile from the manor to the entrance of the Dire Fowl’s Cave.

Cave Entrance: Nestled in a small copse of trees is a hill with a large tunnel leading down. Hanging from the trees are bones. Lots of bones. Toe bones. Foot bones. Heel bones. Ankle bones. All the way up to head bones. They dangle from strings on the branches.

Dire Foul Cave – You walk down a short musty passage and the smell of bread permeates the air. You step into a large circular room. You see Maribell tied and gagged in a corner. In the center of the room is a large cauldron. A cloaked figure stands beside it stirring the boiling liquid. He looks up as you enter. It’s Jeepers. The butler grins and says, “At last. The main course has arrived. He begins to contort and twist. His body bulges. Feathers sprout. He grows a large wicked beak. The Dire Foul, an enormous nightmarish turkey screams in your direction and attacks. 

The players must now fight the Dire Fowl. Searching the third rock from the left of the cauldron, per Madam Grim, is the Turkey Slicer. Maribel is unconscious and will awaken once the battle is finished.

Small Passage – The smell of bread seems to come from a smaller passage in the back of the cave. It has a low ceiling and requires medium-sized players to duck their heads as they travel through it. The smell of bread grows as the players walk. It eventually opens into a stone room filled with bread ovens. Fig will lie in a heap in a corner. The magic that powered her is now gone. A ladder on the far end of the room leads to a hidden trap door in the pantry of Gobbleton Manor.

Turkey Slicer – Weapon (dagger), rare (no attunement)

The Turkey Slicer is a +1 dagger. It has a single serrated edge and a curved wooden handle. The dagger deals an additional 1d6 damage to any creature with wings. 

Dire Fowl

Large Fiend (demon), chaotic evil

AC 16

Speed 40 ft. Fly 10 ft.

CR 5 (1800 XP)

Hitpoints: 105 (12d10+45)

Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha

16(+2) 15 (+2) 18(+4) 12(+1) 13(+1) 10(+0)

Saving Throws: Dex +4, Wis +4, Cha +4

Damage Resistance: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical attacks. Silver weapons or weapons coated in cranberry sauce coated on a weapon will ignore this resistance.

Senses: Blindsight 60 ft.

Languages: Abyssal, Common

Magic Resistance: The Dire Fowl has advantage on all saving throws against spells and magical effects.

Actions:

Multi-Attack: The Dire Fowl makes two attacks: One with its beak and one with its talons.

Beak: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. one target. Hit: 8 (2d6 +2) piercing damage.

Talons: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d10 +2) slashing damage.

Gobble Gobble (Recharge 6): The Dire Fowl emits a horrifying gobble. All creatures within 20 feet of it that can hear and isn’t a demon must succeed on a DC 14 saving throw or be stunned until the end of the Dire Fowl’s next turn.

Part 2. The Wedding Feast

Reginald Gobbleton will greet the players when they arrive. He will gush about their heroics and give them seats of honor at the wedding which takes place in the lawn later that day. When asked where he was, he will tell the players that he and Raven were preparing for the wedding and be vague about his exact location. He will act shocked that Jeepers was the Dire Foul. If confronted after a successful Insight Check DC 15, he will admit that he had his suspicions. After all, Jeepers had been with the family for several hundred years. He just assumed the man was a dedicated servant. In honesty, Reginald was preparing the ceremony to turn Maribell into a Wereturkey like him.

The Wedding

Reginald and Maribell stand outside the manor, exchange vows, and drink from each other’s cups. Reginald’s cup contains the blood of a wereturkey. Anyone who drinks it will become one. Once Maribell drinks she becomes a wereturkey like him. She knows what’s in the cup and the family secret. She likes the idea of being rich even if it means turning into a turkey creature once a month. Everyone dances, drinks wine, and celebrates until the sun begins to set. Raven sings a song to the couple.

The Feast

As the sun sets, Reginald calls everyone into dinner. The company retires to the dining hall. Nametags are set beside the plates. The family will try and separate the players by sitting between them. If Raven has been flirting with a particular player, he will be seated next to her. Even the groom and bride will be separated. Everyone sits down.

The room becomes strangely quiet as everyone sits down. All of the Gobbleton family stare at the large grandfather clock at the end of the room. You try to speak and they shush you. You look down at your plate and notice that it is empty. Time passes slowly. Finally, the clock strikes 6 and the Gobbleton family, in unison, turn their heads back to you. Sir Reginald stands and gives a toast, “My dear family. It is time for us to welcome a new member. My blushing bride, Maribell to our happy family. I would also like to thank our dear friends for destroying a monster who had plagued our family for centuries. Now we are free. Free to be who we want to be. It is time for the feast to begin.” He begins to shake and shudder. They all do. Feathers sprout. Beaks form. Clothing shreds and falls away. Within moments the entire family has transformed into wereturkeys. They gobble at you hungrily.

The Mob: If the players incited or didn’t stop the people of Noname from forming a mob. At the exact moment the Gobbletons turn into turkeys, there will be a ring of the doorbell. Sir Reginald will hold up a hand to stop everyone. He will turn to whatever player is closest to him and say, “Would you be a dear and go answer the door for us. I’m afraid I’m not really fit to accept company right now.” Reginald will follow the player to the door while rest of the wereturkeys will waitOutside will be a mob carrying pitch forks and torches. Old Man McGee will be at the front. He will step forward and say, “Hello! We are an unruly mob authorized by the chaotic justice committee to end the scourge of the Dire Fowl and the evil actions of Gobbleton Manor. We hope you enjoy your destruction.” Sir Reginald gulps loudly and slams the door pushing the bolt in place. Let the fight begin in earnest now. The mob will begin by breaking the door down and randomly setting fire to things. The wereturkeys will attack. 

WereTurkey

Medium humanoid (human, shapechanger) chaotic evil

Hitpoints: 24 (4d8+8)

Speed: 30 ft., 10 ft. fly

CR 1 (200 XP)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

15(+2) 13(+1) 14(+2) 10(+0) 10(+0) 10(+0)

Damage Immunities: Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical attacks not made with silver weapons or weapons coated with cranberry sauce.

Languages: Common

Wereform: The wereturkey can transform into a large hybrid between turkey and human.

Actions:

Multiattack: The wereturkey can take two actions: one attack with its bite and one attack with its talon or one squawk action.

Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit., one target, reach 5 ft., Hit: 1d8+2 piercing damage.

Talon: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit. one target, reach 5 ft., Hit 2d4 +2 slashing damage. 

Squawk: The wereturkey moves its move distance without provoking an attack of opportunity and sends feathers flying in all directions.

Conclusions: The battle ends with the destruction of Gobbleton Manor and the death of all of the wereturkeys. The people of Noname cheer and then head back to town for a much needed rest. Unruly mobbing is tiresome business. As the players ride off into the distance, they can just barely hear the distant gobble of a turkey. Oh yes. If they loot the burned rubble of the mansion they can salvage the following:

A vial containing the blood of a wereturkey (permanently curses the victim with lycanthropy turkey.

500 gold pieces worth of artwork.

A cloak of elvenkind