Adventure Ideas: Page 4

Cavern Prison

Hook: The characters have overheard people and young adults talking about a nearby series of caves that young people like to visit, explore and perform dares in. These young people quite often take long forays into the caves, either climbing, spelunking or doing other underground adventures that are either legitimatly or all out dangerous.

Recently however the cave explorers have discovered a new series of caverns, and since telling all their friends about the new caves to explore, several of them have disappeared.
No one knows for certain whats happening down there and authorities have done full searches of the cave network find them, but to no avail. Local and state police are tight lipped about what they have seen in those caves and have put up signs and notices to NOT go into the caves, not even to search for the missing explorers.

The local Native American tribes have asked that people not be allowed to go down into those caves and leave well enough alone for decades. Until recently, those requests have fallen on deaf ears. Now the local and state police are thinking of taking those warnings more seriously, but do not think it has anything to do with their folklore about ancient spirits.

Line: The local search and rescue teams are reluctant to give out any useful information, but with some coaxing they will say that they've found the new caverns. There's lots of strange pictographs on the wall along one of the rooms that was uncovered. They would like to bring a specialist down to discern what these pictographs mean as they might offer clues as to what is happening to the people that are vanishing down there.
They don't think its anything supernatural, they suspect its a serial killer aboducting people and the lunatic's antics are somehow related to the pictographs.

Sinker: What's happening in the caves is indeed supernatural and once the psionic abilities of the characters are detected they will be assailed by demons. Upon getting to the new cavern, they will discover an ancient altar that looks like it has dried blood spashed across it and indeed there are many pictograph's on the walls. If they are able to decipher them at all they will discover that a group of lesser demons with a greater demon master have been trapped down here for a few hundred years by ancient Native American medicine men and the demons need a number of souls and sacrifices to break the magic barriers that keep them trapped in the caves. They are sacrificing these poor people on the altar (then consuming their bodies) in the new cavern to ensure their escape. They are close to breaking down the last barrier, and if something isnt done soon, they will all escape, unleashing terror and death wherever they go!

Euphoric Forest

Hook: Some of the locals in a small town have recently been promoting a nearby area of trees where they say happiness is in the air. The locals say that within the copse of trees is an area of positive energy that encourages both physical and emotional health. They further claim that all those that go into the area feel a great desire to never leave the town and it makes for a boom in housing and real estate. The locals are extremely happy that this place has been found as the town hadnt been doing well financially. They thank a young girl named Carly, who they claim is the only person living within the specific forested area for bringing such vitality to the townsfolk.

Line: A local scientist has gone into the area to determine the science behind the secret of the œpositive energy. He says there are things going on in the forest that no one is talking about. He claims that on several outings into the woods he was accosted by this Carly girl and she tried to take him to an area in the forest that didnt ”feel right”.
He says he has never felt any euphoria or positive energy and he thinks that it has to do with his refusal to go along with Carly's scheme, whatever that may be. He does not trust the girl or what she is doing to the town.

Sinker: Carly is really a greater demon in disguise and is drawing people into the copse of trees to get them to hand over their souls for what she calls a lifetime of happiness. She knows that she can prey upon the townsfolk's feelings of hopelessness and now is glad to see that others from surrounding cities and counties are being drawn to the area.
Carly's master is bound to be happy by the development and the demon hopes that she'll be able to move on to another small town soon. Characters who approach the area will see that Carly's section of the forest is dead and lifeless while the euphoric area is bright and vibrant. This is all an illusion to make people believe theyre somewhere special.

Sacred Mountain

Hook: A group of Native-Americans are protesting the mining of a mountainous range they claim is sacred and is a burial ground for their ancient ancestors. The natives insist that the mining operations cannot go forward since it would be an insult to their heritage and their ancient ways.

The mining corporation claims that they have done extensive surveying and their surveys have shown that there are no burial sites, ancient or otherwise, have been found.
The mining corporation has done everything but all out insult the native council in saying that their claims are unfounded and the corporation figures that they are just protesting for the sake of protesting.

Line: The PC's are contacted by either a friend among the natives or a friend within the mining corporation to help them determine how to settle the dispute. The dispute is escalating and initial workers that are setting up the mine have started claiming that they are being attacked while at work. The workers are hesitant to say what is attacking them, but will eventually admit that their attackers are “monsters and demons”.
No one has died yet, but its only a matter of time before someone does. When the PC's do a psychic survey, they'll discover that a sentience does exist within the mountain, but as to who or waht this intelligence sides with is unknown. The PC's should be able to make contact with the mountain and learn that the intelligence is moving on and doesn't care whether the mountain is mined or not.

Sinker: The natives will not listen to the PC's belief that the intelligence does not care about the mining operation. They'll increase their protests until the corporation leaves the area. As the PC's talk to the natives, they'll discover that a shaman within the native community is the one that's summoning the monsters to attack the miners. Once the shaman is exposed, the two sides might be able to come to an understanding with each other. As long as the attacks continue however, neither side is willing to negotiate.

Can We Make a Deal?

Hook: Rumors about ghosts and zombies terrifying a local small town are circulating on the Lazlo Society website. The town is small and remote, but only a few hours drivetime away from the group. However, when the PC's arrive to investiugate the rumors, the townsfolk are hesitant to speak about them. Even so, its obvious by their reactions that the people are nervous, scared... even terrified of something.

If the PC's stay in town for a night they'll witness undead beings and entities appearing in the mist and freely roaming the streets of town. They simple appear out of thin air, chasing after anyone out last at night before eventually fading away, as if they never existed. The PC's can save a life or two if they confront the horrors. Bone Fiends, Grave Diggers, Revenants and other zombie/undead types from the Rifts: Dark Conversions book are all excellent creatures to use, and all spirits and entities are fair game.

Line: After the night assault is over, the very next morning a few key townsfolk admit that the supernatural started terrorizing them when a Medium moved to town and opened a shop. They thought she was a fake and her outlandish personality was all for show and salesmanship, but now they belive that her brazen, overconfident and abusive attitude towards the spirits she summons is the cause. But none of them are brave enough to tell her to leave (who knows how she'd retaliate), and decided not to ask for help as they didnt think anyone would belive them, much less help them.

The investigating PC's will discover that shes indeed a true Medium, and she has indeed been angering the spirit world. The Medium summons, imprisons and tortures whatever spirit she can reach (whatever her reasons are up to the GM), and the town is paying for her cruelty.

Sinker: There is very little room for negotiating, but when the Medium is confronted about her abuse of the spirit world, she'll try making a deal with them. The Medium's having a lot of success at whatever she's doing, and will try to convince the PC's to leave town and never return for a wad of cash, a magic item or spell scroll, or something else they might desire.

The undead/spirits however also have a sort of leader, and this being also offers a deal with the PC's... to kill the Medium as they cant pursuede her to stop abusing her domination and power over the spirit world (or whatever realm she's contacting).

Neither side will give into the other and will only settle in the others destruction.
What are the PC's to do?

Sacrifice To Me

Hook: The PC's see a news report or an online media source mention a series of gruesome animal mutilations. Most of them are farm livestock, and the local farmers are upset about their property and livelyhood's being threatened. Local law enforcement, being severely overloaded at the time, is showing little concern over the mutilations.
Not to get them wrong, they are interested in any information that may come their way, but there are œ“more serious crimes” that require their attention right now. Concerned farmers and other animal groups put out a call for help and the PC's are drawn into the investigation either by friendly contacts or a family relative living in the area.

Line: The source of the mutilations is a local lady who's husband's been imprisoned by the local sheriff's department, and she has made an outrageous claim; the sheriff has been possessed by a powerful demon, and want her to sacrifice her husband to him!
Her husband goes on to say that while the sherriff claims they are too busy with more serious criminal investigations to bother dealing with the “occasional animal mutiliation”, n reality theres been a lull in crimes in the county as of late, and bordom threatens to overwhelm the deputies some days. One of the deputies has become so bored that he looked into the animal mutilations right under the sheriff's nose. This deputy does not have enough evidence to prove anything or to accuse the sheriff of any foul play, but he knows something isn't right.

Sinker: The mutilations are just the start for this poor woman. So far the mutialtions are enough for the demon currently posessing the Sheriff, and while horrible to do to live animals, the woman works in a butchers shop and knows how to do the work quickly and and has the right tools for the job. But Eventually the possessed sheriff will eventually want her to start mutilating and killing human beings, and eventually it will want her to sacrifice her husband to him in a show of fealty after he's released from jail. If not, the Sheriff will come for, capture and sacrifice her entire family!

As the investigations continues, the animal killings and mutilations will get more and more gruesome, and eventually mutilated humans will be discovered before being covered up. As the case goes on there will be more pressure to do something about it, especially if/once human bodies are discovered. The PC's will be hard pressed for time since the demon is planning on forcing her to commit more horrible crimes, soon.

Moonlight Dance in the Fields

Artist Chuck Walton illustrated a creepy looking piece used in “The Handy Dandy Random Adventure Generator” (written by Chai Gallahun) from the
Rifter #63. Chuck was kind enough to provide the illustration on his Deviant Art page, along with an explanation of who and what the characters are, and in the process provides an adventure idea that I felt was worth adding to the adventures section of the house.

“I chose to take elements from the charts to implement into the illustration and it worked out very well to capture that BTS atmosphere I was looking for.

The Story: I began to see after randomly picking through the BTS Adventure Generator tables, was a story about “Victoria the Sleep Walker.” Unconsciously unaware that she emits a psionic siren-like alluring aura that makes her nearly irresistible to others, Victoria, is cursed with a patterned dream trance where she sleepwalks through the cornfields and meadows, fixated on a pair of white moths who represent her and her future lover. As long as she remains fixated on the moths she remains in the dream state, and the things that go bump in the night will not bring harm to her.

However, should anyone else follow her in the moonlight dance or attempt to wake her from her dream, causing her to lose sight of the moths, then the crows and the wicked, Ripper-dolls that rise from the shadows will tear them to pieces. Removing Victoria from the town will not deter the crows and Ripper dolls as they are shadow shifters.
Those that fall under her aura's trance are doomed to try and rescue her and thus becoming butchered victims whose remains are stuffed into the Scarecrows or actually becoming Ripperdolls themselves, living a life of nightmarish torment every time Victoria dreams. Soon the curse will be passed onto her lover, continuing the cycle.

How will poor Victoria be rescued? How many ex-lovers have fallen victim to the fields and become dolls themselves?”