The Cryptid from the River

About the Adventure

The Setting

Pacov is a small village along the Weron River, northeast of the large city of Kowal and southeast of the small city of Fort Utliest. It is far enough away to be mostly left alone by officials from both places, leaving its residents to solve most of their own problems.

Overall, it is a lawful settlement, and thanks to the owner of the local tavern and her library, a rather well-educated village. They are not fond of magic, though they are not outright violent against those caught practicing. They are a superstitious lot, but no wonder, seeing that these days, people can pull fire from mid-air or a “demon” may wander in from the black depths of Lesh Forest.

You should present Pacov like the villages featured in many old vampire and werewolf films, though the citizens are more educated and capable than the villagers in those old movies.

Stories from the Road

For a while now, strange stories have been told of a monster on the eastern road along the Weron River. Claims are sometimes made of a monster attacking travelers, but the threat has always seemed distant until recently.

Paddy is the name the locals have given the cryptid. They say he lives in the river, floating to the top and paddling along the water with his long arms. He has multiple heads and many little, round eyes. He doesn’t bother any locals who leave out offerings for him, but every so often, he will waylay a traveling merchant. 

Lately, there have been more stories of raids on local farm stockpiles, and more and more merchants are going missing. 

Who should play?

This is a SagaBorn Roleplaying Game compatible adventure for 4-6 characters of 2nd to 4th level.

What do I need to play?

This adventure, some friends, the SagaBorn Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook (free PDF and SRD at https://www.sagaborn.com/games/sagaborn-rpg/), some refreshments, and you are ready to go. Some dice may help, too.

What campaign setting is appropriate?

Though intended to be set in the Dark Return setting, this adventure can easily be adapted to fit in any fantasy RPG setting, though will fit most readily in a “low fantasy” setting or remote region of a world, where the inhabitants have not had much exposure to magic or non-human NPCs. An experienced Gamemaster (called a StoryGuide in SagaBorn) should have no difficulty converting the module for play in another campaign world or alternate TTRPG system.