Short Stop - A 1-Page Romp for Eldritch Shadows!

This was released about a week ago on my Patreon page for my Patrons and served as a gap
between "The Night Train Comes" and the upcoming "Lake Fall" adventures. All three adventures
will be part of the supplement when it comes out with final rules updates and the like. For now,
enjoy!

THE FERAL AEON

This short scenario can be played at any time. However, it was originally designed to fill a small
gap between “The Night Train Comes” and “Lake Fall” adventures when the players stopped at
an interstate rest plaza for pizza and coffee.

What are Aeons

Aeons are small spirits of knowledge that resemble little more than motes of light twinkling in
and out of existence like the glow of fireflies in a summer night. While initially harmless and
utterly harmless, the pure amount of collected knowledge that floods into them drives them to
madness, making the a danger to all things they encounter. Despite this dangerous nature Aeons
have become a powerful tool to Council Wizards and are often sought and bound to a Council
Wizard. The binding process is typically a long and difficult trail for the Council Wizard who must
not only break the madness of the Aeon but also construct a binding shell for the creature of
wood, iron, and word.

Once bound an Aeon achieves a form of sanity linked to the bond it shares with its Council
Wizard. This bond is typically transferred through family or apprentice lines, however, it is not
unheard of for a Council Wizard to not transfer the bond. Unfortunately, once an Aeon is clear of
its bond the madness returns and the Aeon once more becomes dangerous to all around it.
These Aeons are called Feral Aeons and are marginally easier to bind.

LIGHT DINNER

I-76 and its branches run through the majority of Pennsylvania. A large, mostly clear of trouble
toll road, the interstate is a prime and quick way to get where one needs to go. Throughout
these long veins of concrete and asphalt are little oasis's of civilization after a fashion. The rest
stop, a one stop shop of greasy heart clogging foods, gas, bathrooms, and coffee, they serve the
late night trucker, the half-asleep father, or the bored teenager out for a ride. The rest stop never
closes, and is rarely ever empty. Tonight is no exception. People line in front of the over-priced
chain coffee shop, the pizza-maker, and the small gift-shop with more bad audio book Westerns
than should exist. Everything is peaceful and normal … until the small floating wooden skull
bursts out of the men's room wall and bodies start to drop to the floor!

Everything Happens in the Rest Room

This particular Feral Aeon has been named Lode by its now dead Master, an ancient Council
Wizard with a love of Urban Fantasy books and an unfortunate heart condition. When the
Wizard feel concerned people (and a few opportunists) surrounded him, there thoughts, voices,
emotions all over taxing the Aeon as it dealt with the pain of its former master's death and the
breaking of the binding. Within moments the Aeon went feral, and within seconds nearly every
living soul in the men's room was murdered by the Aeon's immense energies.

A Quick Stop

The players are in the rest stop when Lode breaks through the wall and the chaos begins. Lode
zips around widely his energy blasts targeting random people. Within seconds people are
screaming and bolting for the doors. Any player not moving with the crowd must make a
successful Dexterity SR or be trampled by the fleeing civilians and incurring 2d4 damage.

Any Council Wizard with the players will automatically know what Lode is and what an Aeon
would mean for her in terms of Council prestige and personal power. Unfortunately, the re-
binding process requires the Control of the former master, in this case a wooden ring on the
dead Council Wizard in the rest room. Lode will stay in the rest stop as long as there are living
creatures of a small or higher height left in the building. Once the rest stop is emptied or its
occupants killed the feral Aeon will bust through the roof and search out the nearest town,
killing everything on the way.

If a Council Wizard with the players manages to bind Lode the carnage will stop and the Aeon
will express remorse for its actions. However, if the Aeon is killed the energies released will
destroy the rest stop, leveling it to the ground (Dexterity SR to get out in time, Strength SR to
free oneself from the rubble).

Feral Aeon – HD 3; HP 20; AC 4(15); ATK Beam (2d6+2 damage + Random Effect); SV 12; MV 60'
Flying; CL/XP 5/240; SPC Grants Master +1 on all Intelligence SR, Grants +1 Spell per day, Cannot
Attack once bound, Beam has the following Random Effects on a d6: 1-2. Paralysis; 3-4 Sleep; 5
Turn to Stone; 6. Disintegrate