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quadrantadvisor · 5 months ago

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Monster of the Week Mystery: Shadows in Unity

(I didn't see a better place to post the custom MOTW mystery that I ran, so onto Tumblr it goes.)

In the small town of Unity, Iowa, two teens mysteriously disappeared. More than one person in town has been messing with forces they didn't understand, and now the local corn maze is home to a being of great and terrible power, a Shadowling. This mystery works best in a campaign dealing with eldritch beings and cults.

Hook

The sudden and unexplained disappearance of two teenagers, in a town with hardly any crime to speak of. Their identities were kept out of the news, but it's the talk of the town that young lovers Aimee Schaffer and Ben Torello have either skipped town together, or had something horrible happen to them.

[My version of this mystery started with a scripted scene of the hunters overhearing a conversation about this between waitresses Maggie and Sharon at the Sideswipe Diner.]

Countdown

Day: The Shadowling possesses Ben's corpse to lure in new victims. It is spotted in town overnight.

Shadows: Farmer Neadbaum enters the corn maze in an attempt to perform a ritual and trap the monster. He is killed.

Sunset: Masha Torello stays up overnight to keep an eye out for her son. She spots him and follows him back to the cornfield, becoming another trapped victim of the Shadowling.

Dusk: Aimee is drained of all life and dies.

Nightfall: Sharon Maat and three of her friends, other teens from the local high school, plan to hang out in the cornfield at night to drink without getting caught. Sharon is killed and her friends are captured.

Midnight: The Shadowling's activity has garnered the attention of Nelson Neadbaum's former cult, the followers of The One Who Waits in Shadows. They catch the creature for their nefarious purposes.

Threats

Shadowling

Monster: Parasite (motive: possess, control, devour)

The Shadowling is a being from somewhere beyond this world, and it should not be on this plane of existence. It's form cannot be easily seen nor comprehended, more of a silhouette of shifting tentacle-like shapes. It is not an especially intelligent being, operating largely on instinct to attract more prey. It claims a space as it's own, a den of sorts, and that space becomes warped by it's very presence. In this case, that space is the corn maze, where it fled to after being summoned in Neadbaum's barn. The Shadowling is a timid creature, and uses it's den and the forms of other creatures to hide itself away from possible threats. Above all, the Shadowling's presence is a herald of a much greater evil.

Powers:

Intangible: Cannot be harmed by attacks that don't involve magic or one of its weaknesses.

Taste of Madness: Can alter a victim's senses to induce disorientation or panic.

Possession: Can inhabit the form of a human, a corpse, or another humanoid shape.

Attacks:

Life drain: 3-harm, ignore armor, hand

Armor: none

Harm capacity: 11

Weaknesses:

Fire and bright light can be used to force it to leave a host, to corral it, or to contain it.

A magical ritual can be used to banish it from this realm

Takes two days to research

Takes three people to cast

Must be cast in the presence of the monster

Takes 10 minutes to perform

Scarecrow (Possessed)

Minion: Assassin (motive: to kill the hunters)

A scarecrow made of burlap and denim, with a wide brim straw hat and no face. It hangs limp in front of the entrance to the corn maze. It moves with an unnerving swiftness and smoothness. It can be destroyed by fire.

Attacks:

Shears: 2-harm, hand, quiet

Strike: 0-harm, intimate

Harm Capacity: 5

Ben and Aimee (Possessed)

Minion: Renfield (motive: to push victims towards the monster)

The shadowling is using Ben and Aimee to lure more victims to its lair. Ben is clearly already dead, with two large puncture wounds in his torso that were inflicted by the shears. Aimee is filthy and covered in blood, but has no visible injuries. She is wearing a leather jacket that's a bit too big for her, presumably given to her by Ben before his death.

Attacks:

Unarmed strike: 0-harm, intimate

Harm Capacity:

Ben's corpse: 6

Aimee: 7, but has already taken 3 harm

Nelson Neadbaum

Minion: Guardian (motive: to bar a way or protect something)

Farmer Neadbaum is an older gentleman, perhaps in his 60s, and his hair and long mustace are beginning to grey. He is gruff with the hunters, but not openly hostile until he feels they are coming to close to his secrets. He wants to keep the hunters away from the Shadowling and out of his barn. He summoned the Shadowling in an attempt to communicate with The One Who Waits in Shadows, not expecting an unintelligent beast. It quickly escaped his containment measures, and he lost any control of the situation he may have had.

Neadbaum was once a member of the cult of The One Who Waits in Shadows, but was excommunicated from their ranks for having lofty ideas about using the god's power for himself, rather than serving it. He has been studying on his own ever since, and stewed in his solitude and self-righteousness, until meeting a sympathetic ear in Aimee, to who he tried to teach his ways.

Neadbaum's farm is the location of an annual corn maze, and this year, Aimee was volunteering to help run it as an after school activity.

Attacks:

Hunting knife: 1-harm, hand

Shotgun: 3-harm, close, messy

Harm Capacity: 7

Locations

Corn maze

Location: Den (motive: to harbour monsters)

The maze was poorly constructed/cut, making it difficult to tell what is meant to be a path and what is poorly spaced and/or trampled corn. If the hunters approach during the day, the light that falls over the corn wavers like a heat mirage. During the night, the shifting of the corn creates strange figures in their shadows.

Move: Navigate the Maze

If a hunter/the hunters would like to navigate the maze and the Shadowling is present within it, it uses its Taste of Madness to confuse and disorient the hunter(s).

Have a hunter roll +Weird. On a 10+, hold 2. On a 7-9, hold 1. Use a hold to mitigate one of the following effects.

Lose track of the exit

Lose track of your companion(s)

Discover nothing of consequence

On a 6-, the hunter who rolled is fully controlled/taken by the Shadowling.

Sideswipe Diner

Location: Crossroads (motive: to bring people and things together)

(The following is the start of a scripted scene written for the beginning of my own session, and may not be entirely applicable to yours. I've kept it here, in case it helps inspire you as to the tone of the mystery.]

"You are in a roadside diner. The outside looked a little run down, but when you entered you were pleasantly surprised to find the interior clean and lively. Your party of 5 [the number of hunters in our session] were seated easily together in a booth, with an extra chair on the end, of course. You're now enjoying the hot, greasy flavors of hometown America. It's a nice respite after miles and miles of nothing but Iowa cornfields. It's around 11 AM, and the sunlight through the windows is bright. It doesn't fool you, though. It's October, and you know that the wind chill bites."

Unity Police Station

Location: Fortress (motive: to deny entry)

The station is on the small side, but it's also the most modern building in town. You get the feeling they may be compensating for something.

Unity Library

Location: Hub (motive: to reveal information

An old schoolhouse that's been converted. It's got old, cracking paint, but the windows are clean. The interior is cramped and stuffed with books.

Schaffer Home

Location: Hub (motive: to reveal information)

The lawn is trimmed and green. The house is older, and is one of the only ones on the block with a second story. The interior is open concept, with plain white walls and modern knick-knacks. Aimee's room is on the second floor. It looks like a mundane girl's room at first, but hunters may investigate hiding spots or check her computer to find out about her interest in the occult or her connection to Neadbaum.

Torello Home

Location: Crossroads (motive: bring people/things together)

A trailer home on the other side of town from the Schaffer home. It is propped up on cinder blocks. There's a small dog tied up out front, and a garden.

Neadbaum Barn

Type: Hellgate (motive: to create evil)

From the outside, this is a classic red barn. The inside is similarly unassuming. Light shines in from the wooden slats in day time. The floor is matted with hay, and there's a cot up in the loft.

Neadbaum's animals do not choose to stay in the barn if they are not penned in, and if they are penned in, they are agitated and uncomfortable.

There is a book in an unrecognizable language hidden beneath the cot, and if the hay is cleared away, the summoning sigil for the Shadowling can be found.

Bystanders

Aimee Schaffer (student)

Bystander: Witness (motive: to reveal information)

Aimee is a high school student with light skin and straight brown hair. She is pretty, chubby, short, and normally well put together. Aimee felt stifled by her parents, their expectations, and their rigorous schedule for her. She began acting out in subtle ways, such as by reading up on the occult at the library and becoming involved with Ben.

Working with Neadbaum on the corn maze was a way to talk to someone in town who shared her interests while working on community building, something her parents would approve of. Aimee's occult research is generally benign, and she did not know just what horrors Neadbaum would get her involved in.

Aimee had left Ben a note that told him to meet her in the cornfield after she and Neadbaum concluded their ritual, unfortunately bringing him into the situation as well.

Aiden and Maria Schaffer (Aimee's parents)

Bystander: Busybodies (motive: to interfere in other people's plans)

The Schaffers are community leaders in Unity, who want the best for their daughter. They are very proud of Aimee for taking an interest in community events. They believe that Ben has done something to her, and are extremely distraught that she is missing. They do not acknowledge that Aimee was seeing Ben of her own free will. The Schaffers are suspicious of outsiders, unless they're authority figures.

Carla Torello (Ben's mother)

Bystander: Victim (motive: to put herself in danger)

Carla is a tall, thin woman, with a large straight nose and black hair. She wears a long brown coat.

Carla doesn't like Aimee, because her parents are elitist. She is certain that Ben is in some sort of trouble, but doesn't trust the authorities to help her. She'll do anything to find her son, and is relatively open to strange explanations. If she hears something ridiculous, though, she'll think she's being made fun of, and shut it down.

Maggie Watterson (Waitress)

Bystander: Gossip (motive: to pass on rumours)

Maggie is a pale woman in her 50s, with curly red hair pull back into a bun.

She is very worried about Ben and Aimee, who frequented Sideswipe Diner on their dates.

Sharon Maat (Waitress)

Bystander: Skeptic (motive: to deny supernatural explanations)

A high schooler with brown skin and black hair. She's tall, and looks consistently bored. She thinks that Ben and Aimee ran off together, and that everyone is making a big fuss over nothing. She goes to the same school and Ben and Aimee, knows that Aimee was helping organize the corn maze, and knows where both Ben and Aimee live, if the hunters ask.

Gordon Deep (County Sheriff)

Bystander: Official (motive: to be suspicious)

Sheriff Deep is a large man, both in gut and in build. He's in his 40s, and has a trim moustace and salt and pepper hair.

He's very no nonsense, and doesn't care for children. When things start to go terribly wrong, he becomes desperate to find a culprit.

Hank Devon (Deputy)

Bystander: Innocent (motive: to do the right thing)

Deputy Devon is a young man of average build. He's dark skinned and bald.

He's incredibly concerned about the disappearances, and very eager to find solutions. If he thinks the hunters have any sort of lead, he'll want to talk with them.

Mikki Watterson (librarian)

Bystander: Gossip (motive: to pass on rumors)

Mikki is a young person with short curly red hair and freckles. They are wearing a they/them pronoun pin. Waitress Maggie is their mother.

Mikki is involved in the community, and is very familiar with the Schaffer family and their library habits (especially Aimee, who comes by herself looking for occult books).

Layout

Here is a very simple drawn layout of Unity, which was filled in as our hunters discovered locations.

Additional Notes

In our session, the hunters immediately clocked the scarecrow as a threat, and destroyed it before it could be used. It's up to your discretion if you want to leave it vulnerable outside the cornfield as a freebie for your hunters, or if you'd like to hold that idea back as a surprise while they're exploring.

Our party included an initiate, which allowed this mystery to have some very fun cult politics. I highly recommend it.

If you end up using any of these ideas, I'd love to hear about it! MOTW is a great game, and I want to know about other people's experiences.

@freemotwresources @tabletopmonsteroftheweek

#motw #monster of the week #ttrpg #motw mystery #idk if any of this is like. good. but I had fun making a halloween game and trying to make it spooky for my friends #after our dnd campaign ends the plan is for me to gm more motw #so there might be more of these in the future #my projects #my writing #my rambles

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foxgirlmoth · 1 year ago

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I don't talk about this stuff on here pretty much at all, but a past relationship really broke a ton of bits and pieces of my brain and heart in weird ways (I'm finally thinking about him almost never but the shit he pulled was abusive as hell and still affects me sometimes). Being in love with my current girlfriends for a while felt almost. Painful? Almost like I should be ashamed I can fall so deeply in love with people, and especially how quickly that can happen sometimes too. Thats how it kind of felt. I tend to get overwhelmed with emotions if I'm feeling them very strongly, and that has been extremely embarrassing and also felt almost like I was being a burden to those I love (which love is the main emotion that can 'get dialed up to 11' for me). It IS debilitating in some ways!!! It hasn't gotten bad enough I've been nonverbal in a really really long time but that happened this past week and it was wild to me.

Things are getting better now though! Therapy in the past has helped, and honestly having such patient and understanding partners has made a world of difference ;w;. my wife is someone who was one of my best friends and I had a huge crush on and now I can ask for cuddles and we can nap together and I've fallen so much in love. Her and her presence are literally heaven for me, I don't know if anything has ever made me happier than just laying next to her and feeling her warmth.

Worries of course flare up and I feel like I need to lean on her a lot during those moments, but I don't feel like too much of a burden to her. I love seeing the posts that say stuff like 'Its okay to be a burden' or 'its okay to be annoying' because really truly I think I need to be those things to survive sometimes. I can be 'a lot' and I can be a little bit obsessive and those things aren't inherently bad or evil of me. I just make sure I'm feeling okay during and after and make sure I'm checking in on myself often. I'm a bit of a broken girl, but that doesn't mean I'm not extremely happy and living a life I love. I've written poems and everything about how it feels like it must hurt to love me and my broken jagged edges, but hey, even if it does a little bit, it doesn't mean someone like my girlfriend/wife won't go through a little bit of burden to love me, and I'm more than happy to return all of this and more for her as well if she's ever in need or feels broken ;^;

#Not to be too gay but I wanna build my life with my princess more and more #She's. So good to me and she's so pretty and she's so beautiful and attentive and she listens to me in ways I feel no one else has #She understands me so well!! And I hopefully make her feel the same #But yeah I've been a burden a lot to people due to autism (which I didn't know I had for fucking ages) adhd and physical disabilites #And she feels like she isn't taking care of me which is good because I'd honestly hate that #But she understands me and makes me a better person and that's exactly what I've wanted for forever.#And being demi/aspec is awesome with her since she's aspec too and there's no pressure for sex or sexy times but if we both want it #It can still be super fun!! We gotta figure more of that stuff out if we want but knowing each others kinks (and sharing a good bit) rocks #Idk its so so so so easy to love my wife Maxie #She's so dear to me and we've only been dating for 4 months but they've been 4 months I've felt the most alive and seen #Its so easy to be cringe but free with her too idk #She makes me better and I hope I do the same for her. I don't want either of us to stagnate yknow?#But anyways yeah this is just a big journal entry of some kind I might do these every once and a while #Not to like. Brag??? I guess. Or show my mental illness so much. Its just kind of nice if friends know where I'm at in my life I guess #And idk having outside input on thoughts can be good. If any friends see this and go 'Hey Runa this is real weird maybe tone it down'#I can look at that stuff a bit more #Gonna tag this in a way I can find it and others in the future too #Runa diary logs #But yeah you're not hearing this from me but I wanna be with Maxine for the foreseeable future more than anything.#Gotta get my degree and a good job too and she's ofc not the only person in my life (I have Sara who is so very dear to me too ;w;)#Nor is she the only 'goal' I have either. I wanna make games I wanna make art. I wanna make something that other trans people #And queer people and just minorities in general can look at or play or experience and just go. Life is worth living #I love my life right now and I'm so glad I've made it to my late 20's.#Its only uphill from here :3 #Wanna add on when I say she's not the only person in my life I mean that I have so many friends and people I love who love me too :3 #♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

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