A three-act folk horror adventure set in and around Thornwick. The threads converge. The players decide what wakes.
Structure
Arrival at the Crossroads
The party arrives in Thornwick and senses that something is not right. Introduce the town, the tone, and the first hint of the fog.
The Market Square at Dusk
A townsperson is watching the North Road. The bell rings. Gossip is available at the well if the party listens.
First Night at the Inn
The party settles at the Crossroads. Old men by the well speak of fog-touched strangers. Marta serves. A stranger enters from the north after dark.
The Threads Cross
The party discovers that three problems (missing daughter, weakening mine seal, failing wards) are the same problem. NPCs start to trust them.
The Alderman's Lie
Alderman Crewe invites the party to the Hall. He asks what they're doing in town. He wants to know if they are hunters. He will not mention Elspeth.
Old Miriam at Her Cottage
Miriam will see the party if they bring her something useful (news, herbs, a bottle). If she trusts them, she will tell them about the wards. She will not tell them about her bargain.
The Priest's Confession
Brother Aldric can be led to the edge of saying what he knows. He will never say the name. He may speak in prayers.
The Boarded Mine
The Cairnwood hills, an afternoon's walk west. The chains on the mine door have been moved. The sunburst is fresh paint over old. Something below can be heard if the party listens long enough.
The Waking
Everything converges. The party goes into the Greymoor. Elspeth is found. The choice is made.
The Path through the Fog
Tam will take them as far as the tree line. After that, the party is on their own. Will-o'-wisps offer paths. Miriam's wards, if the party has learned them, hold. If not, they flicker.
The Stone Circle
Half-submerged in marsh water. Nine stones, one central. Elspeth is there. She is Elspeth. She is also not. She will speak to them.
She knows who they are. She has been listening through the fog.
The water trembles. The fog thickens. A pressure builds behind the eyes. The party feels watched by something larger than the marsh.
Elspeth offers them a path: maintain the wards in Miriam's place, or undo them. She will not plead. Whatever they choose, she will accept. The sleeper's fate hinges here.