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Dungeon Packers #4

Of the classic monsters in horror, few are more popular than the werewolf.

Storytellers across history have tried their hand at the werewolf tale, which makes them one of the most widely represented monsters in media. Whether you’re reading a horror story by Robert E. Howard or watching the Twilight movies, you’re going to find werewolves.

Which brings us to this month’s dungeon, which is a perfect inclusion for your Halloween games. Below, you’ll find sinister cultists, mysterious menhirs, and monstrous werewolves. Be careful! Your players may end up as one of them.

The map for this dungeon comes from Dyson’s Dodecahedron, which is a great source of maps for your games. You can view the original map with Dyson’s flavor text here. 

The following dungeon is written for Cairn, an adventure game written by Yochai Gal. You can find the rules for free, as well as a ton of community-written adventures, hacks, and resources on the game’s website. Monsters whose stats are not provided can be found on the Monsters page under the Resources tab on the game’s website.

Deep within the pine forest known as the Frostweald, south of the Thunderous Sheet, is a ring of standing stones that predates written history, known as Tyralhenge. No one knows who erected the stones, but a popular local legend says they are made from the remains of Tyrahn, this world’s second moon, shattered during a bygone age.

Under the full moon-light of Tyrahl, the first moon, the stones are said to glow. And at midnight, the god of lycanthropes descends to bestow a gift upon the few who are deemed worthy.

In the nearby town of Foxborough, rumors abound of strange folk seen within the Frostweald, dancing around fires in the dark. Local farmers claim that their lambs are being carried off in the night. They blame wolves, but everyone is beginning to wonder if the old stories are true…

A sect of the secret society known as the Emerald Eye has learned of the circle of menhirs hidden in the Frostweald and are performing rites in order to receive Tyrahl’s Gift. 

As more cultists gather for the full moon, their leader, an elf by the name of Grackle, has instructed their followers to steal lambs from nearby farms as sacrifices. The cultists have also captured some wolves (see Area 3), but they serve no part in the ceremony.

The standing stones are made up of two large rings. The outer ring of stones has been overgrown and is partially hidden by the forest; the inner ring is visible and outlines a small clearing. As midnight approaches on the night of the full moon, both rings of stones begin to glow with a bluish light.

A humanoid standing within the inner ring of stones at midnight on the night of the full moon, receives a “gift” from Tyrahl, god of the first moon and lycanthropes. The gift changes all humanoids standing with the ring into werewolves.

Player Characters can choose to resist the change by succeeding on a WIL save, but become cursed and must make subsequent WIL saves during each full moon to continue to resist.

Unless precautions are taken (see Area 5), players whose PCs turn into werewolves are no longer under their control, and they become Non-Player Characters under the control of the Warden. The affected PCs return to normal when the sun rises.

The party can approach from one of two paths: the southeast path leading to Area 1, or the northwest path leading to Area 4. PCs who scout the surrounding area ahead of time should be made aware of both paths by the Warden.

Number of Players: 4-5

Sessions: 1

Lighting: Natural lighting. If Areas 1 and 2 are encountered at night, they are lit by small fires.

The path splits and goes around a small group of trees, which obscures the circle of stones beyond. A group of roughly dressed humanoids sit in the middle of the split as guards,using wooden stumps as stools.

1d4+1 emerald eye cultists guard this path to Area 2, but they aren’t happy about being left out of the ceremony. The cultists aren’t paying much attention with all their complaining, and can be easily circumvented if the party stays out of sight.

Within the small group of trees is a hiding treant named Blue. This tree shepherd doesn’t care much for the lives of humanoids, but is watching as events unfold in order to prevent unchecked destruction of their forest. While hiding in this way, Blue is indistinguishable from the other trees.

Emerald Eye Cultist

4 HP, 9 STR, 10 DEX, 12 WIL, dagger (d6)

• Members of a secret society with druidic and fey influences.

• Critical damage: siphons part of the creature’s resolve (1d3 WIL damage).

• Treasure: dagger, 1d4 gp

Within the double rings of stones, the cult leader Grackle (use hooded man stats) and 2 trusted emerald eye cultists (see Area 1 for stats) make the final preparations to receive Tyrahl’s Gift. In the light, it looks like their faces are covered in blood. As the moment approaches, they are distracted and can be taken by surprise.

If Grackle and their two minions are within the circle when midnight passes, they turn into werewolves. However, as they have taken precautions (see Area 5), they retain their WIL scores. This change lasts until sunrise.

If Grackle is defeated, either as a humanoid or as a werewolf, the following relic can be retrieved from them.

Relic: Wolf Fang Necklace, 1 charge. The wearer can temporarily turn into a werewolf for 1 hour. During the transformation, they retain their WIL score and have full control of their actions. Recharge: bathe in blood under the light of a full moon.

The cultists have captured 1d4 wolves and chained them up in this alcove. While unharmed, the wolves appear to be malnourished.

The northwest path leading to this area is unguarded. A large flat stone as tall as a humanoid blocks the southern path to Area 2.

A message has been etched into the flat stone. It’s in the Old Tongue, but PCs that can cast spells are familiar with it.

The stone is a warning of the consequences of invoking the power of the standing stones (see Tyrahl’s Gift), and it also explains how to use the stone obelisk (see Area 5).

A large stone obelisk used to stand here, and may have been taller than the surrounding trees. Now, only the base remains, though it still juts 6 feet out of the ground.

Like the stone in Area 4, the obelisk used to be covered in writing and engravings, but it has all been worn away. The only script that remains is at the base, in the Old Tongue.

…for the blood god.

The bottom of the stone has been splashed with fresh blood.

If a PC spills blood in front of the obelisk and then smears some on their face, they can automatically resist being turned into a werewolf and do not need to make subsequent WIL saves during each full moon.

Alternatively, they can choose to take on the curse and become a werewolf, but they retain their WIL score and have full control of their actions. However, they must spill blood in front of the obelisk before each full moon in order to continue to retain their identity.

We hope you and your players enjoyed this dungeon adventure! What are some of your favorite classic movie monsters? Do you have a favorite movie you like to watch around Halloween? Please send your feedback to feedback@shatteredlabspress.com or message us on social media.

If you enjoyed this dungeon adventure, you can support us on Patreon and get behind-the-scenes looks at our upcoming projects and gain access to exclusive additional content, including a table of random encounters for your party to encounter on their way to Tyrahlhenge. Happy gaming!