THE DARK MOTHER

You are in a town, just passing through when a cry of terror splits the sky, rushing to where you heard it come from you see a woman on her knees in the dirt, sobbing bitterly.

"They've taken them, the goblins took my children!"

Hot in pursuit, you follow the trail of destruction the goblins had left in the town, and soon it leads to the edge of a forest. The trail becomes more difficult to follow now.

Défi narratif : Track the goblins

CR 8 (Survival) against the hero

Pass: You manage to catch up and kill some stragglers from their Warband and loot them. Gain 5 Wealth.
Fail: They have eluded you, they must be running as if their master's whips were to their very backs.

Eventually, evening comes and you have been tracking them all afternoon and in the dark, you may lose their trail.

Spying smoking coming from a chimney, you find a small peasant hovel tucked away in the forest. As you approach the people there initially are frightful of you, but then relax almost immediately and work fast to secure the doors and windows of their home that are looking very damaged - Something obviously has them scared.

You approach and speak to them, and they insist you stay inside the house with them during the night, and looking at your weapon, they add that maybe you can protect them from what comes in the darkness.

"We do not know what they are... only they come in the night to steal away people from their beds, and they always come in threes."

That night, sleep does not come to you, the haunting words of the peasants and their fears keep you on your guard.

It is around midnight when you hear silence descends on the surrounding forest, no more can you hear the soft night sounds of birds or even the chirping of crickets - the silence is ominous. And then you hear it, something moving on the roof of the hovel. Then, with a loud crash, the ceiling gives way as three dark figures fall through into the house. Clutching your weapon tightly, you rush to meet them!

Défi de combat : The Dark Figures in the Night

You defeat the Dark Figures.

In the light of morning, you now can see what these dark figures are, though you have never seen anything like them before.

They are like an unholy combination of man and goblin and are built for power and speed.

The surviving peasants thank you for saving them and offer you some information, that nearby used to be a goblin cave - the goblins and peasants had an unspoken treaty of avoiding each other, but something has changed since those days.

They tell you where to find the goblin cave.

Thanking them, you head off toward the cave.

The cave is not difficult to find, with typical trash and refuse littering near the entrance. A couple of sleepy goblin sentries are on watch.

Défi narratif : Deal with the sentries quietly

CR 8 (Agility) against the hero

Pass: You sneak up and take both sentries by surprise and before they can cry alarm, they are dead at your feet.
Fail: You tried to ambush them but your foot scrapped against a stone giving you away, you fought fast to defeat them but were wounded in return. Take one wound.

The cave is winding and dark, you follow its pathway as it leads you deeper into the earth. You pause at a sight, a goblin totem of animal skulls piled on a stick catches your attention, it is obviously some kind of warning.

Défi narratif : Be aware of your surroundings

CR 8 (Wisdom) against the hero

Pass: You notice the hidden passageway that would allow goblins to sneak up on you from behind if you were to carry on going forwards, so you track down this tunnel and find a handful of goblins sleeping in a guard room. You deal with them all in turn.
Fail: You miss the hidden passageway, in your next combat challenge add 3 more goblins and start with disadvantage for the first combat round.

Continuing on, you pause at the sound of goblin voices arguing "Big Brain says I wuz to be in charge so you betta listens to meh" The goblins eventually stop arguing and move on. You carry onwards and reach what seems to be a meeting hall, a small goblin with a very large head laughs at you. "So you'se has comes to rescues the children, but you are too late, soon they will be with Mother and another birthing can begin!" Goblins rush forward to confront you as you draw your weapon.

Défi de combat : Big Brain's Warband

You defeat Big Brain and his warriors, now to find the missing children.

**Gain 5 Wealth**

As Big Brain dies, he sputters out aloud "No! Mother is my greatest creation! Our new Goblyn soldiers will rule the world! You cannot stop us...."

There is a tunnel that leads downwards, but this passageway is very different, instead of the rough hews of stone it is covered with a layer of flesh, like some disturbing living thing. The passageway leads to a circular room, all covered in that same fleshlike substance.

Off to one side a pair of children sit huddled and crying, when they see you they immediately point to a huge shape at the side of the room. The shape steps forward slowly, struggling with its mass. It is the most horrible thing you have ever seen, an abominable amalgamation of fat and flesh! It squats down and trembles as it pushes something out of its body. Standing up, the creature that it just birthed is one of those dark figures from earlier, a Goblyn.

Défi de combat : The Dark Mother

In defeating The Dark Mother and its hideous spawn, you have successfully saved the children who you return to their waiting mother, for a mothers love is god on the lips and hearts of children.

**Gain 1 SP**

Illustration: Kjpargeter
Auteur: Peter Oggelsby