Under the Floorboards

514SuUnFl

A weary band of travelers arrives in Rimoi, a humble village known as a resting stop for adventurers. Little more than a collection of weathered houses, blacksmiths, and two rival taverns, the town seems ordinary—until the party stumbles into the Hooting Owl Tavern. Inside, the warm glow of a fire and the scent of roasting boar welcome them, but tensions hang in the air. The local guards storm out, their anger directed at the dwarven tavern keeper, Glenda. Over a meal, she explains her troubles: rats have infested her pantry, let in by starving children sneaking food. But the guards refused to help unless bribed, leaving Glenda trapped by her fear and haunted by the unexplained disappearance of the village’s orphaned urchins.

As the adventurers finish their meal, a young girl bursts into the tavern, panic in her wide eyes. Talley Rinden, too young to be surviving alone, flees into the street, prompting the party to chase her. The villagers sneer, calling her a “little rat” as they point the way. They catch her in a back alley, desperately trying to enter a locked door. Through tears, she reveals a chilling truth—her friends are missing. They vanished one by one after sneaking into the tavern’s pantry, unable to resist the call to investigate the eerie noises within. Too afraid to ask Glenda for help and certain the guards would imprison her, Talley has been left alone, terrified and desperate for answers.

Back at the tavern, Glenda’s kindness reassures the girl, but Talley can only sob one word—”Lost.” Then, a noise echoes from the depths of the pantry, something far larger than a rat. Glenda leaps onto a table, cleaver in hand, as the door swings open to reveal Rueben, her trusted assistant. But relief quickly turns to dread. His stiff movements, decaying flesh, and hollow stare betray something unnatural. He insists he will handle the rats himself, and in a chilling moment, Glenda’s expression goes vacant, accepting his words without question. Talley suddenly cries out—she has heard her friends’ voices coming from below. As Glenda hesitates, something grotesque stirs in the darkness.

Then, the stairs shake violently. From the shadows, monstrous, multi-legged horrors surge forth, scuttling toward them. Rueben’s voice, once soft, now drips with menace as he utters the terrifying truth—”The others grow tired of hiding. There is no escaping now, fools.” The party finds themselves trapped in a nightmare, faced with an ancient horror lurking beneath the tavern. To survive, they must uncover the truth, confront the unnatural terror that has ensnared the village, and rescue the missing children before Rimoi becomes nothing more than another forgotten town swallowed by darkness.

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PDF adventure – Under the floorboard

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Red Harvest

513SuReHa

The village of Ponkae, celebrated for its rich traditions and renowned delicacies, lay nestled beyond the rainforest’s damp roads. Along the way, the party witnessed villagers meticulously hunting Moon wave grubs, using hand-axes and reed-like tongs to extract the wriggling red creatures from decaying wood. Naya, a moss-cloaked guardian of the harvest, emerged to explain the importance of these grubs to Ponkae’s prosperity. Responding to an urgent call, she darted off, leaving the party to descend the grand steps into Ponkae’s vibrant valley.

Ponkae was a hive of activity, with farmers harvesting silken cocoons from jungle trees in the tiered valley alive with buzzing insects and running water. Amidst this bustling scene, an untouched patch of trees hung with black cloth provided an eerie contrast. The party marvelled at the colourful marketplace filled with silken wares, fragrant oils, strong beers, and tantalizing food, showcasing the rich traditions and craftsmanship that defined Ponkae.

A debate in the village’s amphitheatre revealed a pressing issue—Tamaya’s farm, left without a successor, threatened the harvest of silk and moon broth. As the villagers argued, Naya delivered startling news about blood-red, many-legged creatures stealing cocoons. The elder shared the legend of “red harvesters,” divine beings that appeared to reprimand the village’s greed. He tasked Naya and the scouts with tracking the creatures, forbidding harm, and allowed the travellers to assist in uncovering the truth.

Led by Naya, the party followed erratic tracks across farmland walls and ledges, eventually reaching a tree draped in black cloth where shredded bark and hollow silken cocoons suggested a violent encounter. The search took them to Tamaya’s abandoned house, where a burrowed hole and disarrayed interior revealed that the creatures had used it as a nest. Naya suspected the grubs had matured and emerged, emphasizing the urgency of unraveling their origins to safeguard Ponkae.

As the rain intensified, the party spotted claw marks around cocoon mounds, some salvaged by villagers, others successfully raided by the creatures. At the upper levels, a rare red cocoon fluttering in the breeze hinted at its extraordinary value, with Naya explaining its lucrative significance. Danger loomed as red creatures emerged from the woods, mandibles snapping and antennae twitching with menace, their intent clear—to guard the undisturbed cocoons as they confronted the party.

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The warriors surged forward, their oversized claws clicking as they charged. Their powerful mandibles opened and closed in anticipation for the fight to come. Claws tore into shields and grasped at weapons with brutal efficiency, each strike aiming to capture and slash while their strong jaws could crush and shatter limbs. The party fought desperately but the ants moved with unsettling coordination. One ant lunged, its claws locking around the human’s arm as its mandibles clamped down on blade, splintering the steel like it was dry wood. 

Above the fray, the queen loomed as she slowly descended. A massive creature whose sleek body reflected the dim light from the forest ominously. She clicked her mandibles, emitting a resonant sound that rallied the warriors to redirect their attacks to the adventurer that could pose the biggest threat. As she moved towards the front lines her stinger poised and glinted. The queen thrust it downward towards the party, narrowly missing but a spray of ichor saw the warriors disengage with their current prey and rush towards the doused target.

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PDF adventure – Red Harvest

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