I spent most of my free time over the past few months working on the Horror of Talaraska. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have tackled something like this during my busiest time at work. However, with the adventure behind me I wanted to wrap up a few things and provide some plot hooks for anyone who would like to build on to the adventure. For anyone catching up, the pertinent posts can be found here:

The Village of Cross Tree

Background & Synopsis

The Horror of Talaraska part I

The Horror of Talaraska part II

My intention was to create a one-shot adventure that would actually be a one-shot and not run over into multiple sessions. At 54, my current reality is often that I have one crack at new players. On some occasions there will be no chance at a follow-up game, while at others a fun single evening might land me a new gaming group.

I opted to base things on the Rules Cyclopedia because I’ve been dipping my toes in those waters lately. I should note that aside from nostalgia, I don’t typically lean toward those old school systems. Left to my own, I’d prefer something more mechanically complex or even classless. However, Basic D&D fit the bill for my target audience of prospective new players (who I often rope in with little or no experience to TTRPGs).

My group for this adventure consisted of a party of 5 1^st level characters. All but one of the players were entirely new to hobby, with the 5^th having only dabbled with 3e in college. Shout-out to Elyndra, Ardor, Cedric, Remere, and Ivee. We ran the adventure as written in just over 3.5 hours (I used a stack of pre-generated characters like I would for a convention) and it seemed to be well received. My plan worked, as we’re currently trying to line up schedules for a regular game over the winter months.

The Village of Cross Tree

I started the party just West of the Village of Cross Tree, as suggested at the beginning of the adventure. We had previously established that all the party members already knew each other and we’re heading off in search of adventure.

The party’s interactions with the villagers played out largely as I expected. However, I did encounter one thing that I found interesting. My players ranged anywhere from 4 to 20 years younger than me and it was clear that while they were new to tabletop role-playing games, they had an almost video game mentality to interacting with the villagers.

On the Road

The trip from the village to the bandit camp was one area I was concerned about. I was afraid that it might either take too much time or seem too easy to the party. As things played out at my table, my list of mundane encounters worked as intended. The party from the discarded supplies and thoroughly investigated that area. Next up was the giant bees though they wisely gave them a wide berth. Their third rule ended up being the faint campfire smoke and I made the decision based on elapsed time to have that lead them right on to the bandit camp.

Bandit Camp

The bandit camp encounter worked as intended. I set this up in such a way as to make it highly likely that the party would get the drop on the bandits. First level characters in Basic Dungeons and Dragons are pretty fragile, so it was important to me to give the players a chance to feel heroic here.

As things worked out, the party broke their morale after the 3^rd bandit fell. Their fellows were plopped down, bound and gagged, and had to wait outside the cave until the party completed their explorations.

In hindsight, I got lucky here and this could have been deadlier than I’d intended. If I were to do it again I might not worry about bandit HP and instead simply say that they would drop with a single hit.

#2 Breached Room

There was originally more to this secret room. When I was first putting together the adventure there were some levers built into the wall here that would move objects in the map room (location #5). This was all intended to give the party clues about other things they might find if they were to explore the lower city. As it turned out, it just felt cumbersome and I thought it would slow things down so I left it out.

#5 Map Room

The frescoes here were intended to give the party a clue about the final encounter. I wanted to telegraph the fact that lighting the braziers in room #7 might help them defeat the horror.

I also toyed with including a sort of “you are here” Marker to give the party a point of reference if they explored the lower city in the future. Again, I skipped this for the sake of brevity but if I were to build on this adventure I would probably put it back in.

#6 Collapsed Stairway

I included the Magic Mouth on the pillar here because I’ve always been taken by David A. Trampier’s illustration in the AD&D Player’s Handbook (if you’re not familiar with the image you should check it out). Magic Mouth doesn’t exist in Basic D&D to my knowledge but Talaraska being an ancient center of arcane knowledge, it felt appropriate to lift something from AD&D.

# 7 The Study

My goal with this final room was to create an encounter that would feel exciting to the players. I had the benefit of hosting players who were quite green. However, knowing I’d be sharing this adventure I went into the project as if veteran players were at the table. Meta gaming aside, players are often every bit as familiar with all of the standard monsters as the GM. This led me to want to use a unique creature.

I was also a bit challenged by the system itself. Basic D&D may hold a dear place in my heart but low-level combat isn’t exactly exciting. Because of this I gave the Horror some abilities to keep the party on their toes. I’m sure this may be seen as heresy by some OSR purists and that’s fine. I was simply doing what I thought would work for my table.

In the end I was very happy with the results. The combat was resolved at the top of the 4^th round and I believe my players were engaged for the duration. Multiple PCs were injured but all stayed up and the added abilities really seemed to leave the players scared of what would happen next.

Where to Go From Here?

While I think this would work well as an intro or convention adventure, I’ve tried to create it in such a way that it would be easy to build onto. The city of Talaraska has been kicking around in my head for some 40 years and I’ve always loved the idea of a subterranean city lost to time (see my previous post on Wakou M’baque). I’ll revisit the space as time allows but for now there are some questions and threads that you may want to fill in for yourself.

• If the party decides to return and explore the lower parts of the city, there should be invaluable information to be gained by studying the map room.

• Knowledge of Talaraska should be hard to come by. However, there may be more clues to be found in the woods outside of the village of Cross Tree. Karia Merric, the barmaid at the Cross Tree Inn, recently found an antique suit of armor in the woods. This will be discovered to have originated from Talaraska.

• Nicodemus from the Ruined Tower may have knowledge of the lost city, as it’s been hinted that he had been an adventurer in his younger days.

• Taryn Keen’s father Benjamin has been missing for two years and townsfolk claim that he had an unhealthy fixation on legends of a lost city somewhere in the vicinity of Cross Tree.

• The frescoes in the map room depicted numerous shadowy creatures like the one the party encounters in the study. Are they still lurking about? What’s their origin?

• What’s the purpose of the runestone found in the study?

Closing

That’s all for this week. As we head into November I’m hoping that I’ll have fewer real life demands and more hobby time. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit. Have a great week!

For the Village of Cross Tree, go here.

For maps & plot hooks, go here.

For my Idea Chest posts, go here.

For some random tables, go here.

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

Introduction

The Horror of Talaraska is intended to be a starting adventure, originally written with the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia in mind. For further information on the adventure itself, here are the important links:

The Village of Cross Tree

Background & Synopsis

The Horror of Talaraska part I

Recap of Part I

In Part 1 of The Horror of Talaraska, the adventurers arrived at the village of Cross Tree, a quiet settlement nestled within a dense forest. They soon learned that the village had been terrorized by a group of bandits led a brute named Kargan Pike. After a recent attack on the village, the adventurers were asked by the settlement’s cleric to track down the bandits and recover stolen items crucial to the village’s survival.

The party tracked the bandits to their camp just off the road, where they found the remaining brigands in a state of fear and disarray, their leader and another bandit having disappeared into a mysterious cave. The party is now faced with the choice of entering the cave to seek out the missing bandits or returning to the village with any captives.

It’s certainly possible that the PCs will decide that they’ve had enough and want no part of exploring the cave. Should things play out that way, you’ll want to be prepared for role-playing their triumphant return to Cross Tree. However, I expect that most budding adventurers worth their salt will simply not be able to pass up the chance to explore the cave and bring Kargan Pike to justice. That is the outcome we will explore here.

The Lost City of Talaraska

What the players don’t know is that what lies before them is no ordinary cave. The recent earthquake that struck the region caused a collapse revealing this entrance. Beyond this unassuming passage is not merely a darkened cavern, but the gateway to a city long forgotten by time. This is Talaraska, once a thriving center of arcane secrets. The city’s haunted remains lie in wait, holding both ancient treasures and terrifying dangers.

#1 Cave Entrance

The jagged edges and loose rubble make it clear that this cave entrance is newly formed. The chamber inside measures roughly 15 feet by 30 feet, with a low ceiling that barely rises more than 5 feet in height. Moving through the cave requires the adventurers to crouch slightly, adding to the claustrophobic atmosphere. Dust and debris litter the ground, and several stones look freshly fallen, hinting that the cave’s stability may be in question.

A narrow passage leads off to the northwest before taking a sharp turn to the northeast, plunging into darkness. Torches will be necessary to proceed forward. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and mildew, but those who search the ground will quickly note two sets of tracks leading into the passage.

#2 Breached Room

At the end of the narrow tunnel, the party emerges into a small 15′ x 15′ chamber. Unlike the natural cavern behind them, this room is clearly man-made. The floor and walls are smooth, worked stone, marked by the passage of time but still intact. The southern wall of the chamber has collapsed inward, littering the floor with debris, chunks of masonry, shattered wood, and dust. Among the wreckage, the skeletal remains of two unfortunate souls can be found, partially buried beneath the rubble. Cool, stale air flows in from the north.

Careful examination of the scene will reveal more. Characters with relevant skills (such as Dwarves with their inherent knowledge of stonework) have a 1-in-3 chance of discerning that the breach in the southern wall is the result of the recent earthquake. Meanwhile, the rubble to the north, piled high against the exit, indicates something else entirely. This was once a hidden chamber, concealed by a now-destroyed secret door.

#3 Intersection

As the party leaves the secret room, they enter an intersection where two 10-foot-wide passages branch off—one to the west, and the other to the north, which quickly bends to the east. The ceiling here rises to roughly 10 feet. Rocks and debris are scattered across the floor.

Lying on the ground near the eastern wall are eight crossbow bolts. These appear to have struck the wall before dropping to the floor. A repetitive clicking sound, heard every few seconds, draws the party’s attention to the west. As their torchlight flickers down the hall, they make out the figure of a body lying prone about 25 feet away.

#4 Body & Trap

A man’s lifeless body lies in a fresh pool of blood, and the rhythmic clicking sound continues to echo from the western wall. Upon closer inspection, this man appears to be one of the bandits, though he is not the leader, Kargan Pike. His face is twisted in pain, and he has two crossbow bolts embedded in his chest, similar to those found at the intersection in Area #3. His extinguished torch lies beside him, as does a short sword. If searched, the bandit has a pouch on his belt containing 5 gp and 4 sp.

As the party inspects the area, they’ll notice that the man’s body is resting on a pressure-sensitive plate set into the floor. The clicking noise they’ve been hearing originates from the trap mechanism located behind an arrow slit in the western wall. This arrow slit leads to a small 5-foot nook where the trap apparatus is housed.

When the bandit stepped on the pressure plate, it triggered the mechanism, causing a bolt to fire from the arrow slit. The unfortunate bandit fell onto the plate and, as the apparatus continued to attempt firing, it shot its remaining bolts, which missed their mark and struck the far eastern wall, leaving the spent bolts in Area #3. The repetitive clicking sound is simply the apparatus attempting to fire again, though it has no remaining ammunition. If the body is moved from the plate, the clicking will cease immediately.

#5 Map Room

This is a large chamber and the flickering light from the party’s torches only barely reaches the far walls. Six stone pillars rise from the floor to the 20’ high ceiling, supporting the structure. The most striking feature of the room is on the floor itself. Apart from a 5-foot-wide walkway circling the room, the rest of the floor is covered with carved replicas of buildings. These miniature structures are hewn from a dark, smooth stone and range in size from 1 to over 5 feet in length and up to 3 feet in height. While the adventurers won’t immediately realize this, the buildings represent a detailed map of the central square of the lost city of Talaraska.

Frescoes adorn the walls of the chamber, though time has not been kind to them, and the images are cracked and faded. Closer inspection of the paintings reveals disturbing scenes of a fabulous city, filled with towering buildings, now in a state of chaos. Shadowy figures, vaguely humanoid in shape, emerge from the edges of the city, chasing terrified citizens. The figures seem to be made of darkness itself, wrapping around buildings and enveloping those who flee. In one of the central scenes, the sky is depicted with a blazing sun high above. The shadowy figures are seen retreating from the light, their forms dissipating and shrinking as the sun’s rays touch them.

In the center of the room, a pool of water represents a lake within the city. Its dark waters glisten faintly in the torchlight, and a subtle ripple occasionally disturbs its surface. Unbeknownst to the party, a carrion crawler has recently surfaced through a crevice at the bottom of the pool and picked up the scent of the dead bandit at location #4. Sensing the vibrations of the approaching adventurers, it is holding its position but will slither from the pool and attack when they draw near.

Carrion Crawler: AC 7; HD 3+1; hp 13; MV 40′; #AT 8; D paralysis; Save F2; ML 9; AL N. A hit by a carrion crawler paralyzes the victim unless a save vs. Paralysis is made. The paralysis can be removed by a cure light wounds spell, but any spell so used will have no other effect. Without a spell, the paralysis will wear off in 2-8 turns.

If the party takes the time to inspect the pool closely, they will notice something glinting at the bottom. A thorough search of the pool will reveal a sapphire brooch, its intricate design still gleaming despite the years underwater, worth 275 gp.

#6 Collapsed Stairway

A solitary stone pillar supports the ceiling as the corridor turns to the north. As the party approaches within 5 feet, a disembodied mouth suddenly appears on the pillar’s surface. Its stone lips move as they issue a haunting warning:

“Turn back interlopers. Death and despair await those who disturb the dark heart of Talaraska. Trespass no further into the shadows!”

Beyond the pillar, the adventurers are greeted by a sight of complete devastation. A 10-foot-wide set of stone stairs descends into darkness, but any hope of progress is dashed by a massive rock collapse. Hundreds of pounds of rubble now block the stairway, making it impossible to pass through.

# 7 The Study

As the party moves forward, the hallway opens into a large chamber, roughly 50 feet by 50 feet. The room is dark, save for the faint light cast by the adventurers’ torches. Directly ahead, they can make out a pedestal surrounded by 4 braziers, as well as the body of a man lying face down in the center of the room. Clearly once a study of some sort, crumbling bookshelves and the remains of tables line the sides of the room. The walls are covered with decayed tapestries and arcane symbols are etched into the stone floor.

Entering the room, the PCs will see that to the north the chamber opens into vast blackness, a 30-foot-wide opening in the wall where the ground suddenly drops off. A cool breeze enters the room from this opening, bringing with it the scent of stale air. Should the party go so far as to hold torches out this opening, it will become clear that a great cavern looms below. Some 40’-50’ down, they can just make out the shapes of buildings in the darkness.

The pedestal is carved from black marble, its surface smooth and polished. Designs cover the sides of the pedestal and they appear to shift slightly in the torch light. At the top of the pedestal is a shallow indentation. In the very center of this indentation is a hole, barely wider than a finger.

The body is that of the bandit leader, Kargan Pike. He is quite dead, though he bears no apparent wounds. If the adventurers roll him over, they should be able to recognize him from the villagers’ descriptions. They will also note that his body is cold to the touch and he died with a look of abject terror on his face.

The missing satchel of medicinal herbs and business ledger may be found in his backpack. An extinguished torch and hand axe lay not far from his body. Also of note, a polished stone with an intricately carved rune lies not far from his outstretched right hand. Roughly 3” in diameter, the runestone is reddish in color and seems to pulse with an inner fire. Unbeknownst to the party, this relic originally rested on the pedestal. When Pike entered the room, the bandit snatched it up, triggering an event that led to his demise.

If any of the party members pick up the stone, an iron portcullis will immediately slam down from the ceiling. With a deafening clang, the entrance will be sealed off and the adventurers are trapped inside. At that very moment, thick black smoke begins to pour ominously from the hole at the top of the pedestal. The smoke coalesces, swirling into a vaguely humanoid form, as a chorus of indecipherable whispers fill the air. In one breathless moment, a creature fully forms out of the smoke and turns its gaze toward the adventurers. It attacks.

The Horror of Talaraska

AC: 7

HD: 3

HP: 16

Move: 60′ (20′)

Attacks: 1

Damage: 1d4 (Chill Touch)

Save As: Fighter 2

Morale: 10

Alignment: Chaotic

Special Abilities:

Fear Aura: Characters starting their round adjacent to the Horror must save vs. spells or suffer a fright. Frightened characters must flee from the creature for one round as their action. After fleeing, they may act normally on their next turn.

Chill Touch: In addition to 1d4 damage, each successful hit forces the target to roll a d10 on the Horror’s Touch table below for potential additional effects.

• 1-4 Chilled to the Bone: The character feels a deep, unnatural cold, but suffers no further effects beyond the initial damage.

• 5-7 Nightmares: The character is haunted by vivid, terrifying nightmares. Each night, they relive the moment they were touched by the Horror, waking in a cold sweat. They find sleep restless and unsettling for d10 days.

• 7-9 Shivering Limbs: The character’s limbs shudder involuntarily. They suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls for 1 round as the cold spreads through their body.

• 10 Mark of Horror: The Horror’s chill permanently brands the character’s skin with black veins where they were touched. For the next 3 days, the character exudes an unnatural cold, causing discomfort to those nearby.

Non-Corporeal: The Horror is a magical entity (not undead), impervious to normal weapons and is immune to sleep and charm effects. It takes full damage from magical attacks and fire.

Averse to Light: The Horror avoids attacking any character holding a torch or other light source. If all four braziers in the room are lit, the Horror will retreat back into the pedestal.

If the party manages to reduce the Horror to 0 HP or light all four braziers, a sudden whooshing sound will fill the chamber as the black smoke is forcefully drawn back into the pedestal. The iron portcullis will rise with a clatter, signaling that the threat has passed.

At this point, the party has achieved what they came here to do. They have recovered the villagers’ stolen goods and with Kargan Pike dead, the threat to Cross Tree has been neutralized. The logical course would be to return to the village, report on their findings, and share the story of what truly lies beneath the forest.

The mysteries of Talaraska are far from fully revealed. For some adventurers, the allure of ancient Talaraska will beckon. Should they wish to return and lower themselves into the blackness below, a new chapter of discovery and peril awaits..

Conclusion

Well, that took entirely longer than I had expected. I’ll have one more upcoming post covering The Horror of Talaraska, to answer some questions and provide a few plot hooks for anyone interested in building on from the adventure. Following that, I’ll hopefully get back to my regular posting schedule. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit.

For more on the Village of Cross Tree, go here.

For maps & plot hooks, go here.

For my Idea Chest posts, go here.

For some random tables, go here.

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