After the stream earlier in the week in which we looked at a version of Matt Colville’s Delian Tomb, I went back to rewatch the video and it struck me that the point of it wasn’t so much for folks to create versions of his adventure (though there’s nothing wrong with that!) but to demonstrate how easy it is to create your own adventure. So let’s see what we can do with a bit of time and elbow grease!
The ancient evil is a “Plague Stone”. This strange rock, as the name implies, spreads plague. The ratmen have smuggled the stone into a village and it’s influence is sickening the villagers. The stone must be found and ritually cleansed in holy water to destroy its evil power!
A family living in an isolated farmstead outside the village was felled by plague. The ratlings moved in and cleverly dug a tunnel under the town wall into the cellar of the tavern.
Here, they hid the Plague Stone among the barrels of ale. The stone has begun to corrupt the drink and, through consuming them, the townsfolk have begun to fall ill.
The local priest of [insert religious sect here] has commissioned the Party to investigate.
Nobody in the village has yet connected the ale to the illness. However, the family who runs the tavern have become the most ill.
This work © 2024 by Hexed Press is licensed underCC BY 4.0 
This work © 2024 by Hexed Press is licensed underCC BY 4.0
1 - The Pig’s Snout Pub Hall
Several tables are scattered around the only room. The bar is along the north wall. Stairs leading to the cellar are in an alcove on the south wall. There is also cellar access on the exterior east wall of the building. A large boars head hangs over the fireplace that features a spit roast for pigs. There are few patrons as most healthy villagers avoid the tavern. There is a jar of pickled onions on the bar.
2 - Pig’s Snout Pub Cellar
The cellar smells of rot and decay. The air is humid and hard to breath. Beer leaks out of the bottoms of rotted casks. The plague stone is hidden behind a several casks. Careful searching of the cellar will reveal it. Stairs carved out of the earth lead into the Ratling Warrens.
Monster: The Booze (In the corner by the stairs and will stay there unless a PC approaches or after 2 turns.
Treasure: 500cp, 100sp, 200ep hidden in a burlap sack behind a stone in the wall. It has clearly been there for years.
The Ratling Warrens
3 - Main Chamber
Stalagmites and stalactites cover this chamber like teeth. The dirst floor is a mixture of mud and earth. Dripping can be heard coming from one of the stalactites into a pool of thick algae filled water. The smell is rancid.
Monster: 1d6 Ratmen feeding on handfuls of wet algae.
Treasure: 2,800cp, 1,500sp, 40gp, 4 pieces of jewelry, Horn of Fire Resistance. Treasure is piled among garbage and refuse.
The Booze
The booze is a mixture borne of the rot caused by the plague stone. Stale beer, dirt, rat droppings, and fungus have created a gelatinous ooze that grows as it consumes rot and decay and leave fetid manure in its wake. On a successful attack victim of the Booze rolls save vs. poison or take 1d4 damage every round as the flesh begins to rot. Fire causes double damage to the Booze.
HD: 1 (the HD doubles when the ooze doubles in size) ((I decided to change it back to 1 hd that doubles))
AC: 12 (8)
Attack: 1
Damage: 1d6 + Poison
Movement: 20’
Morale: 12
Treasure: None
XP: 40
Father Dwyer (NM)
Middle aged, balding, green eyes, friendly smile. Smells slightly of garlic. Relatively new to the town (~6 months). Well liked, people confide in him, however he is has an air of apprehension. He will freely give the PCs any information he has.
1- He knows that children seem unaffected
2 - He refuses to go into the tavern
3 - He has no reward to give to the PCs for helping. However, he can supply them with 2 flasks of holy water.
Local Kid - Phillip Sorensen
Impetuous youth of about 10. He seems to know all the goings on in town. He won’t give up any information for free. He has reddish hair, a crooked smile and a sassy mouth.
1 - He saw ratlings in the dead of night near the homestead.
2 - His friend got the plague (when pressed how since kids are unaffected he will begrudgingly admit that his friend drank from the remnants of a beer stein.
3 - He hasn’t seen his father in 3 days since he went to the tavern.
Barkeep - Friedrich Auder (NM)
Rotund, with a long braid of hair and a handlebar moustache. Has lived in Shadyhollow his entire life. The wife at the homestead was his sister. He is somewhat secretive with the PCs because he is afraid that his tavern will be to blame for the plague. he is extremely sickly.
1 - He has heard noises in the cellar
2 - He noticed claw marks and loose soil in the cellar 2 weeks ago but has not been down since.
3 - He can offer the PCs 300gp for helping solve the mystery of the plague.
For posterity, my contributions are © 2024 by Hexed Press, licensed underCC BY 4.0 . Basically, do with it what you will but throw me an attribution if anything comes of it. 
