As the harvest season draws to a close, the simple people of Novos traditionally fashion crude dolls made of grain to represent the spirits of the harvest. They welcome these spirits to spend the winter in their homes. In the spring, the dolls are returned to the soil and ploughed into the first furrow of the new season. It is through this simple act that the people of Novos honor the Green Man, a revered figure who represents nature and fertility in the region. They believe that this ensures that they will have a bountiful harvest and will be able to survive the harsh Borean winters.

This year, however, something has gone awry in Novos. Farmers harvesting their crop have mentioned that the soil does not seem right. Others report signs of an odd blight affecting the crops. What is more puzzling is the fact that the grain dollies have gone missing. Homestead after homestead report that the effigies have disappeared and all agree that this must be an ill omen.

What the Party Knows

The party has arrived in the mid-sized farming community of Novos and acquired rooms at the Harvest Hearth Inn (location #1). After stowing their gear in their rooms, the adventurers settle in for a hearty meal in the common room.

During the course of the evening, the party will notice the somber atmosphere at the inn. The locals’ faces are etched with worry and apprehension. A successful passive perception check will pick up on the fact that they speak in low voices about the problems plaguing the harvest. They mention how the soil feels different this year, as if it’s lost its vitality. Others express concerns about strange blights affecting their crops and causing them to wither prematurely.

The disappearance of the traditional grain dollies, used to ensure a bountiful harvest, is particularly unsettling to the superstitious villagers. It is likely that the party will not be aware of this tradition, though the villagers will gladly share the tale if it appears that the outsiders are interested.

As villagers notice the newcomers and, sense that they might be adventurers, they will approach the party. With a mixture of hope and desperation in their eyes, they explain the situation and implore the party to help uncover the mystery behind these disturbing events. The villagers promise fair compensation and the gratitude of the community in return for the party’s assistance.

Investigation

In order to get to the bottom of the issue, it is likely that the party will need to carry out some investigation of the local area. The patrons of the Harvest Hearth will suggest the following locations.

Mikhail Kozlov’s Pumpkin Farm (location #2): Being the farm closest to the village itself, the party will be advised to start their investigation here.

A stout and weathered farmer with a grizzled beard, Kozlov greets the party as they approach his farm. The party will notice a sense of despair in his eyes and voice. He mentions the troubled state of his pumpkin patch, explaining that despite all his efforts, the pumpkins have been stunted and shriveled this year, far from the healthy, robust crops he usually reaps.

Upon investigating the pumpkin patch, the party notices several peculiarities. Most of the pumpkins are undersized, withered, and look like they’ve been drained of life. They’re deformed, as if something has sapped their vitality. A successful perception check will reveal that some of the pumpkins seem to bear odd carvings that resemble symbols or runes. These symbols are not part of any known local traditions that the farmer is aware of.

Church of Ladina (location #3): Since she plays an unofficial leadership role within the village, the party may be advised to pay a visit to Sister Elena Novik, the cleric of the church of Ladina. A dignified woman with silver hair tied in a bun, the priestess expresses her deep concern over the blight that’s affecting the harvest and reveals a few more details.

She informs the party that she has been conducting ceremonies and blessings to seek Ladina’s guidance and protection for the crops, but her efforts have had limited success. The goddess has been silent, which troubles her deeply. She has visited a number of the farms and reports feeling an unnatural presence there.

Sister Elena will stress that the villagers are greatly distressed at the disappearance of the grain dollies and strange malady affecting the crops. She shares the tale of an Anton Baranov who has gone quite mad, reporting seeing odd creatures in the outlying forest. The cleric will explain that Baranov may often be found at the public market (area #5)

If questioned about the odd carvings found on the pumpkins at the Kozlov farm, she will not recognize them. However, she will suggest that the party seek out the aid of an elder in the village named Yevgeny Borislav. Yevgeny is known to be the keeper of traditions and folklore and he might have knowledge about these ancient symbols and their significance. He resides in a ruined tower to the northeast (area #4).

Ruined Tower (area #4): Sister Elena or some of the other villagers might suggest that the party stop at the ruined tower to the northeast of town. This is the residence of Yevgeny Borislav, a dignified figure within the village of Novos. He is an elderly man with a flowing white beard. His eyes still hold a spark of wisdom and he is usually dressed in simple, weathered robes. Yevgeny is a repository of traditions and folklore and has a deep understanding of the village’s history.

The elder recognizes the significance of the failed crops and the disappearing grain dollies. He will tell the party about the Green Man, a revered figure who represents the spirit of nature and fertility in the region. Followers of the old ways used to travel deep into the forest. There they would leave offerings at an ancient alter to the Green Man, ensuring a bountiful harvest. However, this year, it appears that something has disrupted the harmony with the Green Man’s spirit.

Should the party mention the strange carvings seen in Kozlov’s pumpkin patch, Yevgeny will be quite concerned. While he is unable to read the marking, he does recognize them as being Fey in origin and suspects that something unnatural is afoot. He suggests traveling into the forest to seek out the old altar dedicated to the Green Man and leaving a humble offering there to restore the balance between the village and the spirit of nature.

Public Market (area #5): If sent here by Sister Elena or merely passing through, the party will be hailed by Anton Baranov. Anton is a lanky, middle-aged man with unruly, salt-and-pepper hair. He sports a disheveled look, and reeks of ale. The man gesticulates wildly as the party approaches.

“I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you all about ‘em.” He says.

If the party gives the poor soul a moment to speak, he will inform them that he has heard that they are investigating the blight and he knows what is behind it. According to Baranov, strange little creatures have been coming out of the woods at night. He claims that he has seen them dancing little jigs out in the fields. If pressed for a description of the creatures, he will confess to it having been dark when he saw them but that he’s certain that they were goblins, or gremlins, or something of that ilk.

Other townsfolk will gently explain that Anton is known for enjoying his drink. However, the direction that he claims the creatures came from does happen to line up with the direction in which Yevgeny would have pointed the party in, in order to reach the Altar of the Green Man.

End of Part I

That’s all for now. Part II is already complete and you may find it here. Thank you for stopping by.

For more maps & plot hooks, go here.

For some random tables, go here.

Want to help me to compile a list of TTRPG conventions? Click here.

Finally, for a bit about me and some general stuff, this is the spot.

For the 3^rd week of October, I have another encounter that is perfectly suited to fill a Halloween game night. With a few minor tweaks, there is really nothing that would stop you from using this at other times of the year.

This is typical of something that I might throw together for an in-between session, on the heels of the party completing an adventure and deciding what to do next. This does not require a great deal of prep and works great for times when your session may need to be shorter than usual. It is also handy to have something like this ready for times when some of your players will be absent.

The Festival

The premise here is simple. The party stumbles onto a harvest festival being held on the outskirts of a settlement. This is a joyous time and the whole community has turned out to celebrate a bountiful harvest. The key to this type of encounter is to really sell to your players that there is a lot going on.

The are a number of activities for your party to explore but I suggest that you weave in bits from your own campaign. This is a great place for the party to bump in to an NPC that they haven’t seen in quite a while. Someone might notice them from their previous exploits. Perhaps some lackeys from the BBEG turn up to spoil the fun. There are all sorts of possibilities.

Your party should hear the sounds of the festival as they approach. Even if you do not normally incorporate music into your sessions, I think you should consider it for this encounter. Simply playing an appropriate track in the background will go a long way toward setting the stage. There are countless options but in the past I have used this Joyful Festival track from The Ambiance Channel on YouTube. They have a lot of great stuff and are worth a listen.

There will be a number of food and drink vendors at the event. Be sure to at least jot down a few different culinary delights that might tempt your party members. If you want to go the extra mile and actually prepare something for your players, I have included some suggestions in this post.

The Hedge Maze

The main attraction of the festival is the hedge maze. Depending on the size of your party, either break them up or start each member at one of the 4 different starting areas. Once you are ready, they will race to see which group or individual can be the first to make it to the center.

Have each group roll for initiative and from there I would run it like an old school dungeon crawl. Starting with the first group, describe what they see, up until the need to make their first decision. For instance, “The path goes east for fifteen feet and then turns south. You now have to decide whether to proceed to the west or east.” While they are deciding, move on to the next group and continue on like this until someone makes their way to the center.

The winning team will be presented with:

• The Medallion of Autumn’s Grace: This intricately designed bronze medallion is adorned with autumn leaves and acorns. When worn, it grants its wearer the ability to cause colorful autumn leaves to whirl around them once per day as a bonus action.

Puppet Show

There is a raucous puppet show set up in the center area of the hedge maze. There are a couple fun things that I like to do with this. The puppet show can be used as an opportunity to lay down some foreshadowing for future events in your story. Perhaps it helps to illustrate just how downtrodden the people are by the BBEG of your campaign. Alternatively, you might use the puppet show to tell the story of some local legend or some bit of lore that you want your players to have.

The other thing I occasionally do is have the puppet show actually be telling the story of some of the party’s exploits. This becomes extra entertaining if the puppets accidentally mess up the story in such a way that it embarrasses some of the party members.

Apple Bobbing

Also located in the center of the hedge maze is an apple bobbing station. Full disclosure, I have seen oodles of takes on this over the years. I do not want to copy anyone but the easiest thing that comes to mind would be to give each player 5 attempts at a DC 12 dexterity check. Every success indicates that the character successfully grabbed an apple with their teeth.

The character with the most apples at the end of the contest will win:

• 3 Packets of Pumpkin Spice: All nonmagical food and drink sprinkled with one of these spice packets will be rendered free of poison and disease.

The Hatter & Haberdasher

I know that this seems incredibly mundane but trust me on this one. Yes, your players could potentially buy a hat or new clothing pretty much every time they are in a town or city. No, these are not magical hats or clothing.

However, unless you run with a group consisting solely of jaded power gamers, give this a shot. Describe some fanciful hats and garments. Create a colorful NPC, who is hawking his wares and I will bet that you hook at least one of your players who suddenly becomes interested in some new finery.

The Portrait Artist

This one is more of a slow burn but it really pays off in the end. I have done this twice now and it was a hit on both occasions.

A skilled artist calls out to the party and offers to create a portrait, either of them individually or as a group. The artist explains that they only need the party to pose long enough to make some charcoal sketches. Once that is complete, they will work on the piece over the following weeks and produce it for the party once completed.

I have used this as a great opportunity to commission an actual picture of the party from an online artist (of course I do not tell them this at the time). When I present it to them a few sessions later, it’s usually right around the holidays and everyone gets a big kick out of it.

The Tattoo Artist

While some systems feature magical tattoos that enable various abilities, this is purely mundane. However, much like with the clothing options above, I find that this is a hit. Presented with the idea of getting tattoos for their characters, players often take the bait. I enjoy seeing what they com up with, regardless of whether they opt for something to make them look fierce or something in remembrance of a fallen comrade.

Fortune Teller

No Halloween themed harvest festival encounter would be complete without a fortune teller. You can go as deep with this on as you like. If you want to use props, a quick Google search should yield plenty of ideas for using a deck of playing cards, tarot cards, or even something more customized. Alternatively, you could just have the fortune teller use a crystal ball or simply “feel” the spirits.

I like to have fortunes ready for each player ahead of time. Fortunes do not need to be accurate; it’s all in good fun.  However, I have found it best to weave in little bits of the story while leaving things vague enough to allow the players to draw their own conclusions.

Conclusion

Those are just some ideas that you could include in a Harvest Festival encounter. Have you ever done anything like this? What else would you add to the mix? Leave me a note in the comments.

That is all for this week. Two more weeks until I head up to the Irvington Halloween Festival in Indianapolis, IN! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and have a great week!

For more maps & plot hooks, go here.

For some random tables, go here.

Want to help me to compile a list of TTRPG conventions? Click here.

Finally, for a bit about me and some general stuff, this is the spot.