PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL

GAMEMAST ER’S SCREEN

INCLUDING TWO TERRIFYING
ADVENTURES BY TRACY SIZEMORE &
ED WETTERMAN

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 SYLLABUS
THE CURSE OF WILSON QUARRY 3
Origin of a Curse...................................................................................................................................... 3
The Great Escape......................................................................................................................................5
Fear of Falling.......................................................................................................................................... 6
The Investigation..................................................................................................................................... 9
Confronting Teronos.............................................................................................................................. 16
Aftermath............................................................................................................................................... 16
Background........................................................................................................................................... 20

DARK RITES OF THE YELLOW WOMAN 20

Into the Dark Forest................................................................................................................................ 21
Investigations.........................................................................................................................................26
Confronting the Yellow Woman..............................................................................................................29
People and Creatures.............................................................................................................................. 31

CREDITS
Writing: Tracy Sizemore and Ed Wetterman
Editing: Brian Reeves, Tracy Sizemore
Art Direction: Alida Saxon
Interior Graphic Design: Karl Keesler, Aaron Acevedo, Simon Lucas, Tracy Sizemore
Interior Illustrations: James Denton, Falk Haensel, Naomi Hurrey, Paolo Puggioni, Alida
Saxon, Oliver Specht.
Cover Illustration: Bad Moon Studio
Logistics & Public Relations: Jodi Black, Christine Lapp, and Chris Landauer
Production: Simon Lucas and Jessica Rogers
Playtesters and Contributors: Ron Blessing, Veronica Blessing, Carly Flagg, Jessica “Boof”
Sizemore, Cat Blessing, Darrell Hayhurst, John Riggs, Brian Reeves, Jason Nielson, John
Andrewski, Patrick Clark.
WWW.PEGINC.COM
www.12toMidnight.com

Savage Worlds, artwork, logos, and the Pinnacle logo are © 2023 Pinnacle Entertainment Group. 12
to Midnight, East Texas University, Pinebox, and all associated characters, logos, and artwork are ©
2023 12 to Midnight. Produced under license. All rights reserved.
 BY TRACY SIZEMORE

THE CURSE OF
WILSON QUARRY
P I N E B O X M I D D L E S C H O O L

Wilson Quarry closed In 1929 after a series of

deadly and unexplained accidents. The hole ORIGIN OF A CURSE
that remains lies just southeast of Pinebox and.
it’s become the site of everything from illegal In a series of on-the-job accidents between
swim parties, to daredevil fraternity stunts, to 1928 and 1929, a total of nine men died at
the subject of wild tales of a massive tentacle Wilson Quarry including the original owner,
monster living in the pit of icy water at its Henry Wilson. Three of these deaths occurred
bottom. The quarry is also said to be cursed. as a result of falling from a specific rock
outcropping, which has since become known
The current owners live in Houston, and
as Fear’s Ledge.
have shown no interest in selling, operating,
or even making the quarry safer, leaving only THE FIRST FALL
a dilapidated fence and a few “no trespassing”
Of the men who died at Fear’s Ledge, the first
signs to ward off prospective interlopers.
was Karl Lawrence, a 26-year-old man who
In this adventure, the heroes of Pinebox had just become the father of a beautiful baby
Middle School investigate a strange epidemic girl named Mary.
of nightmares about falling from dangerous
He was a dedicated husband eager to get
heights plaguing a few of their fellow students.
to know his daughter, and he was a strong,
At first, the dreams are accompanied by nose
capable worker. Karl never outwardly
bleeds, and then much worse, as each kid
demonstrated an ounce of fear prior to starting
falls further and further in their nightmares,
work at the quarry, but one day while eating
getting closer and closer to their doom.
lunch, he admitted a lifelong phobia of heights
Teachers and doctors have no idea what is to a small group of coworkers, saying he’d
causing the nightmares or the resulting loss of worked hard to overcome it for his daughter’s
blood, but the kids soon discover an ancient sake. He claimed he was dumb as a rock, and
supernatural force has recently awakened at the quarry was the only job he felt he was
Wilson Quarry—an ancient blood demon that’s qualified for.
responsible for it all.
His coworkers laughed it off, but one day
This adventure is best suited for students of when he had to call down from a precarious
7th grade or higher, at least a couple of whom ledge to a worker far below, Karl's eyes went
should have the Occult skill at d6 or d8). wide and he lost his balance, plunging headfirst
into the quarry. He did not survive.

3
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
BLOOD AND TERROR
A Warning To All: This adventure puts
the heroes and their fellow students in
very real danger and is meant to scare
them. Between the sight of blood, the
existential threat of a ruthless demon
spirit, and the prospect of dabbling in
supernatural energies they can’t possibly
understand, the kids are up to their necks
in horror.
We advise giving your players ample
warning of the dark themes they’re
stepping into before throwing the blood
demon Teronos at them.
That said, there’s a special kind of
courage and tenacity only kids can
demonstrate, and the thrill of victory
isn’t quite as sweet without the dread
of impending doom. This adventure
embraces that concept fully. Face the
danger and be brave; on the other side is
a reward we think is worth the journey.
The manner of Karl’s death, losing his life
in the presence of his worst fear, triggered a
supernatural event that summoned a blood
demon named Teronos to the quarry (see
Teronos on page 17). Though the creature’s
coming wasn’t detected because it was invisible
and incorporeal, Teronos’ arrival would
normally spell doom for the local children of
Golan County because of its Exsanguinating
Nightmares Special Ability, but Karl was no
ordinary man.
HELD CAPTIVE BY A GHOST
Though Karl died, he held a deep love and
sense of protectiveness for his wife Elizabeth
and their newborn daughter, Mary. This
powerful instinct prevented him from moving
on, and he became a ghost. Karl’s ghost became
instinctively aware of what had happened: he
was trapped in the quarry with a malevolent
supernatural force—a blood demon—a creature
of pure evil.
Karl summoned all his spiritual strength to
create a tenuous barrier, preventing Teronos
from using it’s Exsanguinating Nightmares
Special Ability. The ward held back the demon’s
greater power, but the creature still haunted
the ledge of rock that claimed Karl’s life.
4
THE FEAR SPREADS
Three months later, a young foreman in his
thirties named Bill Polson found himself near
the same ledge Karl had fallen from, and with
no explanation, he seemed to lose control of
his mind. Unlike Karl, he had no history of
a fear of high places, yet his eyes widened in
newfound terror. He looked down the one
hundred-fifty foot drop into the stone abyss
and inexplicably slipped. He screamed all the
way down, men later recounted, right up until
the instant his neck snapped.
The precarious rock outcropping both
men had fallen from quickly earned the
name “Fear’s Ledge” among the remaining
quarry workers and was ordered off limits by
management after Polson’s death.
Unfortunately, two months later, Nathan
Hildrew found himself wandering past
the erected barricades and ignoring the
warning signs in what fellow workers called a
confused stupor.
Before his friends could stop him, Nathan
slipped and plummeted off the cursed rock
with the same inconsolable sense of terror
his fellow workers, Karl and Bill, had fallen
victim to.
HOLDING BACK THE DEMON
When the other two men died, Karl’s ghost
appealed to his former coworker’s sense
of protectiveness of their own families. He
convinced the spirits of Bill Polson and Nathan
Hildrew to remain on Earth and help bolster
his own ability to contain the demon spirit
Teronos indefinitely.
CLOSING THE QUARRY
With the legend of Fear’s Ledge growing,
rumors spreading that digging in the quarry
had unleashed some kind of monster (see the
They Dug Too Deep sidebar on page 5), and
finally, the death of the quarry’s owner, Henry
Wilson, finding a consistent pool of miners
willing to work there was proving impossible.
Add to that the declining profitability of
its operation thanks to alternative sources
of sandstone throughout Texas, and
Henry’s widow and heir decided to close the
quarry for good.
 The curse ofWilson Quarry

THE WITCH ARRIVES

Shortly after the quarry closed, an old woman,
known only as “the witch”, moved into an
abandoned hut in the big Thicket near the
quarry. She had lost her own child to Teronos
almost 40 years earlier in the vicinity of
Tombstone, Arizona (see The Witch on page
11), and has used Black Magic to keep herself
alive in a long bid to pursue and destroy the
demon who killed her son. Using a locate spell
(see Pinebox Middle School), she knows it’s in the
quarry, but she isn’t aware of the trio of ghosts
preventing it from acting against the kids of
Golan County.
The witch has worked for decades to discover
a unique exorcise ritual to rid the Earth of the
foul beast. She found the last piece several
years ago, but the effort has cost her sanity.
She’s given in to despair and corruption,
The ritual itself was phony, badly transcribed
now believing that preemptively killing the
from an actual "warding" spell by a fraternity
kids of Pinebox would be a mercy compared
to letting them fall to the terror of the demon
when it finally decides to show itself.
A T RIO OF PROT ECTORS
Though there are still rumors of a tentacle
monster, beyond the veil of the mortal plane,
three ghosts—Karl Lawrence, Bill Polson,
and Nathan Hildrew—have managed to
keep generations of Pinebox kids safe
from a much more palpable threat,
until now...
THEY DUG TOO DEEP
At around the same time as all the
accidents in 1929, workers began telling
wild stories of monster sightings as
they dug deeper into the bed rock of the
quarry’s floor. Mostly the sightings were
at night, with men swearing to have seen
glimpses of a huge snake-like arm, curving
and reaching amid crags of rock near the
bottom. Men spoke of massive scales that
suddenly appeared in the shadows and
then disappeared just as quickly.
Thus began the rumors of a tentacle
monster living in the quarry, which persist
to this day...
brother in the 1990s. In this
case, the pledges performed
it just well enough to
cause a roll on the Ritual
Complications Table
(see Pinebox Middle School).
It resulted in several small
fires, which the pledges
quickly snuffed
out before fleeing
the quarry.
Un f o r t u n a t e l y,
on the night of the

THE GREAT ESCAPE hazing ritual, a

pledge named Mace
Brendale had to
The night before the adventure begins, a babysit his
group of young ETU fraternity pledges, stepsister Lisa
including eighteen-year-old Mace Dellingtree,
Brendale were tasked with carrying out a 6th grader at
a yearly tradition. Pinebox Middle
School. Not wanting
The fraternity brothers laughingly
to miss his opportunity
explained that, as a condition of joining,
to become a fraternity
pledges were required to venture to the
brother, he brought her
quarry and perform a special “warding ritual”
along....
near the bottom to keep the quarry safe for
another year from the tentacle monster, a
wildly rumored “beast” said to have lived
in the large pool at its center since the
quarry’s closure in 1929.

5
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
AN UNLIKELY CONNECT ION
Lisa Dellingtree is a sweet, quiet girl with
a side-headed pony tail who participates in
band. She also happens to be the great, great
granddaughter of Karl Lawrence, one of the
ghosts who’s helped protect the children
of Golan County from the blood demon’s
influence. It was Lisa herself and her unlikley
connection with the demon’s primary
captor (not the ritual her step-brother was
performing) that provided the opportunity for
the blood demon’s escape.
The night of the ritual, Mace parked the car
in front of an old sign warning of Fear’s Ledge
(see Visiting the Quarry on page 10), only
a few dozen feet ahead. Lisa objected to him
leaving her in the car, but was terrified to climb
down the quarry with him, as she shared the
same crippling fear of heights as her ill-fated
ancestor. She had no choice. She stayed in the
car and cried.
As the unrelated fraternity stunt perpetrated
by beer-fueled morons commenced below,
Lisa quietly fell asleep and dreamed of falling
off of Fear’s Ledge. When she woke, her
nose was bleeding. What’s more, her blood
connection with Karl Lawrence provided the
demon exactly what it needed to free itself
from the three protectors. After almost a
century, Teronos was no longer bound.
It was time for revenge, and the demon
decided it would start by praying on the
remaining child descendants of those who died
at Fear’s Ledge!
FEAR OF FALLING
Cell Phone Status: in town
at Wilson Quarry
The heroes become involved the next morning,
when three seemingly unrelated students
at Pinebox Middle School begin having
nightmares of falling from extreme heights.
The Principal should feel empowered to
substitute one or more of the kids with those
who the heroes already know to make the
adventure a little more personal and give it
more urgency.
6
DAY ONE
The first student to be victimized by Teronos is
Lisa Dellingtree.
LISA DELLINGTREE
During a class she shares with one or more
of the heroes, the normally quiet, kind, and
attentive Lisa Dellingtree is clearly looking run
down and tired.
A successful Notice roll (–2) reveals that Lisa’s
eyes are drooping, but even with a failure, the
teacher (choose one from Faculty in Pinebox
Middle School) eventually calls Lisa out on her
inability to pay attention.
Lisa apologizes, clearly fighting back tears
and explains she’s had trouble sleeping. She’s
says she’s fine, but if pressed with a successful
Persuasion roll, she volunteers that her step-
brother, Mace, was supposed to be babysitting
her last night and took her to Wilson Quarry
to do something “weird” with his friends. She
waited in the car, and he was gone for about
an hour, but she’s not sure because she was so
scared she doesn’t remember everything. She
recalls seeing the sign for a place called Fear’s
Ledge near the car. She’s deathly afraid of
heights, and she admits the whole experience
gave her the heebee-jeebees.
With a raise on the Persuasion roll, she
also says:
“Well, It’s not that I can’t sleep. It’s that I’m
afraid to go to sleep, and I don’t really know
why. I think I’m having nightmares, but I don’t
remember.”
Lisa is very reluctant to say anything more
about what her step-brother was up to,
claiming she doesn’t know, because she doesn’t
want to get him in trouble. See Lisa’s Story on
page 7, though, if they persist.
Regardless, she thanks anyone who takes the
time to talk with her about it, and says she feels
better. She’s confident she’ll be okay now.
She even invites them to her birthday party
on Saturday of the following week, with a clear
earnestness and hope they can make it. Despite
her quiet nature, Lisa is uncommonly well-
liked by both her teachers and fellow students.
„ Lisa Dellingtree: Use the 7th Grader
profile from Pinebox Middle School with the
Charismatic Edge.
 The curse ofWilson Quarry

DAY T WO Lisa doesn’t want to get her step-brother in

trouble, but with success on a Persuasion roll,
Despite any comfort the crew offered her,
she tells them he was doing some kind of stunt
Lisa’s troubles become more obvious the next
for pledge week at ETU, some kind of “ritual”
day. She looks pale, and a successful Healing
he had to do to get into the fraternity, but she
roll indicates she’s definitely a little anemic
doesn’t know any details. If they want to ask
(lacking red blood cells). During class she can’t
him, though, she knows how to get a hold of
help but fall asleep at her desk, and a successful
Mace (see Lisa’s Brother on page 12).
Notice roll reveals a trickle of blood leaking out
of her nose before she jumps awake with a gasp. If the kids think to point an EMF meter or
Those who get a raise on the roll catch sight of other supernatural detection device at her
a drop of blood in her ear too. while she’s asleep, the readings go off the chart.
If they’re interested in pursuing the dream
Pointing her nosebleed out to the teacher
angle, finding a ritual might help them. See
prompts an immediate order that one of the
Dream Scrying on page 14.
heroes accompany Lisa to the school Nurse,
Miss Higginbottom, who treats Lisa for a Any adults who are told this tale simply
simple bloody nose without giving it much address her nose and ear bleeds as a medical
thought. If the heroes point out blood in Lisa’s problem (though there’s no apparent cause),
ear, the nurse finds a small scratch inside and and her dreams as a mental health problem.
waves it off as nothing serious. But Lisa isn’t the only victim starting to show
symptoms...
LISA’S STORY
When the group checks in with Lisa, whether BETHANY POLSON
in school, at her home or even in the Bethany Polson is a 7th Grader from a rich
hospital when things get serious enough, she family and is a bit stuck up and privileged.
remembers a lot more: She gives anyone who isn’t similarly stationed
(having the Rich Edge or better) a bit of attitude,
I’m starting to remember. I keep having and starts one level lower on the Reaction Table
these awful nightmares. It’s like I’m falling? I in Savage Worlds (or two levels below if the
went to the quarry—you know, Wilson Quarry— student has the Poor Hindrance).
the other day with my step-brother, Mace. He
Bethany also happens to be the great, great
had to babysit me that night, so he made me
granddaughter of Bill Polson, the second victim
wait in the car. Anyway, I was scared because
of Fear’s Ledge (see The Fear Spreads on page
of that sign that warns about Fear’s Ledge? It
4). Bethany shows the same symptoms Lisa
says three people died there, I’m really scared
did on day one. She’s very tired in class. The
of heights, and... well, I begged Mace to take
teachers aren’t clued in enough to connect the
me home, but he just told me to stay in the car.
two children quite yet, but the heroes likely are.
I cried and I think I fell asleep. I don’t remember
If they approach her, she only remembers she’s
everything, but ever since I got back I’ve been
having nightmares, but doesn’t yet remember
having these awful nightmares of falling off
their contents.
the edge of the quarry, and I’m starting to
remember them." „ Bethany Polson: Use the 7th Grader profile
Lisa starts to cry. from Pinebox Middle School with the Filthy
“Each time I go to sleep, I have the dream Rich Edge.
again. I fall further and further each time, and
every time I wake up, my nose is bleeding. And
sometimes my ears too. I’m afraid of what’s
going to happen when I hit the bottom!”
Lisa is sobbing, but pushes through to
mention something else.
“But there’s something else. Something else
I can’t remember. Something really scary! I
know it’s important, but I can’t remember! I’m
so sorry I can’t remember!”

7
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
DAY THREE
By day three, Lisa starts bleeding from her eyes
too, and unless the heroes somehow prevent
it (or she hasn’t already gone), the adults take
her to the hospital. Doctors are baffled at her
unexplained bleeding and disproportionate
loss of blood, and Lisa is both exhausted and
terrified. She begins reaching out to any of her
new friends for help and is willing to reveal
anything she knows without the need for
Persuasion rolls.
Meanwhile, Bethany begins remembering
her dreams too.
BETHANY’S STORY
Much like Lisa on day two, Bethany is unable
to stay awake in class, and when she does sleep,
blood begins oozing out of her nose and ears.
When her parents or teachers discover this,
they waste no time shuttling Bethany to the
emergency room, fearful of some unknown
contagion afflicting the two girls.
A successful Healing roll suggests the same
level of anemia Lisa had, making her even
more weak would a simple lack of sleep.
Questioning Bethany further in the hallways,
Nurse’s office, or the hospital reveals she too
is having nightmares, and she’s been waking
from them with nose bleeds. She says her
nightmare is always the same:
“My grandma took me on a trip to New York
when I was nine, and we went to Rockafeller
Center. My nightmare is like, remembering that,
but it’s horrible.
In my dream, she took me up the elevator to
the roof, and it was so high! It’s the kinda place
I want to work when I grow up, you know? On
the top floor?
Anyway, it gets really scary because... then
the safety rails kinda disappear, and then I
feel like... this really cold wind? Because all
the protective glass is gone too, somehow, and
then I’m suddenly alone up there, and there’s
nothing in the way of me falling. And uhm...”
Bethany begins to cry.
“I don’t know how or why but... I just... fall.
I just slip off. I don’t know! I just keep slipping
off. And every time I have the nightmare, I fall
just fall a little bit further before I wake up. And
when I do wake up, my nose is bleeding.”
8
Bethany is overwhelmed with fear, visibly
shivering, while tears stream out of her eyes.
Anyone giving her comfort may roll Persuasion
to calm her down. With success, she’s grateful
and becomes much friendlier in the future.
In addition, she's able to focus and shares
something else about her dream:
“Just before I wake up, I see a flash of...
something horrible. I don’t know... It’s got three
legs, with a body sitting on top like a spider, but
it has hands too, with huge claws. And it’s all
bloody with gross teeth and a huge mouth, and
it just. It wants to eat me... I know that sounds
like I’m 5 years old or something, but I swear it
does! I know it does! And I know if I fall all the
way to the ground... it will!
There’s something else. Something else I
can’t remember. Like... rocks, and a pool of
water. Three ghosts! I don’t know! I don’t want
to go to sleep again! Ever! But I’m so tired, and
I can’t help it! Can you help me?”
If the nurse or any other teacher hears
Bethany’s tale, like Lisa, they treat her
symptoms medically and psychologically,
sending her to the emergency room, while
remaining incapable (or unwilling) to
acknowledge the real problem.
Indeed, a successful Healing roll reveals
nothing medically wrong with her aside from
the fact that she’s clearly pale from a loss
of blood. There’s no explanation for it, but
somehow it’s being stolen from her, and every
time she goes to sleep, she loses a bit more.
Like Lisa, any EMF or supernatural readings
are off the scale when they point a detector at
Bethany while she’s sleeping.
Finally, unlike Lisa, Bethany knows of her
great, great grandfather’s history, but probably
won’t connect his death at Fear’s Ledge to her
nightmares without the heroes’ help.
PETER HILDREW
Peter is the great, great grandson of Nathan
Hildrew, the third victim at Fear’s Ledge in
1929. Peter is an athlete and very prideful.
He takes any sign of physical ailment on his
part as weakness and does his best to hide his
condition.
Two days after Lisa comes to class tired, so
does Peter, but he hides it well. Spotting him
takes a Notice roll at –2. With a success, they

see the same early warning signs they’ve seen
before. The heroes might also have done some
Research on any students’ connections to the
quarry tragedies in 1929 and found Peter that
way (see Hitting the Books on page 12).
Either way, Peter is not immune, and the
progression is the same as the others.
„ Peter Hildrew: Use 7th the Grader profile
from Pinebox Middle School with Strength d6.
DAY FOUR
With Lisa and Bethany likely in the hospital by
now, the minute Peter Hildrew bleeds from
his nose and a teacher spots it, he’s rushed to
the emergency room to join them. If the kids
didn't know about Peter before, they know
now. By this time, Lisa and Bethany are barely
conscious, with near constant nightmares in
which they relive falling over and over and are
just about to hit the ground.
PETER’S STORY
Once the kids get Peter talking, his
story is similar to the others, with some
additional details.
“Ok, look, I feel fine, alright? A nose bleed
isn’t the end of the world, but... okay, the
nightmares? Those suck.
So I visited my uncle in Houston a year or
two back, and he lives in this really big high rise
apartment building. The thing is, while I was
there, it caught fire. Someone left something
on the stove or whatever, it was no big deal, but
for some reason they had us evacuate to the
roof. That wasn’t cool, dude.
In real life it was okay. They put out the fire
pretty fast, but, well... I remember looking at
the ledge of the building and thinking, what if I
had to jump? It’s crazy because it’s forty stories
tall. If I jump, I die. I mean I wasn’t scared or
anything, but... I don’t know.
Anyway, in the dream, looking over the
ledge, somehow I slip. And I fall, every time.
Each time I go to sleep I have the same
dream. I fall a little further and then I kinda
see this... monster. It’s kinda like a huge, bloody
spider, only it has three legs instead of eight.
It’s disgusting. And I hear this voice in my
head that goes, ‘I see you.’ Loud and like, deep.
And then it says, ’Next, I’ll see all of you.’
And as I’m falling I see the quarry. Wilson
Quarry. I went there once. My mom took me
The curse ofWilson Quarry
there because, my great great grandfather
died there, I guess? I remember a sign that
says ‘Fear’s Ledge. Three good men died here.
Stay back.’
Anyway, I see that in my dream, along with...
something else. It was like a long time ago.
Something to do with the guys who died there
and the monster. I don’t remember! It makes
you never want to go to sleep again. But no
matter how hard I try to stay awake, I can’t.
When asked, Peter admits he’s found blood
leaking out of his nose when he wakes up, and
there’s been some in his ears too.
DAY FIVE
Unless the students have already dealt with
Teronos somehow, on day five, Lisa Dellingtee
lapses into a coma. On subsequent days, the
other kids follow suit. Lisa becomes lost in
an unwakable nightmare, perpetually locked
in the terror moment just before she strikes
the rocks at the bottom of Wilson Quarry in
her dream.
The hospital keeps her alive with blood
transfusions, but it’s barely keeping up. If
the heroes find the dream scrying ritual (see
page 14), they may wish to perform it on
Lisa or the other two kids (even outside their
hospital windows if necessary) as part of their
investigation.
Once the kids fall into a coma, nothing wakes
any of them up short of binding, exorcising,
destroying or in some way neutralizing the
demon Teronos.
THE INVEST IGAT ION
There are multiple, parallel avenues of
investigation the gang might pursue, both
supernatural and mundane. As they gather
more hints from the respective stories of Lisa,
Bethany and Peter, a few important details (and
related investigative paths) should become
clear. If need be, don’t be afraid to emphasize
or remind the crew of the following:
„ Wilson Quarry: Something happened there
in the past, and something is still happening
now. See Visiting the Quarry on page 10,
and Hitting the Books on page 12.
„ Fear: Is this the first time this has happened?
See Into the Weird on page 12.
9
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
RUNNING THE INVESTIGATION
This adventure provides many avenues leading
to the same destination. This is by design, as
it gives the heroes freedom to pursue the
leads they wish without the Principal having
to worry too much about giving them what
they need.
They may not find every detail of what
happened along the way, and that’s okay. The
more they find, the richer their experience.
Ultimately, here are the three critical clues
the heroes absolutely need to find. Everything
else is optional:
Teronos Is the Bad Guy: This may seem
like a no-brainer, but its critical the crew
understands what is actually hurting the
children, so they know who the real enemy is.
Binding Teronos: Nothing can be done
to Teronos unless it is bound with a Custom
binding circle first (see Wards and Binds in
Pinebox Middle School and Binding Teronos
on page 16). One way or another, the kids
must learn the procedure for doing this, or
somehow convince or empower someone else
to do it for them.
Defeating Teronos: The kids need to
discover the tools necessary defeat Teronos.
This can either come in the form of the expulsé
Teronos ritual or simply trying to physically kill
it while its bound. Even if they eventually fail,
they need to be empowered to try.
By the way, when they do discover all these
things, give them each a point of Conviction.
They’re gonna need it.
„ Dream Secrets: Each child is unable to
remember important details from their
dreams. See Dream Scrying on page 14.
„ Connections: Are the three victims
connected somehow? See Hitting the Books
on page 12.
„ A Fraternity Stunt: Lisa’s step-brother did
something with his friends near the bottom
of Wilson Quarry the day before Lisa started
having dreams. See Lisa’s Brother on page
12.
10
VISIT ING THE QUARRY
Sneaking out and finding transportation to
Wilson Quarry is part of the fun, since the
quarry is remote, dangerous, and privately
owned with conspicuous “no trespassing” signs
scattered around its edge.
THE TOP
When the crew arrives, anyone who’s
Psychically Sensitive feels something extremely
disturbing here. Even if no one has the Edge,
the student with the highest Spirit feels it—a
palpable sense of malevolence and evil, a
distinct presence that’s hard to identify.
The kids feel it most when they arrive at a
precarious rock overhanging a 150 foot drop,
guarded by a sign that reads:
“Fear’s Ledge.
Three good men died here.
Stay back!”
Just the sight of the ledge prompts a Fear
roll at a –2 penalty thanks to the invisible
and incorporeal presence of the blood
demon Teronos. A successful Occult roll
reveals something evil has been released
here—something that laid dormant until
very recently.
Anyone who approaches the area beyond
the sign must make a Spirit roll. Failure results
in a brief loss of control over their own mind
as they approach the ledge and look down,
beginning to lose their balance. An Athletics
roll prevents them from falling and brings
them back to their senses. Failure leaves one
more chance for a friend to grab them, yell, or
in some other way shock them into coherence
before they plummet off the ledge.
Something is definitely wrong here.
THE BOTTOM
Climbing down to the bottom of the quarry
safely takes time. If the climbers are in a hurry
(which might come up later...), a successful
Athletics roll is required to avoid Bumps and
Bruises (see Savage Worlds), or 1d4 Wounds on
a Critical Failure.
Upon seeing the large pool of water at the
bottom of the quarry, successful Common
Knowledge rolls remind the kids of a local
legend about a tentacle monster that lives in
the water.

The heroes can speculate as they will, but
nothing they see on land or water lends
credence to any such rumors. Instead, what
they do see is evidence of a botched ritual.
No roll is required to see scorch marks
around the rocks, melted candle stubs,
scattered salt, hastily scribbled sigils, and a
partially incinerated backpack containing
several college level textbooks from the ETU
bookstore. Whoever set this up left in a hurry.
A successful Occult roll reveals that it’s
decidedly unclear what this ritual was
actually supposed to do, almost as if it simply
summoned up supernatural energies without
focusing them into anything useful. EMF
meters are off the charts down here, and
anyone making another Occult roll concludes
there are ghosts present, especially in the area
directly below Fear’s Ledge.
THE WITCH
While looking around the quarry, anyone who
makes a Notice roll catches a glimpse of an old
woman with wrinkled, leathery skin at the top
of the Quarry. She wears tattered clothes and
carries a long walking stick.
When she catches the kids’ eyes, she slightly
smiles and beckons them to follow her with her
spindly fingers. She croaks:
“You’re here for Teronos, are you not? The
blood demon? So am I. I’ve been watching
him for... generations—studying him, seeking
to destroy him since he destroyed my son.
You seek the same, do you not? I can sense it.
I can help you. Follow me.”
If the interlopers engage her in conversation,
the women reveals that her son was killed a
“long time ago” (nearly 140 years ago in fact) by
the blood demon Teronos. See Into the Weird
on page 12 for a hint of her history before
she used a locate ritual to track the demon to
the quarry. She’s been seeking a spell to banish
it ever since. She says she’s found the final
piece, but she’s too old and weak to cast such
magic anymore.
If asked, she saw the ETU students’ “ritual”
and dismisses it as a parlor trick. She’s certain
amulet with an amethyst gemstone in its face,
it had nothing to do with the demon’s re-
but it doesn’t feel evil (it’s actually a natural
emergence. Something else assuredly did,
ward of the tentacle monster).
though. The witch can help put together the
pieces about Lisa if prompted but otherwise
The curse ofWilson Quarry
doesn’t know about her or the ghosts of Karl
Lawrence and the others. They are invisible to
her corrupted senses.
It’s easy to surmise while talking to her,
though she is telling the truth, she is also barely
holding on to her sanity. Success with an Occult
roll reveals she should have died long ago, but
the Black Magic keeping her alive has taken its
toll on her soul.
She’s long forgotten her name, and though
she does indeed have the expulsé Teronos
ritual the kids need to exorcise Teronos, her
corrupted brain has long since decided not to
cast it. If asked for it, she says she has the ritual
at her hut in the forest, and bids them to follow
her so they can retrieve it.
If at least one of students follows her, see The
Witch’s Hut below. If they refuse, she attacks
them, claiming that their deaths at her hands
would be a blessed mercy next to facing the
terrors the blood demon will inflict on them,
and the fight that would normally take place at
her hut takes place here instead.
THE WITCH’S HUT
The witch’s hut is a short walk from the
quarry into the Big Thicket. It’s a wooden
run-down structure that’s barely standing. It’s
surrounded by animal skulls, dark hanging
bones, and other fetishes that a successful
Occult roll reveals are the trappings of
Black Magic.
The witch attacks as soon as she gets the kids
into a disadvantageous position. “Trust me,
it’s a mercy,” she says. Even if the kids talk her
down and they ask her to help with the ritual,
she flees once she's aware of the holy water
component needed to cast it.
Inside the hut the kids are confronted
with the sights (and scents) of a dark, filthy
and unbelievably lonely life—a woman who’s
obsession ultimately cost both her sanity and
her soul. On a table in the middle of the hut are
instructions for an expulsé Teronos ritual, which
is complete, but obviously never been cast. See
the sidebar on page 17.
A Notice roll at –2 also reveals a strange
pThe Witch: See page 19.
11
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL

LISA’S BROTHER raise, even the dubious origin stories behind

the mythical tentacle monster (see Origin of a
If the gang catches up with Lisa Dellingtree’s
Curse on page 3).
step-brother, an ETU freshman and fraternity
pledge Mace Brendale, he is beside himself If the sleuths don’t noodle it out themselves,
with worry for his step-sister, especially if she’s another Research or Notice roll connects the
in the hospital. Getting him to focus requires three kids (Lisa, Bethany, and Peter) to their
persistence, but eventually he spills the beans ill-fated ancestors (Karl, Bill, and Nathan)
about what he and his fellow pledges were respectively, indicting there’s an indelible
doing down in the quarry. connection between those who died at Fear’s
Ledge and those who are now stricken with
He reveals the story from The Great Escape
nightmares of falling. Dellingteree is the
on page 5 with a few additional details.
hardest to connect with Karl Lawrence because
of the difference in last names, but once the
“After we finished the stupid ritual thing,
gang uncovers that first foothold, the family
some of the stuff we brought just spontaneously
tree is easy to climb.
caught on fire—backpacks, coats, water
bottles—it was super weird. And I know this RESEARCHING TERONOS
sounds crazy, but I saw a ghost!
If the group decides to look up “blood demon”
It was a man a little older than me, maybe.
or “Teronos” either online or in an appropriate
He carried this weird rock hammer, and he
“dead tree” source, a successful Research or
had a really bad gash on the side of this head.
Occult roll unveils the insidious nature of these
He was standing there waving his arms at me,
foul beasts (see Blood Demon in Pinebox Middle
as if he was saying ‘Stop!’ or asking ‘Why?’
School). If the kids haven’t already seen the vlog
or something. I thought it was the ritual we
in Into the Weird on page 12, Research on
messed up, but he kept pointing up toward
Teronos either points them in that direction, or
where my car was. He was really upset, but I
gives them the Tombstone backstory presented
couldn’t hear anything. I swear I saw two more
there in another form.
ghosts there too. Two more guys with the same
kind of coveralls. Old, worn. It’s like they lived
in old-timey times, you know? INTO THE WEIRD
Anyway, I remembered Lisa was in the
If the students begin looking into finding
car up there and I heard her scream, so I just
similar stories to that of their classmates,
started running toward it. We all ran, really.
especially if they look on the internet, success
The fires kinda freaked us out. So, I got to the
on a Research roll leads them to a peculiar
car and Lisa was there, and she seemed okay,
vlog channel called “In the Weird”. If they fail
so I was like, ‘Whew!’
or don’t think to look, they may instead catch
But now I wonder. Was that ghost trying to
one of their parents or siblings watching the
tell me something?”
channel by happenstance.
Mace is not the sharpest knife in the drawer
One particular episode tells a story that’s
and is likely little additional help to the heroes.
eerily similar to what’s happening with their
That said, he’s willing to give rides to the group
friends, at least as it relates to nightmares
if asked (or coerced), especially if he believes
and similar stories of nose, ear, and eye
they know how to help Lisa (or they threaten
bleeding. An exuberant and beautiful twenty-
his chances at getting into the fraternity).
something vlogger named Carmina Carpone
„ Mace Brendale: Use the ETU Student presents a “weird” story from the past in the
profile from Pinebox Middle School. fast-paced, jump-cut style of modern “like and
subscribe” culture:
HIT T ING THE BOOKS
“Hello everyone! My name is Carmina
Through successful Research or Newtorking, Carpone and this… is In the Weird [echo].
the detectives can easily look up the history of [VIDEO CUT] As you know, we here go out
the Quarry, uncovering the accidents at Fear’s of our way to track down the weirdest stories
Ledge, the people who died there, and with a we can find from unexplained history.

12
 The curse ofWilson Quarry

[CUT] According to the witch, this invisible

[CUT] This week, we happened upon a story
monster is magically drawn to rare deaths like
that occurred back in 1889 in a small town
that, and was using the mine owner’s worst
called Tombstone, Arizona. You may have
fear to haunt the nightmares of young children
heard of it.
all over Tombstone. The witch said she had not
[CUT] Now, back then, besides being famous
found a way to destroy it yet, but that she was
for what it’s famous for ...
sure some kind of binding circle could be used
[CUT] The shooting at the OK Corral in
to force it to show its physical form, and then
1881, duh!
maybe it could be banished or even killed. But
[CUT] Tombstone was a growing concern
she also said it could be summoned away again
because of its silver mines, including a smaller
at any time with another similar death, and the
one called the Gray Nugget Mine. The mine’s
cycle would start again.
owner was a man named Randall Lowell, a
Naturally, everyone thought she was crazy,
speculator who bought the mine in 1887. Randy
but you know what? Kids around Tombstone
wasn’t miner himself. In fact, he was deathly
continued to die of unexplained blood loss
afraid of enclosed spaces. He refused to visit
while having terrifying nightmares for decades
ANY of his mines until one day he was called to
after that mine accident. And then one day
account for the Gray Nugget’s dismal working
around 1929, the nightmares finally stopped.
conditions.
[DRAMATIC PAUSE—CUT] Isn’t that
And so it passed, Randall Lowell entered one
weird? [echo]
of his own mines for the first time in September
[CUT] So, that leaves us to wonder, what
of 1889, and guess what happened to him?
really happened in Tombstone in September
He died!... In a cave in! Under the earth, as
of 1889? Who was the mysterious witch who
if his own worst fear was some kind of self-
claimed to know what was happening. And if
fulfilling prophecy. Isn’t that weird [echo]?
it really was what she said it was, an ancient
[CUT] But it gets weirder. Obviously the
blood demon? What happened to make it leave
Grey Nugget Mine was closed after the accident,
in 1929? Did the witch figure out how to destroy
but shortly afterward, stories began cropping
it on her own? Was it summoned away when
up of several children around Tombstone
someone else died due to their worst fear? And
having nightmares of being trapped in a mine
if so, is it still out there? And if it is, where in the
cave in. They’d dream of the mine collapsing
weird [echo] is it now?
around them, and then wake up just before
[CUT] Well, that’s all we have for today.
they were crushed.
Thanks for watching! Be sure to mash that
[CUT] But wait! It gets even weirder!
subscribe button, and give this video a big ol’
[CUT] Those same kids having the
thumbs up to let us know we should make more.
nightmares also started having nose bleeds as
And remember to come back next time…
they slept. Eventually, they started bleeding
for another story... in the weird. [Echo,
from their ears and even their eyes too. Several
distorted, etc.]”
of them lapsed into a coma from lack of blood.
It got so bad, that doctors didn’t know what Success on follow up Research or Occult rolls
to do, and people with children who were still (via the library or the internet) to get more
healthy began moving away from Tombstone information not only serve to corroborate
to keep their kids safe. these wild tales with similar accounts, there
And I hear you thinking to yourself, “No way,” are also reports of a woman matching the same
right? But believe it or not, it gets even weirder. description as the “witch” having been spotted
[CUT] While all this was happening, an intermittently around the Wilson Quarry in
old hermit woman mysteriously arrived from the East Texas Big Thicket after 1929.
out of town. Most called her a witch because
Researching the quarry itself around
no one knew her name. She claimed that
that time is covered in Hitting the Books
that Randy Lowell having died as a result of
on page 12.
being exposed to his worst fear, was in itself a
supernatural event that summoned an ancient
evil spirit called a blood demon.
[CUT] Gasp!

13
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
CONTACTING CARMINA CARPONE
Carmina herself lives in Los Angeles,
and getting a hold of her requires a
Networking roll. She is somewhat aloof thanks
to years of fending off both overzealous fans,
and irritating disbelievers.
When they do get in touch with her, at first
she’s dismissive and mildly amused, but the
more honest the investigators are with her, the
more fascinated she becomes and the more she
treats them like equals.
Carmina is a practicing ritualist. She secretly
tests them with some circumspect questions
about magic. If anyone talking to her succeeds
on an Occult roll, Carmina offers one or
more of the following depending on how the
conversation plays out
„ Dream Scrying: She offers to overnight
express them a dream scrying ritual (see
Dream Scrying below). She rightly worries
the spell would become corrupted via cloud
sharing or email.
„ Binding: Carmina also knows a thing or
two about binding (see Wards and Binding
in Pinebox Middle School), giving them a
complicated procedure they can use to bind
the demon. (The kids may also discover this
naturally as they learn more about Teronos.)
14
„ Expulsé Teronos: In a pinch, Carmina may
also be an alternate source for the expulsé
Teronos spell normally acquired from the
witch (see side bar on page 17), as
Carmina may have done her own research.
Note: The last two items are important
pieces of information the kids should discover
somehow. Carmina is just one possible source
(see Running the Investigation on page 10).
„ Carmina Carpone: Use the Ritualist profile
in Pinebox Middle School.
DREAM SCRYING
If the heroes pursue a more supernatural
angle to figure out what’s going on, as part
of any Occult roll during their investigation,
they could optionally run across a ritual that
helps the caster see into the dreams of an
active sleeper (see side bar on page 15).
Alternatively, Carmina Carpone may give them
the ritual instead (see Into the Weird on page
12). Note however, there are other ways to
learn much of the information this spell reveals
(a seance with Karl Lawrence, talking with Lisa's
step-brother, etc.), so it's okay if they never get
the ritual or fail to successfully cast it. It simply
gives them deeper insight on what happened.

With a successful casting, the dream
scrying spell reveals hidden elements of each
student’s dreams. Individually, they each have
a secret vision of their respective great, great
grandfathers dying at Wilson Quarry in 1929
(see Origin of a Curse on page 3), but they
also have the following common vision:
“It’s evening. The ghosts of three men, each
dressed in workman’s clothes reminiscent of
a bygone era surround a jumble of old rocks
and sheer stone walls on two sides. A ledge
looms high above them. It’s Fear's Ledge at
Wilson Quarry.
Each ghost stands with grim resignation in
a circle, holding their hands out, with palms
toward the ground. They each grimace with
effort as they hold back an invisible force,
having been working together to prevent its
full emergence since their deaths.
Suddenly, they hear the sound of a car
pulling up to the ledge of the Quarry above—
they stumble as the unseen force they’re trying
to hold back pushes against them.
A girl high above in the car shouts tearfully,
“Don’t leave me here, Mace! Please!” The voice is
that of Lisa Dellingtree. One of the ghosts looks
up, he seems to recognize her voice. Her step-
brother dismisses and ignores her, climbing
down to join a group of friends already at the
bottom, leaving her in the car.
A short time later, a magical ritual ignites
several small fires around the bottom of the
quarry, but the ghosts ignore it. They’re fighting
a different battle, and they are losing.
A supernatural rush of energy, imperceptible
in the physical world, bursts from the circle of
ghosts. Suddenly screams can be heard from
the girl in the car above.
The ghosts break their circle, one of them
sees one of the kids who performed the ritual.
He yells, ‘No! Why did you bring her here! Do
you know what you’ve done?’ while waving his
hands in the air and pointing in the directions
of Lisa's screams.
The young man looks confused, and then
toward the ridge. He flees with his friends,
yelling ‘Lisa?’ as he climbs out of the quarry.
A palpable chill of evil settles over the quarry.
The three ghosts look at each other, shaking
their heads, defeated and exhausted.
‘The demon got to her through me,’ one of
them says to the others. ‘She has my blood
in her. I can feel it. Teronos is free, and the
children are all doomed. I'm sorry.’”
The curse ofWilson Quarry
DREAM SCRYING
Rank: Seasoned
Power Points: 3
Range: Smarts
Duration: 5 Minutes
Trappings: Visions, illusions, televi-
sion screens, dream confessions.
REQUIRED COMPONENTS
„ Common: Each participant must
write their most profound wish
on a piece of paper, folded up and
dropped into a bowl at the ritual
site. These are revealed to all during
the casting. Anyone who lies makes
the ritual subject to the Component
Substitution rules in Pinebox Middle
School.
„ Common: The person who’s dream
is to be scried must be actively
within Smarts range of the caster.
„ Exotic: Five berries from a Deadly
Nightshade plant.
Reveals any hidden or hard to
remember aspects of a dream actively
being dreamed by the target.
MODIFIERS:
„ ADDITIONAL TARGETS (+1 Each):
Multiple dreamers may be scried at
the same time for 1 additional Power
Point each.
MEET ING THE GHOSTS
Whether the explorers seek the ghosts in the
quarry out through a seance, or the spirits
overtly make their presence known, meeting
them can be a revelation. They obviously know
most everything that’s happened within their
domain. This includes the details in Dream
Scrying on page 14, much of Origin of a
Curse on page 3, and they may even know
of The Witch on page 11. The Principal
should feel free to use one or more of the
ghosts as necessary to fill in any gaps the sleuths
may have missed, or to re-orient any wayward
heroes and point them in the right direction.
„ Karl Lawrence, Bill Polson & Nathen
Hildrew: Use the Ghost profile from Pinebox
Middle School with the addition of the Weak
and Haunting Grounds Ghostly Abilities.
15
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
CONFRONT ING T ERONOS
Ultimately, no matter how much they learn
about what happened, the heroes' goal is to
neutralize Teronos before it attacks more
children. This can be done in three ways.
BINDING TERONOS
Teronos may be forced to manifest physically
and bound with a Custom binding circle (see
Teronos on page 17). The binding circle
must encompass either Fear’s Ledge itself, or
the rocks below. More hastily created circles
do not work on Teronos, but since the blood
demon is confined to the area, there is also
no need to trick it into entering the circle
once created. When the circle is complete, the
opposed roll is initiated immediately to see if
it was successful. This binding is usually only
temporary, but it makes more permanent
solutions possible, such as...
EXORCISING TERONOS
Once Teronos is bound, it may be exorcised
with the expulsé Teronos ritual obtained either
from The Witch on page 11, Carmina
Carpone (see page 14), or through some
other means of Occult research.
MAP OF WILSON QUARRY
16
KILLING TERONOS
The last option is to outright slay the demon. As
with exorcism, this may only be attempted after
the monster has been bound to force it into
physical form. Though this is a difficult and
dangerous option, it’s nevertheless possible.
pTeronos: See page 17.
„ Fear Minions (1 per hero): See page 19.
AFT ERMATH
Assuming the heroes eventually decide to
confront Teronos, they could just as easily fail
as succeed. Here’s what happens either way.
FAILURE
Even if the heroes fail to destroy or banish
Teronos, their brave efforts and willingness
to risk their lives to try are able to revitalize
the three ghosts with energy, giving them just
enough supernatural leverage to regain their
control over the demon. Though Teronos’
presence is still very real in Wilson Quarry, its
Exsanguinating Nightmares ability to reach
out to the children beyond is once again
nullified—for now.
 The curse ofWilson Quarry

Lisa, Bethany and Peter’s recoveries are very

slow, but steady. The demon is still out there, EXPULSÉ TERONOS
and though they live, they are scarred by the Rank: Seasoned
experience and still feel a palpable sense of Power Points: 11
baseline fear going forward. They won’t ever Range: Smarts
be quite the same until it's gone. Duration: Permanent
Maybe the heroes can get up the nerve to Trappings: Sigils written in blood, dark
train themselves up, equip themselves a little ancient speech.
better, and try again one day...
REQUIRED COMPONENTS
SUCCESS „ Common: Must be cast at Fear’s Ledge
„ Common: One liter of holy water
Teronos is either slain or banished—a „ Common: Six homemade candles
courageous and remarkable accomplishment „ Common: One pound of rock salt
for a band of gutsy middle schoolers. „ Exotic: Three tears resulting from a
nightmare caused by Teronos.
As soon as Teronos is gone, the kids barely
„ Exotic: A stone from the very bottom
get time to catch their breath when the very
of Wilson Quarry (yes, in the water...).
real—and very massive!—tentacle monster
bursts out of the pool in the center of the An ancient and complicated ritual using
quarry and flails its tentacles around with the rules for the exorcise spell in Pinebox
intent to attack the children. Getting out of the Middle School. This power is specific to the
quarry is a dangerous Quick Encounter at a –2 demon Teronos located in Wilson Quarry.
penalty (see Savage Worlds), as the kids race up
and out of the quarry and the gigantic monster
reveals itself in all its glory. Anyone within a
p TERONOS
Teronos was summoned to Wilson Quarry
Large Blast Template of the amulet found in
when Karl Lawrence died in the presence of
the Witch’s hut, however, gets a +2 on the roll,
his worst fear at Fear's Ledge in 1929. Karl and
as the amethyst stone within is a natural, albeit
two other falling victims remained as ghosts to
weak, ward against the monster.
prevent Teronos from using his Exsanguinating
The minute the kids are back in cell phone Nightmares ability. They've done their best for
range, one of them gets a call from a newly almost 100 years, but the appearance of Karl's
awakened, and energetic Lisa Dellingtree great, great granddaughter Lisa gave the beast
who exclaims she suddenly feels a lot better. just the power it needed to free itself. For more
If she suspects they had something to do with information about blood demons, see Pinebox
it, she breaks down into tears trying to find Middle School.
the words to thank them for whatever it is Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d12, Spirit d8,
they did. Regardless, she also makes a point of Strength d10, Vigor d8
saying she would really like it if they could still Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d10, Focus d12,
come to her birthday party, which her parents Intimidation d12+2, Notice d10, Occult d12,
tearfully promised to give her just as soon as Taunt d8
she’s released from the hospital. Parry: 7; Toughness: 9; Pace: 8
Abilities:
“Please! I would really, really like it if you all „ Fear Minions: Small offspring that ap-
came. You don‘t have to bring me any presents! pear as floating, misty apparitions of ani-
I’m just so happy to be alive, and I want to mated blood appear around the demon
show all my friends how much I love them. when it’s threatened (See Fear Minion
Will you come? Please?" below). The number that appear varies
based on Principal’s call (usually 1 to 2 per
hero).

17
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
„ Blood Terror: A blood demon that is
manifested physically (see its Weakness
below) may, as an action, target a human
character within Smarts range and make
a special attack using Intimidation. With
success, the victim must roll Vigor at –2
(–4 if the blood demon succeeded with
a raise). With a failure, the target takes
a Wound, or two Wounds with a Criti-
cal Failure. This damage may be Soaked
normally. Note: This ability may be used
even if the blood demon is trapped in a
binding circle.
„ Claws: Str+d6 (when in physical form).
„ Demon: While in physical form, +2 to
recover from being Shaken; Immune to
poison and disease; Half-damage from
nonmagical attacks except for cold iron.
„ Exsanguinating Nightmares: While in
incorporeal form, a blood demon causes
nightmares to children within 200 square
miles of that focal point. The manifesta-
tion of fear in its victim’s dreams magical-
ly extracts blood from them (via the nose,
eyes and ears), feeding the blood demon
as they sleep.
„ Fear (–4): When seeing the true form of a
blood demon, those around it must make
a Fear test at –4.
18
„ Incorporeal and Invisible: Unless forced
into physical form with its Weakness,
blood demons are invisible, incorporeal
and cannot be attacked.
„ Size (Large +4): In its physical form, a
blood demon is the size of a luxury SUV.
„ Weakness (Physical Manifestation): A
blood demon may be forced to mani-
fest into physical form if a Custom salt
and sigil based binding circle is created
around the death site of person who sum-
moned it (see Wards and Binds in Pinebox
Middle School). The creature may then be
exorcised with an exorcise ritual or physi-
cally attacked and killed.
„ Weakness (Stories of Bravery): Blood
demons take a –2 penalty to resist Tests
that involve stories of true heroism and
bravery. In addition to the normal effects,
success allows victims of its Blood Terror
Special Ability to resist with Vigor at a +2
until the end of the blood demon’s next
turn.
„ Weakness (Summoned Away): A blood
demon may be summoned to another
location when someone dies in the pres-
ence of their worst fear.

FEAR MINION
A fear minion is a small, floating semi-
corporeal apparition that looks like a misty
cloud of blood in the shape of a terrifying face.
Multiple fear minions manifest whenever a
blood demon is threatened. Fear minions are
not affected by any binding circles or rituals
affecting their master (though they may be
bound independently, of course).
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Strength d4–1, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation
d8
Pace: —; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Abilities:
„ Blood Claws: Str+d4
„ Fear Blast: Fear Minions may use In-
timidation as a ranged mental attack on a
target within 6”. Damage 1d6, AP6.
„ Flight: Pace 4.
„ Liquid Form: Fear minions are liquid,
making them immune to called shots.
„ Size (–2): Fear minions are floating heads
of misty blood.
„ Weakness (Salt): Tossing salt on a fear
minion with Athletics or some other de-
livery system forces the minion to make a
Spirit roll. With success it becomes Shak-
en. Failure results in it disintegrating.
The curse ofWilson Quarry
p THE WITCH
The "witch" is a mysterious ancient woman
who lost a child to Teronos almost 140 years
ago. She has sought revenge with such single
minded devotion that she's extended her life
with Black Magic and gone insane.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8,
Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge d6,
Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Oc-
cult d10, Persuasion d6, Stealth d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Powers: bolt, confusion, sleep
Power Points: 10
Gear: Walking Stick (Str+d4)
Special Abilities:
„ Black Magic: The witch uses Occult to
activate her powers and may “fast-cast”
without having to use a ritual.
„ Weakness (Holy Water): Thanks to her
use of Black Magic, when the witch comes
into contact with holy water, she must
succeed at a Spirit roll at –2 or be Shaken.
„ Weakness (Lost Son): The witch takes a
–2 penalty to resist any Test in which her
dead son is mentioned, especially if the
intent is compassionate.
19
 BY ED WETTERMAN

DARK RIT ES OF THE

YELLOW WOMAN
P I N E B O X M I D D L E S C H O O L

This adventure takes place either during

summer or spring break and is written for
between four and six 7th grade heroes. At
least one student should have a d6 or better in
Occult and the kids should know each other.
The Hak`aykuh Nattih, sometimes called "The
Yellow Woman," is an ancient Caddoan spirit
that appears as an old crone. She causes
sickness, pain and suffering, and captures the
souls of her victims who she then tortures for
eternity. She wandered this area in the ancient
days, but was finally bound by a powerful
group of spirit hunters, who trapped her spirit
in an area between five mounds of power.
Then, in the late 1870s, a cult sought the three
lenses of the Eyes of Zatha. They opened portals
to other realms throughout Golan County
hoping to summon the Seven Devourers and
understand the magic of the Flame.
In March of 1878, one such portal was
opened at Tanner’s Hill, a small settlement that
existed fifteen miles northwest of current day
Pinebox. Through it, the Yellow Woman was
once again released upon the earth.
The Yellow Woman terrorized the
community of Tanner’s Hill, either stealing
them away to her home dimension, or killing
them, but the mounds of power erected
thousands of years ago still serve to limit
her reach.
Until now.
BACKGROUND
Tanner’s Hill in the late 1870s consisted of six
log cabins, a tannery, and a blacksmith’s shop.
The village was home to two dozen people and
most worked at the tannery or traded for furs
and leathers. A small natural spring flowed
in the area and the water was pure and clean.
Only one road led from Pinebox to Tanner’s
Hill through what is now the town of Krueger
Village. This part of the Big Thicket is lush with
trees and undergrowth and extends ten miles
to the east where it is bordered by Devil Pig
Swamp and Lake Greystone.
When the Cult of Zatha performed
summoning rites on the night of the full moon
of March of 1878, they thought they had failed
and soon left to return to Pinebox. But the
ritual had been successful, and an ancient evil
that had once terrorized the Native peoples a
thousand years ago returned.
The spirit known as the Yellow Woman
attacked the people of Tanner’s Hill and almost
all of them fell to her evil. One of the last to be
taken was Tabitha Roberts, an 11-year-old girl
with long dark hair and big brown eyes. One
brave young man (Paul Stiglic—see Gathering
Firewood on page 23) discovered a ritual
to bind the spirit, but he was killed before he
could complete it. His was the last body added
to the cemetery at Tanner’s Hill. A few adults

20
 Dark Rites of the Yellow Woman

managed to escape the destruction and word POST 101

soon spread of an ancient evil in the woods.
Captain Scott and his wife, Tara run the Junior
Tanner’s Hill was abandoned and forgotten. Ranger post. Below are some of the more
All that remains are a depression which was prominent people set to go on the hike.
once the tanning pit, several crumbling brick
Captain Miles Scott: Miles is a disabled
chimneys, an overgrown cemetery, and the a
veteran who fought in Iraq. He has a prosthetic
log cabin alongside the remains of an old well.
right arm, a glass right eye, and is deaf in his
The woods have long overtaken the area, and
right ear. He also bears some light scars on the
only a few hunters even know of its existence.
right side of his body—no doubt related to his
Most people still avoid the place. It has an
war injuries. He is a proud American, Texan,
uneasy feeling, as if the bucolic scene belies
and ranger. He loves the outdoors, is an avid
some hidden danger.
hunter, camper, and enjoys long exploratory
A CONFINED SPIRIT hikes in the Big Thicket.
The Yellow Woman sleeps and has rarely Tara Scott: Scott's wife is a teacher at Pinebox
awoken since that darkest night in 1878. She Elementary and some of the rangers may have
is contained within five mounds created a had her as a teacher in 3rd grade.
millennium ago by the Caddoan people when
Ellis Foster: A Junior at East Texas University,
they fought and defeated her. Each mound is a
Ellis is also an Eagle Scout, who has volunteered
rounded hillock of earth, twenty feet tall and
to help with the ranger post as Post Assistant.
just as wide at the base. The area is obscured by
He is very attractive and athletic, with a quick
the heavy foliage and undergrowth in the area,
wit and a heart of gold.
but the mounds themselves only have thick
grass growing on them and are easily spotted Ms. Linda Taylor: Linda is a volunteer
if someone is actively looking for them. They and an aunt of one of the heroes or NPCs
form an equidistant ring a mile across, with (Principal’s choice). She is 27, athletic and
the old Tanner's Hill tanning pit located in loves the outdoors, though she has no ranger
the center. experience. She can be gruff, but is friendly
to the kids.

INTO THE DARK FOREST Post 101 currently has four core members not
including any of the students. They are:
Cell Phone Status: on the trail Devin Martinez: 8th grader. Devin is the
Patrol Leader. He's very quiet and knows the
at Tanner's Hill
ranger ways but is not a true leader when faced
When the adventure begins, the heroes have with the paranormal. He has the 'Fraidy Cat
been invited to gather at Pike’s Road, northwest Hindrance.
of Pinebox, to attend a Guest Hike and Camp
Z’nya Maycock: 8th grader. Z'nya is the
with the 101st post of the Junior Rangers. The
Assistant Patrol Leader. She's capable, strong,
supervising adults are Captain Miles Scott, his
and brave.
wife Tara, East Texas University Junior Ellis
Foster, and Ms. Linda Taylor—called "Aunt Marissa Gray: 7th grader. She loves camping,
Taylor" by most of the scouts because she's the hiking, and is the best camp cook in the patrol.
aunt of one of the attendees (Principal's Choice). She is Psychically Sensitive and has seen and
interacted with many spirits (See Last Rites of
Captain Scott is well-respected, so getting
the Black Guard). Her brother is Matthew Gray.
parental permission isn't terribly hard, though
some overprotective parents may give their
kids some annoying additional rules to follow
(good luck to them!).

21
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
SETTING THE MOOD
Dark Rites of the Yellow Woman is
a classic, Hollywood style ghostly and
demonic horror adventure that takes
place deep in the Big Thicket of East Texas.
The students have no cell signal and are
basically left to fend for themselves in
a "lost in the woods" trope. Using props
or controlling the gaming environment
may enhance the mood in parts of this
adventure. Some players enjoy lowering
the lights or playing by candlelight.
Others may enjoy listening to spooky
music played softly in the background. Be
sure to get input from the players—after
all, they’re part of the “cast.”
Matthew Gray: 6th grader. He is a carefree
kid who hates anything supernatural or
paranormal. He has mentally blocked out
everything that happened to him in Last Rites
of the Black Guard, and when confronted by
the Yellow Woman’s terror, he must make a
Spirit roll (–1) or be paralyzed in fear for 1d4
rounds. After this, he remembers everything
he and his sister have gone through.
FRIDAY
The hiking, camping, and exploring weekend
is set to depart from the post at 1 pm Friday,
with the parents expected to be able to pick the
kids up Sunday afternoon. Everyone has the
appropriate hiking gear, pup tents, and food/
drink for the three-day weekend.
Captain Scott gathers everyone together and
begins his spiel:
“Welcome rangers and guests. It’s great to
have this adventure with you. We are set to
begin this hike about 1 pm and should arrive
at our campsite by 3 pm. Remember to be
respectful of nature, clean up by leaving no
trace, and always have a buddy with you
wherever you go. Everyone has been given
a whistle. Blow it three times in case of an
emergency. If you hear one blow, that means
it's time to return to camp. We are hiking
through some dense portions of the Thicket,
and we should stay together in a line. I will
lead and make a trail as needed. We are
going to make camp at the site of an old ghost
22
town called Tanner’s Hill. I’ve scouted it and
it looks like it has everything we need. We
can investigate a little history, and maybe
even find some artifacts to take back to the
University. There are venomous snakes like
rattlers and cottonmouths in the forest, so
please stay together and follow the trail I
cut for us. Remember: we are rangers, and
we always represent our organization with
courage, determination, dedication, respect,
and integrity in all we do. If you are one of our
guests, I hope you learn more about the Junior
Rangers, and maybe you will even consider
joining our Post. Any questions?”
Captain Scott patiently answers the group's
questions as best he can.
STORIES ALONG THE WAY
The hike in is a great time to have the heroes get
to know each other better. Run an Interlude for
each hero regarding something that happens
during the hike into woods. Examples are:
Spades: Tell a story about an experience that
ended in a great victory or personal triumph
or an obstacle that the group has to overcome
on the hike.
Hearts: Recount a hardship in the hero's past,
or tough experience during the two-hour hike.
Diamonds: Describe something valuable
the explorer finds in the woods (with Principal
permission of course).
Clubs: Describe an event with negative
consequences that occurred in the hero's past
or something that happens during the hike.
Award each participant a Benny.
After the Interludes are completed, have
each hiker make an Athletics roll (–1 due to
the high humidity and overgrown conditions).
Anyone who fails suffers one level of Fatigue
when they arrive at the campsite. This remains
until they rest for an hour.
 Dark Rites of the Yellow Woman

MAKING CAMP Paul was the son of a Caddoan father and

a white mother (a Croatian immigrant, Amy
Post 101 makes their campsite about quarter of
Amelia Stiglic). He discovered a way to fight the
a mile southeast of Tanner’s Hill. Captain Scott
Yellow Woman through an ancient ritual but
finds what he considers a safe area, with a few
was killed before it could be completed.
large trees and an open clearing about 120’ in
diameter, bordered to the north by a small Paul motions to the kids by shaking his head
stream. The trees are all ancient oaks and one and waving his arms as if to say, "leave this
grand old pine tree. There are some rocks and place." He then looks over his shoulder as if
sticks on the ground that need clearing before frightened and disappears. A moment later a
putting up the tents. strong gust of wind roars through the forest
and the air becomes very damp as if it had
Once at the camp the heroes place their
rained heavily, but it hasn't. The sky is suddenly
tents. Each small tent may be shared by one or
overcast and gray with a yellowish tint as if the
two heroes. The ranger rule is that boys sleep
sun’s rays are reflecting oddly off the clouds.
on one side of a central adult area, while the
girls sleep on the other side. The three areas „ Paul Stiglic (a.k.a. the White Racoon): Use
are off limits to each other except in cases of the Ghost profile in Pinebox Middle School.
emergency, though there is a common area to
the south where the pack gather for meals and GHOST STORIES
to enjoy the nightly campfire. Captain Scott Once the wood-gathering is complete, the
digs a small pit for a shared campfire south of explorers return to camp. Two rangers are
the camp, and the patrol is sent out to gather tasked with cooking dinner, while all the others
firewood. are expected to clean up afterward. The post
has brought plenty of canned foods for soups
GATHERING FIREWOOD and chili, bags of chips, and other snacks for
The expedition is separated into two groups, the weekend. Captain Scott has a small cooler
one led by Devin Martinez, and the other by with ingredients for his famous blackberry
Z’nya Maycock, splitting the teams as evenly as cobbler (made in cast iron in the fire pit), as
possible. While hunting for usable dead wood, well as plenty of chocolate, marshmallows,
there are two encounters. and graham crackers for s’mores. No food is
allowed in the tents and all provisions are hung
The Broach: The first encounter happens to
from tree limbs before the post goes to sleep
the patrol led by Devin Martinez. The highest
for the night.
Notice roll spots something in the weeds: an
antique gold broach with ivory inlay depicting After the sun goes down, the wind is still
a 12-point buck. It's in surprisingly good gusting, and Captain Scott laments, "It looks
condition and may be cleaned up easily. The like that weatherman at KETU was wrong...
backside of the broach has the name “Tabi” again.” With a reminder for the campers to be
engraved on it. This broach once belonged to careful and stay dry, the adults retire to their
Tabitha Roberts, a little girl who was taken by portion of the camp.
the Yellow Woman in 1878. The ranger who
Z’nya comments about the ghost her group
keeps it is visited by her later that evening.
saw and Devin asks if anyone actually believes
The Ghost: The second encounter happens in ghosts, encouraging people to share ghost
to those with Z’nya. As the group is gathering stories. A successful Notice roll reveals that
wood, one of the group members (preferably Marissa is pensive at this suggestion, but
one who's Psychically Sensitive) catches a her brother Matthew says, “Nope. No such
glimpse of something moving in the woods. thing as ghosts. Just imagination gone wild.”
With a closer look, all heroes see a shimmering Anyone who offers a good ghost story here is
teenage boy wearing a homespun yellowed- awarded a Benny.
white shirt, and brown trousers tucked into his
boots. He has a dark tan and Native American A DISTURBING DREAM
features. This is the spirit of Paul Stiglic, also That night, after the post goes to bed, it
known as Ut Hakaayu (White Racoon). does begin to rain, first with soft patters of
raindrops, then a driving steady rain with
some lightning and lots of wind.

23
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL

If they look out at the camp, they see the

A hero in the same tent with the broach
following:
dreams of Tabitha Roberts:
As you look toward the center of the camp
You're inside a house, lit by firelight. You're
at where the adults are sleeping in their tents,
visiting someone. You sit at a table and you see
you see Captain Scott’s tent flap open. A
a little girl on the other end wearing a broach
yellow, ghostly figure emerges. She has long
identical to the one you found earlier that day.
stringy hair, arms and legs that are a bit too
She talks to you quietly but earnestly. "I'm
long and lean, and wears a strange yellowish
trapped. Do you understand? I'm trapped on
gossamer dress. She turns and catches your
Tanner's Hill and the Yellow Woman is awake.
eyes. Her mouth opens wide to hiss, revealing
Do you see? Do you hear me? Please help me..."
sharpened teeth.
The hero starts awake and finds himself
Anyone who sees this must make Fear Check
clutching the broach in his right hand at
(–2). The Yellow Woman immediately gains a
about 1 a.m.
Fear Token with each failure, in addition to the
Meanwhile, Marissa can’t sleep and is scared normal Fear effects (see The Yellow Woman
because of the storm. If any of the female side bar on page 25). She cackles evilly and
heroes have befriended her, she asks to join loudly before she disappears. This awakens
them in their tent at about that same time. everyone else in camp, but they rouse too
late to see her. The rain stops as suddenly as it
SAT URDAY came on, and a yellow mist gathers throughout
the forest.
Anyone who is awake in the wee hours between
The kids soon discover all the adults are in a
1 a.m. and 2 a.m. may make a Notice roll. Those
magically-induced deep sleep and cannot be
who are Psychically Sensitive don't have to roll
awoken. All of them have strange hand prints
at all. Any who are asleep may make the Notice
across their faces, almost like burns but tinged
roll at (–4) to awaken. There is a strange sound,
in yellow. The Yellow Woman is using their
a kind of humming, with the melody of a song
souls to empower her and to create a zone of
carried on the wind.
fear inside the five mounds that confine her

24

(see Background on page 20). Her goal is to
cause fear and dread in the kids, not to actually
kill them, but the more they fear her, the
greater her power becomes. She hopes to use
it to break through the ancient ritual mounds
so she may escape her prison.
There is no phone signal available. Play on
the rangers' fear and imaginations. They hear
things in the woods, but never spot anything.
Something is moving around them in the
yellow fog.
pYellow Woman: See page 25.
ESCAPE?
Nothing can wake the adults, leaving the kids
to deal with this one their own. They may try
to venture out and find help, but the Yellow
Woman has created a one-mile wide pocket
dimension between our world and the one
she found herself trapped in by the ancient
rituals. Approaching one of the barriers causes
an instance of High Strangeness (see Pinebox
Middle School). If they continue, the Yellow
Woman sends out her malignants to attack
and harass them. Ultimately, the barriers act
as a tesseract and the rangers find themselves
opposite of where they tried to exit, but now
entering the area of the mounds instead
of leaving.
Escape in this fashion is not possible.
WE ARE NOT ALONE
Whoever possesses the broach begins to see a
small orb of light whenever the Yellow Woman
isn't present. This light is actually the spirit of
Tabitha Roberts. While she is very weak, she
can communicate by changing colors: red for
"no," blue for "yes," yellow for "caution" or "I
don’t know." Only the hero who possesses the
broach can see the orb. Tabitha does all she
can to help the kids, but whenever the Yellow
Woman manifests, she flees.
Meanwhile, the ghost of Paul Stiglic,
manifests at night or in the early morning
hours of darkness. He appears near trees,
half hidden, but obviously watching the kids.
Anyone can see him, though Marissa and any
other Psychically Sensitive students always feel
his presence. He is trying to communicate with
them but is very limited. He may only use hand
gestures and facial expressions.
Dark Rites of the Yellow Woman
THE YELLOW WOMAN
This ancient evil spirit feeds on fear. It
empowers her like a battery charger.
She plays on the kids' fears and can call
malignant manifestations (see Malignant
on page 31) to harass and terrify them.
She especially likes to attack the kids
when they are separated from the group
and does all she can to make this happen.
She targets the hero with the lowest Spirit
die first (or randomly if they are all equal).
She begins by whispering their name in a
familiar voice, like the kid’s parents, or
another ranger, and asking them to come
over, help her, or some similar request or
comment. Once separate from the group,
she manifests a malignant to attack and
harass them.
FEAR TOKENS
Every time the Yellow Woman or her
malignants cause a hero to fail a Fear
check, she gains a Fear Token (two tokens
on a Critical Failure). Once she has 13
Fear Tokens, she can break the barrier
and escape to harass the people of Golan
County. If a child becomes Incapacitated as
a result of a malignant attack, the Yellow
Woman loses a Fear Token instead.
Her desire is not to actually kill any of
the kids, but to capture them in her home
dimension to use their souls for power,
such as she has done with all those she's
captured over the years.
Tabitha Roberts and Paul Stiglic weren't
captured, but instead killed and became
wandering spirits in her realm—perhaps a
worse fate than the captured spirits who
have no memories or life in them.
Marissa suggests that they perform a séance
and invite the boy’s spirit into her body. “I’ve
done it before,” she offers. Marissa's bother
argues against this course of action, citing the
dangers of dabbling in supernatural forces. A
hero can change his mind with a successful
Persuasion roll, but he begins as Uncooperative.
25
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
Even if they don't perform the séance, the
rangers must find a way to communicate with
Paul or Tabitha if they are going to make an
escape (see The Séance of the White Racoon
on page 27).
„ Paul Stiglic: Use the Ghost profile in Pinebox
Middle School.
„ Tabitha Roberts: Use the Ghost profile in
Pinebox Middle School with the addition of the
Weak Spirit Ability.
INVEST IGAT IONS
There are several places the rangers may
search or investigate within the area of
the mounds.
TANNER’S HILL
The remains of this ghost town are overgrown
with weeds, vines, and trees. Only a few brick
walls, fallen bricks, and other detritus remain
where the town once stood. There is an old
brick fireplace, but it is currently covered in
sticker vines.
Rangers may spend an hour searching the
area and make Notice rolls. If successful, the
highest Notice roll allows the hero to find a
false brick in the old fireplace, hiding a long
rattlesnake’s rattle. It is old and brittle, but
still may be shaken for effect (this is one of the
ritual components the rangers must find to
magically bind the Yellow Woman—see page
30). If the rangers are not successful with
Notice rolls, the spirit of Tabi attempts to lead
the hero with the broach to the brick. If no one
has the broach, the brick happens to fall out as
one of the interlopers walk past.
Another ranger with a successful Notice roll
finds a blacksmith’s anvil weighing 150 pounds
and some rusted iron tools including pliers
and several hammers, though the wooden
shafts have long disintegrated.
THE OLD WELL
The water well is also covered in vines and is
made of fired bricks. The well is 120’ deep and
has a circumference of 4’. The well head, rope,
and bucket are long lost to the elements, but
water does remain in the bottom.
26
Anyone who investigates the well is attacked
by a malignant as it crawls up from the well
in a fake attempt to drag the ranger into it. It
initiates a Grapple with the hero and if it wins,
it slowly moves him towards the well in an
attempt to cause as much fear as possible. The
appearance of this malignant as a shadowy
figure with long arms and red eyes causes
a Fear check (–1). A hero who is successfully
grappled must make a second Fear check
as they are dragged toward the well. The
malignant attempts to Grapple victims two
times before dissipating.
„ Malignant: See page 31.
THE TANNING PIT
Any hero investigating the area of the hidden
tanning pit may make a Survival roll (or Notice
roll at –2) to recognize there is a pit covered in
vines and fallen limbs. The pit is 15’ deep and
has a 30’ circumference.
Explorers who venture toward the center of
the area and are unaware of its existence, must
make an Athletics (–2) roll or fall into the old
tanning pit as the vines and dirt give way. A
fall into the pit causes 2d6 damage due to the
wood, detritus, human bones, and metal pieces
embedded in the ground below. Searching and
digging in the bottom of the pit reveals a metote
(a small carved musical instrument common to
Native Americans in the area a century before),
and an axe with a racoon symbol carved on the
blade—though the wooden handle is rotted and
needs to be replaced (both of these are ritual
components for The Rite of Imprisonment
(see page 30).
THE CEMETERY
To the west of the old town site is the overgrown
city cemetery. If they take the time to search
the area, the rangers discover the headstone
of Paul Stiglic (1862-1878). Etched upon the
granite stone is a strange symbol that looks like
a racoon’s face and beneath it are written these
words, “The Racoon shall overcome the Yellow
Death.” It's here that the Rite of Imprisonment
must be performed.

THE MOUNDS
There are five 20-foot-tall mounds
surrounding what was once Tanner’s Hill. They
are the end points of a five-pointed star and a
direct line between each of them would create
a pentagon. In the very center of the pentagon
is the tanning pit. In ancient days this was
where the Yellow Woman was slain and buried.
Her spirit, taken by evil, began to bring fear
upon the early people of what would someday
be East Texas.
These ancient Native American Mounds
were built with the purpose of containing the
evil spirit of the Yellow Woman. Only grass
grows on the mounds, but on the very top
of each is a large buried rock with a carved,
bowl-like depression. Should the mounds
ever be excavated, there are seven layers of
earth separated by a layer of ash and human
bones. Such an action, however, leads to the
defiler being haunted by the Yellow Woman's
ancient victims.
The yellow fog is thickest near the outside
bases of each mound and a definite line of
yellow fog can be seen day or night outlining
the large area of influence between the five
mounds. If the kids try to escape outside the
imaginary lines between the mounds they are
unable to do so (see Escape? on page 25).
THE ROBERTS HOMEST EAD
Just west of Tanner’s Hill is the remains of
the Roberts Homestead. Three log walls still
stand covered in sticker vines. The ceiling and
fourth wall long collapsed, and the floor rotted
away. Two pine trees grow out of the center of
the ruins.
Should the hero possessing Tabitha’s broach
enter the ruins, they have a ghostly encounter
with Tabitha as she finally fully manifests as an
apparition. She says:
"Seek and speak to the White Racoon. He
knows a secret that may defeat the Yellow
Woman. When you need me, smash the broach,
and I’ll be there.”
With that, she dissipates. This is the only
time she may be seen by anyone other than the
possessor of the broach and the only time she
fully manifests as a true apparition.
Dark Rites of the Yellow Woman
AT TACKS OF THE
MALIGNANT SPIRITS
These spirits are demonic in nature and
manifest to terrorize individual kids. In other
words, only the kid being attacked can see the
malignant spirit. To the victim, these spirits are
real, corporal, and dangerous. However, any
Psychically Sensitive kids including Marissa
Gray can also see the Spirits, and anyone
possessing the broach or the Racoon Axe blade,
can both see the Spirits and resist or fight them.
Each hero should be attacked at least one time
during the adventure, and perhaps more
often if they are by themselves or away from
the others.
Malignant spirits manifest in many
terrorizing forms such as a Killer Klown, a
rabid bear, a tentacled monster, a zombie, or
any other type of horror, though they all have
the same attributes and characteristics (see
Malignant on page 31).
Malignant spirits may be defeated by causing
a Wound or by Facing Them Down (see their
Weakness of the same name).
„ Malignant (1 per hero): See page 31.
THE SÉANCE OF THE WHIT E
RACOON
Sometime after encountering the ghost of Paul
Stiglic, Marissa tells the other rangers how to
perform a séance to call a spirit. She explains
how they did it before (with Jackson Green and
friends in Last Rites of the Black Guard), by
telling everyone to sit in a circle, hold hands,
and be respectful. Only one person may ask the
spirit questions at a time. It naturally needs to
be someone other than Marissa herself because
when she's possessed, she has no control.
She says they must light a candle. If no one
has a candle, a suitable one can be found
among the ruins with Notice (–2) roll, or the
students may make a Survival roll to create
a rough substitute with ranger equipment:
a simple burning stick with grease or oil.
Such a creation is subject to the Component
Substitution rules in Pinebox Middle School. The
spell also needs a personal possession of the
spirit with which they are communicating. The
axe blade or the metote found at The Tanning
Pit on page 26 both do the trick.
27
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
THE RITUAL OF OPENING FOR
POSSESSION
Rank: Seasoned
Power Points: 5
Range: Smarts
Duration: Special
Trappings: Séance, Spirit Possession of a
Willing Participant
REQUIRED COMPONENTS
„ Common: A single candle
„ Common: Must be cast at Tanner's Hill
cemetery
„ Exotic: A personal possession of the
target spirit (the carved axe blade from
the tanning pit)
This is a ritual of communion in which
one willing participant opens themselves
for the temporary possession of spirit.
Aside from the trappings above, this spell
uses the same rules as séance in Pinebox
Middle School.
Marissa's experience with this spell grants
the heroes a +1 bonus to all casting rolls during
the Dramatic Task.
On a failure, the Yellow Woman possesses
Marissa—and she's angry! She maintains
control over Marissa long enough to give her a
self-inflicted Wound and cause a Fear check in
those around her. Should the worst occur here,
the spirit of Paul Stiglic appears and speaks to
the ranger with the highest Spirit die. This
takes most of his energy and after telling them
how to perform the final ritual, he dissipates
and becomes a weak spirit like Tabitha.
If the possession ritual is successful, Paul, the
White Raccoon, possesses Marissa.
The séance begins. Everyone is quiet,
unsure of what may happen next. The candle
flame flickers and for a few seconds it visibly
brightens. Marissa stares around the circle, her
eyes bright, wide, and shifting from one person
to the next. Then her eyes slowly close and her
chin falls to her chest. Her head rises once more,
and she looks about the circle with a hard stare.
Marissa’s green eyes flash and turn brown.
She speaks but with a male’s deeper voice and
a slight accent.
28
Paul is a cooperative spirit, meaning he may
answer more than three questions. The listing
below offers some of his responses to various
inquiries:
„ "I am Paul, known as the White Racoon."
„ "I am nineteen years old, or at least I was
before I died."
„ "My father was a Caddoan Indian. My
mother was a Croatian immigrant."
„ "The Yellow Woman is an ancient evil,
unleashed thousands of years ago, but
captured by my ancestors."
„ "Someone must have released her. She killed
many of us. Took many souls through fear."
„ "She is still bound by the Mounds of Power.
Many shamans sacrificed to keep her
contained, but her soul was freed in the
1870s. She destroyed all I knew and loved."
„ "My father gave me powerful magic to
capture her spirit once more, but I…failed."
(He says this in anguish, and tears fall from
his eyes.)
„ "Many spirits are bound to her, and we
cannot leave the area of the mounds."
„ "She gains power from us through our
deaths, and from you through your fear."
„ "She will ultimately take you all, just as she
took us."
„ "Please, you must bind her. Free us!"
No matter what, Paul reveals one or both of
the following pieces of information:
„ "Binding her in a circle is easy, but not
permanent. It will allow you to escape, but
not us." Paul provides the group the special
combination of sigils, herbs, and ancient
text the kids need to create a Custom
Binding Circle (see Pinebox Middle School), but
warns them that she needs to be tricked into
entering the circle, a dangerous proposition.
„ "Magically binding her is permanent, but
much more dangerous. The magic is called
the Rite of Imprisonment. It frees all of
us, and binds her forever, but the risk is
great. To cast it, you need to find my axe,
something personal—like jewelry—from
one of her victims, my father’s rattlesnake
rattle, my metote—it’s an ancient musical
instrument—and a living poisonous snake.
Then go to my grave. Call on my spirit as you
have done here. I will help you. Together we
can defeat the Yellow Woman forever."

If the heroes do not already have one of the
items, other than the poisonous snake, he tells
them where to find each one.
CAPTURING A SNAKE
Obviously, the axe, rattlesnake rattle, and
broach are the first items, but the rangers need
to hunt for a poisonous snake and capture it. A
Survival or Common Knowledge roll reveals
the creek is the most likely place to find a
water moccasin, and if they spend some time
hunting, it's not long before they find one.
How they capture it alive is up to them.
„ Water Moccasin: See page 32.
CONFRONT ING THE
YELLOW WOMAN
There are ultimately two ways to bind the
Yellow Woman. One is nonmagical, easier,
and temporary, allowing the ranger troupe to
finally escape the area of Tanner's Hill, but
giving no relief to the benevolent spirits
who are trapped there. The second method
is magical and more dangerous, but it's
permanent and frees Tanner's
Hill from the influence of
the Yellow Woman once
and for all.
THE BINDING
CIRCLE
The kids may spend an hour
using the methods provided
to them by Paul Stiglic to
create a custom, non-
magical binding circle (see
Wards and Binds in Pinebox
Middle School). Unfortunately,
with this method, the Yellow
Woman must be coerced or tricked
into entering the circle. She may be
taunted out of hiding, or one of the
kids may be used as bait. There are
any number of methods to do this,
but they must somehow maneuver
her into the circle before the opposed
Occult roll is made to bind her.
Dark Rites of the Yellow Woman
A TEMPORARY VICTORY
If the Yellow Woman is successfully bound
this way, her influence over Tanner's Hill is
temporarily nullified. The kids and adults wake
up in their tents as if they had just gotten up
for their first morning in camp. Those with
Wounds still have them, but anyone who was
Incapacitated awakens as well.
Despite it seeming like a dream, the students
remember everything, but there's a palpable
sense of urgency. The heroes know that
now is their chance to leave the area. If they
don't convince the confused adults to flee
Tanner's Hill immediately, they may not get
another chance.
Eventually, the elements (rain, wind, or
simply an animal crossing the barrier) break
the circle and the Yellow Woman once again
roams free. The spirits of Tabitha, Paul and
countless others remain as tortured sources of
power to her.
pThe Yellow Woman: See page 32
MAGICAL BINDING
Assuming the crew gathers all the
necessary components (laid out
by the spirit of Paul Stiglic in The
Séance of the White Racoon
on page 27), they may
attempt to cast the Rite of
Imprisonment (see side bar on
page 30) to permanently bind
the Yellow Woman.
With this method, no binding circle is
necessary, and she need not be coerced
into entering one. Instead, as soon as
the ritualists begin the casting, the
Yellow Woman appears in person to
thwart them.
Just before the casting begins,
the students must call upon Paul
once more to enter Marissa. No
separate séance ritual is needed
this time as she is now open
to him. Again, her eyes turn
brown, and she speaks in
Paul’s voice.
29
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
When she comes, we must keep the Yellow
Woman away. You can fight her with the axe
blade and the metote, they are blessed for this
purpose. You may break the broach to release
the girl’s spirit within it so she may help us, but
it may destroy her to do so. There's one more
thing: someone needs to let the snake bite them.
To go through with being a willing victim of
the snake bite requires a Spirit roll. The victim
suffers as if bitten while capturing the snake. If
there is already a victim of the snake bite, a new
sacrifice must volunteer.
The instant the snake bites, its victim
becomes a spell component himself. The
Yellow Woman materializes, and she attacks
the victim of the bite, if possible. If she can
reach the ranger and carry her victim away, she
can end the magic and escape. The crew must
fight her off for four rounds while one of them
THE YELLOW RITE OF IMPRISONMENT
Rank: Veteran
Power Points: 8
Range: Smarts
Duration: Permanent
Trappings: Sigils, spiritual cooperation
and sacrifice.
REQUIRED COMPONENTS (SPECIAL)
„ Casting Site: Must be cast at Paul
Stiglic's grave (see The Cemetery on
page 26).
„ Paul Stiglic's Axe Head: From The
Tanning Pit (page 26).
„ Tabitha's Broach: Found in the woods
outside camp (see Gathering Firewood
on page 23).
„ Rattle Snake Rattle: From Tanner's
Hill (see page 26).
„ Metote: Found with the axehead in
The Tanning Pit (see page 26).
„ Living Poisonous Snake: See
Capturing A Snake on page 29.
This is a unique ritual specific to the
Yellow Woman and discovered by one
of the spirits she has tormented. With
success, this spell permanently buries
the Yellow Woman using small slivers of
life force from her hundreds of victims as
her bindings.
30
leads the Ritual with Paul. Paul has prepared
for this for centuries; he provides an automatic
+2 to Support the ritualist every round. Allies
may also Support as usual if they are not taking
an action to fight off the Yellow Woman.
There are several actions the students may
take with the various ritual components:
„ The Axe Blade: The weapon may be used
to cause the Yellow Woman more lasting
damage. See her Weakness on page 32.
„ The Metote: This ancient instrument may
be played using Performance to cause her to
lose focus. This functions as a Test that may
ignore the usual repetition penalties.
„ The Rattlesnake Rattle: The artifact may
be shaken during the ritual continually and
provides an automatic +1 Support bonus to
the Occult roll, but the student using the
rattle this way may not take other actions.
„ The Broach: In dire straights, the
participant with the broach may break it
to call on the Spirit of Tabitha, who joins
in the fight by providing a free reroll to all
remaining Occult rolls for the Dramatic
Task. If this option is used, after the ritual
is over, Tabitha is simply gone, out of
communication, with no indication of what
happened to her, and no sense of resolution
or comfort for her spirit.
pThe Yellow Woman: See page 32.
BOUND FOREVER
If the young ritualists successfully keep the
Yellow Woman at bay and cast the ritual, read
the following:
The ritual reaches its climax as the Yellow
Woman screams in fear and panic. A hole
opens up in the earth below her as tendrils
of white spiritual energy bleed off Marissa
(channeling Paul) and from Tabitha's broach,
along with hundreds more floating in from
all directions toward the ancient woman. The
tendrils combine, binding the Yellow Woman in
a cocoon of spiritual energy and pulling her to
the ground. A yawning sinkhole opens beneath
her, so deep it's impossible to see the bottom.
Her screams become muffled as the earth fills in
once more, trapping the Yellow Woman forever
underground in the permanent spiritual bonds
of her countless victims.
The ground appears untouched. If you
didn't know she was buried here, you'd never

be able to tell. Almost immediately, the fog
around you begins to lift.
Back at camp, the adults stir and wake up,
unaware that anything has happened after
that first night. The kids are left to explain (or
not) the adults' missing time, along with any DEVIN MARTINEZ (8TH GRADER, PATROL
injuries the heroes may have sustained in the LEADER)
fight against the Yellow Woman. Either way,
the trip past the mounds on the way home is
a dark reminder of the decaying, evil creature
that now lies buried deep under the Tanner's
Hill cemetery....
PEOPLE AND
CREAT URES
PEOPLE
All four adults carry basic camping
equipment, food, and water.
„ Ellison Foster (Junior at ETU): Use the
Sportsman profile in Pinebox Middle School.
No weapons.
„ Captain Miles Scott: Use the Sportsman
profile in Pinebox Middle School. Add
Hindrances: Hard of Hearing (minor); One
Eye (major); One Arm (Major). Add Edges:
Brawny and Command. No weapons other
than a survival knife and a hatchet.
„ Tara Scott: Use the Teacher profile in Pinebox
Middle School.
„ Linda Taylor: Use the White Collar Worker
profile in Pinebox Middle School.
MARISSA GRAY (7TH GRADER)
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit d8,
Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d4,
Research d4, Stealth d6, Survival d4
Pace: 5; Parry: 4; Toughness: 4
Hindrances: Small, Young (Minor)
Edges: Psychically Sensitive
Gear: Backpack, tent, food, water
MATTHEW GRAY (6TH GRADER)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6,
Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d4,
Research d4, Stealth d4
Dark Rites of the Yellow Woman
Pace: 4; Parry: 4; Toughness: 4
Hindrances: Doubting Thomas, Small, Young
(Major)
Edges: —
Gear: Backpack, tent, food, water
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Academics d4, Athletics d6, Common
Knowledge d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Per-
suasion d4, Research d4, Stealth d6, Survival
d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6
Hindrances: Young (Minor)
Edges: Brawny
Gear: Backpack, tent, food, water, camping
equipment
Z’NYA MAYCOCK (ASSISTANT PATROL
LEADER)
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Academics d4, Athletics d6, Common
Knowledge d6, Fighting d4, Notice d6, Per-
suasion d4, Research d4, Stealth d6, Survival
d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Young (Minor)
Edges: Reliable
Gear: Backpack, tent, food, water, camping
equipment
CREAT URES AND SPIRITS
MALIGNANT
Malignants are demonic spirits that can
appear as anything or anyone to play on the
fears of mortals. They have the stench of
brimstone about them and are summoned
and controlled by the Yellow Woman. While
their statistics and abilities never change, their
forms do. They manipulate what mortals see,
hear, and feel. They are also summoned for one
unique mortal and may only be seen by that
person. To everyone else (except those who are
Psychically Sensitive), they are invisible and
have no corporal form. Those with the Edge see
them as they truly appear: small humanoids
with leather, folded skin, red eyes, and sharp
claws and teeth.
31
 PINEBOX MIDDLE SCHOOL
The following are some ideas to help the Special Abilities:
Principal strike fear into the heroes: Swarms of
spiders or scorpions. A giant spider or scorpion. „ Poison (–2): Lethal, but the victim per-
A naga (snake with a human head), Klown,
demon, zombie, giant worm, alligator, rabid
werewolf, a previous villain, or anything p
dog, ghost, goblin, lich, ogre, raptor, skeleton,
from fantasy, science fiction, history, myth,
or legend.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6,
Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Notice d6,
Stealth d6
Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: —
Special Abilities:
„ Bite: Str+d6
„ Claws: Str+d4
„ Demon: While in physical form, +2 to
recover from being Shaken; Immune to
poison and disease; Half-damage from
nonmagical attacks except for cold iron.
„ Fear (–1): When a malignant manifests
the victim must make an immediate
Fear check. If the hero takes a Wound
from a malignant attack, they must make
another Fear check. Once one Wound is
inflicted, the malignant dissipates with
the ability to return later in a different
form.
„ Malleable Appearance: A malignant may
appear as anything or anyone up to Size
+2 to bring Fear upon the target of their
attacks. A malignant does not take on
the characteristics or abilities of those
creatures, but its Bite and Claws attacks
change trappings depending on its form.
„ Weakness (Facing Them Down): If the
target of a malignant is joined by holding
hands with another person or persons,
and makes an opposed Spirit roll against
the malignant, the demon cannot stay
manifested and disappears into the ether.
The people assisting the target may make
Support rolls as well.
VENOMOUS SNAKE (WATER MOCCASIN)
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d6,
Strength d4–2, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice d12,
Stealth d8
Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 2
Edges: Quick
32
„ Bite: Str+2
ishes in 1d6 days.
„ Size: –3 (Very Small)
THE YELLOW WOMAN
This ancient spirit’s origins are lost in
history, but she has caused havoc, fear, and
chaos across centuries, perhaps millennia. The
Yellow Woman is utterly evil and feeds off the
fear and pain of mortals. She is bound to the
area by ancient mounds of power. She appears
as an old yellow crone, evil and wretched. For
more, see The Yellow Woman on page 25).
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8,
Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Notice d10,
Stealth d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
Hindrances:
Special Abilities:
„ Anchor (Bound to Tanner's Hill): The
Yellow Woman may not stray beyond the
confines of the five mounds of power sur-
rounding Tanner's Hill.
„ Claw: Two attacks Str+d4
„ Demon: Bane (Holy Items); Immune to
poison and disease; +2 to recover from
being Shaken; half-damage from non-
magical attacks; suffers +1d6 from pure
iron weapons; Shaken or Fatigue by Holy
Water.
„ Fear (–2): Anyone who sees the Yellow
Woman must make a Fear check at –2.
„ Regeneration (Fast): May attempt a
natural healing roll every round, even if
Incapacitated, until slain.
„ Weakness (Facing Her Down): Like the
malignants, if her target joins hands with
another person or persons, and makes
an opposed Spirit roll against her, she
cannot attack that person that round. The
people assisting the target may make Sup-
port rolls as well.
„ Weakness (Paul Stiglic's Axe): Wounds
taken via Paul Siglic's axe make her Re-
generation Ability Slow instead of Fast
until they are healed.