What Granny Says
A Folk Horror One-Shot Adventure
By DragnaCarta
In this adventure, the characters must investigate the mystery
of disappearing children in a small, suspicious village, and
combat a fearsome annis hag with gruesome designs.
I. On the Road
Set-Up. The characters are traveling south, on an old dirt
road that passes through the isolated village of Oakhill.
Steffan, a relative of one of the characters, relocated to
Oakhill several years ago, and the characters hope to find
food and shelter for the night at his home.
Details. To the west lies the Ironwood, a foreboding and
gnarled forest. The village of Oakhill lies just ahead to the
south, its border less than a minute's walk away. The fields
nearby are covered in tall, sickly yellow grass.
Prompt. As the characters approach, they notice a strange
object—almost resembling a small tapestry or animal hide—
strung up between two wooden poles just up ahead. A man is
kneeling in front of it, his head in his hands, and another man
—Steffan—is standing beside him, appearing to console him.
Discoveries. The "tapestry" is the flayed skin of a child—a
young girl, called Gilda while alive. The kneeling man, who is
named Caradoc, is—or was—her father. Steffan has been
comforting him, offering to aid him with the girl's burial, and
is heartened to see the characters. The girl is rumored to be
the latest victim of "the annis," a forest-dwelling monster that
hunts children and displays their gruesome remains for their
families to see. The annis has a calling-card: a small twig
fetish left at the site of each flayed child.
Steffan and his wife are concerned, because they recently
found such a twig fetish in their twin sons' crib, and they're
worried that the infants might be in danger. Steffan would
like the characters to come home with him, and to help
protect his home from creatures who might try to take them.
Developments. The group is approached by a man who
Steffan calls "Airic." (Airic, a human druid, is the town's
Wisdom, which means that he serves as a political and
religious leader.) Airic greets Caradoc kindly and urges him
to return to the village without burying Gilda, which Airic
suggests may rouse the annis's anger. Airic then warns the
characters to continue on down the road, and not to tarry in
Oakhill. "Outsiders," he warns them—sparing an unfriendly
scowl toward Steffan—"are not welcome in our village."
II. Steffan's House
Details. Steffan's home is a small, three-room cottage with an
adjoining workroom (for Steffan's carpentry) and vegetable
patch.
Prompt. When the characters arrive, they overhear Mirna,
Steffan's wife, frustratedly berating Elsha, Steffan's daughter,
for nailing several plates to a wall. As the characters enter,
they can view Elsha's handiwork and see her depart for her
punishment (re-weeding the vegetable garden). Mirna greets
the characters warmly and welcomes them. (She just put the
babies down for a nap in her and Steffan's bedroom.)
Discoveries. Elsha has always been a troublesome child,
but her behavior has recently taken a turn for the worse.
She's broken things and broken curfews (no child is allowed
outside after dark, for fear of the annis), and just today came
back from playing goodness-knows-where instead of doing
her chores. (Elsha is Steffan's first child from another
marriage.)
Developments. Before the characters can inspect the
sleeping infants, there comes a knock at the door: an elderly
neighbor named Selma. If allowed inside, she rudely accosts
the characters, cursing at them, jabbing a shriveled finger in
the air, and demanding they leave before they bring any
further "misfortune" upon the town.
III. Steffan & Mirna's Bedroom
Details. This room contains a larger bed sized for two adults
and a small crib sized for two infants.
Prompt. The crib is empty and the window is open.
Discoveries. Some parts of the crib are lightly dusted with
cocklebur seeds, and there's a small pile of reddish dirt on the
windowsill. (Steffan and Mirna know that the Nettletree
Graveyard on the village's edge is known to have both reddish
soil and cocklebur plants.)
Developments. Mirna checks the vegetable patch, and
finds that Elsha is nowhere to be found. She and Steffan ask
the PCs to investigate these clues while they ask the
neighbors for any leads.
IV. Nettletree Graveyard
Details. The graveyard is bounded by a small wooden fence
and patches of cocklebur plants grow. At its center stands a
tall oak tree, whose leaves strangely resemble those of the
nettle plant. A skeletal figure hangs from a noose on the tree.
Prompt. The characters are watched by a small creature
with leathery, purple-black skin (a boggle named Mogwort),
who hides behind one of the gravestones and attempts to flee
if the characters approach. (Mogwort is very bad at hiding,
and can easily be seen wherever it goes.)
Strife. The characters must chase Mogwort as it criss-
crosses the graveyard using its dimensional rift ability
and/or make a successful DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion)
check to convince it to speak with them.
Discoveries. If lured or caught, Mogwort denies any
knowledge of the infants' fate. It admits, however, that Elsha
has visited the graveyard on numerous times to discus
practical jokes and mischief with it, but that it's felt that
Elsha's interests have taken a dark turn in recent weeks, for
which it blames the "iron coin" that Elsha carries and
whispers to.
It hasn't seen Elsha since this morning, but knows that
Elsha likes to sit alone on the Graystone Barrow, a small hill
that lies a quarter-mile to the southwest of town. Mogwort
also warns the characters that small fey have been
disappearing from the woods and nearby area—something
has been hunting them.
Developments. The village Wisdom, Airic, can be seen Discoveries. The sprites' bows and poisoned arrows have
approaching the graveyard, flanked by a mob of a dozen been removed and destroyed. If freed, the sprites can tell the
villagers (true neutral commoners) carrying pitchforks and characters that Granny is no human witch, but a cruel annis
clubs. The characters can easily escape the mob if they flee hag—the same annis hag who flays children's skin. From
swiftly. Otherwise, Airic and the mob corner the characters overhearing her monologues to Marsh, the sprites believe
and provide an ultimatum: Leave town immediately, or be that Granny intends to devour the two infants in order to bear
hanged from the tree as an example to other outsiders who two daughters and begin a hag coven. (Hags can ordinarily
would bring misfortune upon the town. beget only one daughter at a time, which is why Granny is
brewing a special potion that will allow her to have two.)
V. Graystone Barrow The sprites can tell the characters that pixies are powerful
Details. This hilltop is dominated by large boulders, short spellcasters, who will doubtlessly provide aid if freed.
greyish grass, and large patches of loamy soil. It overlooks the Developments. Granny finishes her potion, drinks it, and
Ironwood forest, whose treeline begins a quarter-mile from transforms into her horrifying annis hag form as she
the base of the hill. prepares to devour the infants.
Prompt. Child-sized footprints lead through the soil up Strife. The characters must rescue the infants, either by
toward the hilltop. Elsha can be found huddled behind one of fighting Granny alone, by rescuing the sprites and joining
the boulders at the top, whispering to something held in her them in battle, or by distracting Granny while another
hands. character slips inside and spirits the babies away. (Only
Developments. If approached, Elsha slips her held object killing Granny, however, will halt her threat for good.)
into a pocket and whirls to challenge the characters,
suspiciously demanding to know who they are, and
commanding them to leave "her" hill.
Discoveries. If the characters make a successful DC 12
Charisma (Intimidation) check or a DC 20 Charisma
(Persuasion) check, or otherwise convince Elsha to speak
with them, she admits that she "borrowed" the baby twins
and "hid" them at "Granny's cottage," hoping to scare her
parents.
Elsha is frustrated at being forced to move to Oakdale, at
her father remarrying, and—most recently—at all of the new
attention her younger half-brothers are getting. A few weeks
after the babies were born, she was approached by a friendly
old woman named "Granny" who gave her the iron coin
Elsha currently holds. Through the coin, Elsha and Granny
were able to communicate through whispers, with Granny
encouraging Elsha to act out in order to show her parents
how upset she was, finally culminating in "temporarily"
kidnapping the babies.
Elsha can give the characters directions to Granny's
cottage, and can tell them that Granny invited her to return to
the cottage that evening at sundown (in flagrant violation of
the village's strict curfew). She also notes that Granny's
cottage is guarded by a "big, lumpy giant named Marsh."
VI. Granny's Cottage
Details. Granny's cottage lies a mile into the Ironwood, in a
marshy section of the woods called the Leamurk. Small glass
lanterns strung up from nearby trees contain a dozen
imprisoned sprites, who give off flickering blue and green
light. Inside of the cottage, Granny bustles about, mixing
strange ingredients into a brewing cauldron as two infants
cry from a basket near the hearth. The cottage's interior is
illuminated by six imprisoned pixies trapped in glass jars,
who give off flickering indigo and violet light. (The pixies are
bruised and battered from Granny shaking the jars to hurt
them).
Prompt. An ogre named Marsh stands sentry outside of
the cottage. (Marsh is easily distracted, especially by small
animals or magical tricks, but swiftly roused to anger if he
sees a humanoid creature that Granny has not personally
approved.)