01 The Missing Lantern and the Animated Statue

The group participating in the town’s festival reenactment, roleplaying as abducted villagers, found themselves awakening in a forest clearing shrouded in an unusual and ominous fog. Their expected delivery of food, brought by the town miller Choe as part of the “negotiation” with the “spirits,” did not arrive. Shortly after, the party was attacked by two giant centipedes who spoke disturbingly of “meat” and “arms” before being defeated.

Deciding to proceed to town without Choe, the group encountered increasingly unsettling signs as they left the forest. The statue of Cute Ugly, a stone spider that usually held the replica of the Eternal Lantern, was missing, with the unlit lantern found on the ground. Tracks indicated the statue had animated and moved towards the river.

Further along, at the eastern watchtower, the party discovered two guards dead from snake venom, alongside the bodies of two slain gremlins. A surviving guard, Hai Ha, demanded the party recite four of the town’s eight tenets to confirm their identities. After successfully doing so, Hai Ha explained the fog descended shortly after midnight, followed by the creature attacks. He advised the party to seek assistance from either Old Mataska at his fortified estate or Granny Hu.

A brief stop at Meadowsweet’s house revealed she was frightened by disembodied voices. Continuing towards town, the party noted the Eternal Lantern remained unlit and that the Dawnsbury Bridge was occupied by creatures. Upon reaching Old Mataska’s estate, they were given food and recounted their experiences.

Mataska then assigned the party four tasks: to find a hunter capable of tracking down the animated statue, Cute Ugly; to locate Granny Hu; to retake Dawnsbury Bridge, with a suggestion to utilize poisoned ale against the creatures guarding it; and to relight the Eternal Lantern by blessing three coins at shrines located throughout the town.