Background
When a Pump-kin child sprouts from the patch, their time on earth without their flame is limited. The flame within a Pump-kin’s head is an extension of their life force. It is said when a Pump-kin dies, their flame dies with them. But a normal fire can not be used to sustain a sproutling. Each pump-kin must have their own flame, an ancient and sacred flame found in the bonfire of Cyronus, the Goddess of Fire. This flame grows with the sproutling, can not be blown out easily, and connects them to the goddess herself. As a nomadic people, when the sproutling is born, the Pump-kins must find the nearest sacred bonfire. It is the task of the sproutling’s patch members to retrieve the flame and give it to the sproutling before the sproutling begins to wilt.
Adventure Summary
This adventure is designed for a party of three to six third level characters. The adventure consists of the party attempting to retrieve a flame from an ancient bonfire. After discovering a broken caravan of Pump-kin people, the party is asked by the Pump-kin patch Leader, Aspen, to get to the bonfire and get the fire needed to bring a soul flame into the young Pump-kin’s life.
Adventure Hook
The party stumbles over a broken caravan with a small family of Pump-kin people attempting to fix it. The adventurers can stumble upon them naturally as they are walking through the forest searching for the next settlement. Atneratocely, they may hear the sounds of the Pump-kin attempting to fix their caravan or the Phmp-kin talking to each other.
Arc 1: A Pump-kin in Need
Deep in the Old Acre Woods, the party finds themselves walking through the masses of trees. It’s been a few days since they last saw anyone whether they be human or otherwise. They’ve just heard the sound of soft whistling that they know they shouldn’t mimic.
Read or paraphrase:
“Deep in the Old Acre Woods, the trees have been your only company. The animals watch from their branches as you pass but they don’t interrupt your travels. The deep orange palette of the leaves fall free from their branches as you walk by them. Leaves crunch under your feet and the gentle sounds of your conversations mingle with the chatter of the forest around you.”
Any party member who succeeds in a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check hears the sounds of a wooden crack over the chatty forest. Further up the path, the sounds of other voices can be heard mumbling to each other. Any party member that wants to can make a DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth) check to stay hidden in the trees. When they peek out through the bushes, they find a strange scene.
The Broken Caravan
Read or Paraphrase:
“A creature with a carved pumpkin head and nice vintage clothes stands next to a large caravan. He plays with the king stem as he concentrates on the project in front of him. A large caravan wheel sits in front of him, it’s axel broken in more than one place. He lifts the wheel up and crams it onto the caravan. It stays for a second and he looks satisfied before with a sharp pop, it flies off again and he ducks to avoid getting hit as it flies into the trees. Rubbing the back of his orange head, he looks sheepishly over the other side of the caravan and shrugs.”
Over the other side of the caravan, several other Pump-kin people in a nice shirts and slacks sit waiting for the pumpkin man to finish. When the party makes themselves known, the Pump-kins stand protectively in front of an injured Pump-kin in a long button up dress. She clutched a dark blanket in her arms. Once the situation is diffused, a Pump-kin who seems to be their leader steps in the front to introduce them.
Rowan: the Pump-kin trying (and failing) to fix the caravan
Juniper: the pumpkin in the long button down dress
Aspen: the Pump-kin patch leader.
Dimples, Hollow, and Redfield: Pump-kin triplets who are fussing over Juniper.
Juniper ends up showing the group what is in the blanket in her arms. A small Pump-kin baby who appears to be sleeping is curled against her side. The baby appears to be a newborn Pump-kin fresh from the patch. The pump-kin can explain what happened before the party got there. They were traveling down the road when the wagon hit something. It scampered off into the forest afterwards but the damage was already done. The wagon was damaged and Juniper was injured in the crash. They aren’t far from the sacred bonfire that they needed to get to but they don’t think they will be able to make the journey in time now that the wagon is broken and Juniper is injured. On top of all this, the Pump-kins have heard word that this bonfire they are near is very dangerous. There are stories of creatures lingering in the darkness of the woods around the bonfire waiting for their next meal. They have prepared for their fight against the Flame Guardian but they are not prepared for anything more dangerous than that. Normally, they would find a safer bonfire to navigate to but their sproutling came early and they are pressed for time now. They ask for the party’s help and offer a reward, should the party come back in time.
Mission Information
The Mission:
The party go on ahead and navigate through the dark forest.
The must defeat The Flame Guardian and retrieve the flame from the sacred bonfire.
They must then return and give the flame to the pump-kins so that they can give it to the sproutling.
Retrieving the flame
The Pump-kins are grateful for the help and offer the party a small hooded lantern with a pulsing flame. They may have questions before they leave.
Important Information:
The sacred bonfire steals all the light around it leaving the forest of the valley in a magical darkness. The party will need this lantern light in order to navigate their way.
The light itself inside of the hooded lantern is made from a pump-kin’s flame (specifally Apsen’s flame) It will not go out in the magical darkness like other fires will.
The light needs to be protected because other lights and flames will not work in the magical darkness. If this light goes out, they will not be able to replace it and will stumble around in the darkness.
They have two days until the Pump-kin child begins to wilt. They must return before he fully withers.
With all this in mind, once they take the lantern, their journey can begin!
Arc 2: A Fire In the Distance
Now that the party has been given their mission, they can start moving forward into the valley of darkness in front of them. The lantern itself is not magical but the light inside of it is. The light seems to burn bright even in the presence of the darkness spell. While the lantern does protect the flame within, the fire can go out and leave the players in magical darkness. The flame has 5 hit points and an armor class of 10.
The Dark Forest
When the players set off on their journey, they immediately notice that the darkness around them is more off putting than normal. The only light seems to come from their lantern and the small bit of light in the distance they assume is the neverending bonfire. In the darkness, the sounds of the forest have vanished too. Anyone who succeeds in a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check can tell that the forest has the Darkness spell on it.
Read or Paraphase:
“As you enter the valley, the darkness is all consuming. It wraps around you like a weighted blanket clinging to your skin. The lantern glows in your hands, its light pools at your feet chasing away the darkness around you. Where the darkness ends, the silence begins. All consuming, you stick close to your party members unable to hear them or even your own heart beat. The lantern in your hand is a lighthouse and you cling to its light like a moth to a flame.”
The players find themselves walking along the path and must make sure they’re going the right way. Anyone who succeeds a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check can navigate the forest well enough to avoid initial dangers. If the party fails their survival checks, there are many fun traps that could be set in the forest to impede them. If they are the one holding the lantern, their check DC is lower because they can see better. Here are a couple of suggestions:
Bear Trap: (DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) to notice) Anyone who steps into it takes 2d4 piercing damage. It takes a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to pry the trap open. The hurt player’s speed is halved until they are healed.
Spike Pit: (DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) to notice or DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to avoid) Anyone who falls into the pit takes 2d6 piercing damage. Without help, it takes a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check to get out of the pit.
Circles: (DC 14 Intelligence check to notice) The party notices an odd tree that they’re pretty sure that they walked past an hour ago.
After stumbling around in the darkness, the party can find a small unlit campfire that they can stop at. A fire there can be lit if the party would like to rest. If the party decides not to stop, skip ahead to The Dark House. The party can choose to rest with or without a look out. If the party doesn't take precautions then they won't be ready for…
The Ambush
The party’s rest is interrupted by a large fight. With a look out, the look out can make a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice something coming their way. Otherwise, the party will be surprised and a fight against the Shadow Lurkers can begin! Keep in Mind: The flame in the party’s lantern is hearty but not immune to damage. It can be snuffed out accidentally by the party or intentionally by the enemy.
After defeating the Shadow Lurkers, the party is free to attempt to sleep again. However, now, they don’t know if there is anything in the forest waiting for them to drop their guard. They can feel some things watching them in the darkness and the open air around their campsite leaves them unprotected and vulnerable.
The party can take a short rest here but if they try to take a long rest, they will be attacked by the Wailing Darkness.
The Dark House
Moving forward, anyone who succeeds in a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check can navigate through the dark woods and find their way to a small house in the woods.
As they approach, the party can tell that the house has seen better days. They can investigate the outside of the house and anyone who succeeds a DC 12 Investigation (Investigation) check can find that the house is empty (for now).
This is a good place to have a short or long rest if the party is hurt after the fights they’ve encountered. The party can also try to find more about the people who used to live in the house. With a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check the party will find several clues as to what happened to the old residence of the house.
The Bones We Stand On
The house has several small rooms within it. There is a small kitchen, an old attic, and a bedroom in the back of the house.
Kitchen
The kitchen is mostly wood and there is a soft homey feel to it in the soft light of the lantern. The cabinets are mostly empty but contain two rations and a small knife. There is an old pot on the counter that has molded over. Anyone who succeeds in a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check, can discover that the pot has the remains of a pumpkin soup in it.
Attic
In the attic, the players can find a small area filled with old pieces of clothing tossed around in large heaps. In the clothing, with a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check, the party can find a compass, 13 gold pieces, and an old oil lamp. A lot of the clothing itself looks vintage and is spattered in old orange and yellow stains. Everything smells vaguely like old molding vegetables.
The Bedroom
One of the rooms all of the way in the back of the house has a strong vegetable before the door is even opened. There is a large scene of carnage in the room. There are more yellowing stains throughout this room amongst the broken furniture. With a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check, the party can find small crossbow and a potion of healing.
A large beetle that has taken the territory around the sacred bonfire. Hostile toward those who enter its territory, the Pumpkin Eater has killed countless Pump-kin folk who have entered to reach the sacred bonfire. Will the party meet the same fate? An optional battle to include within your game can occur while the party is in the Dark House. As the party spend time here, at any given point when you find it appropriate, the party can encounter the owner of the house: The Pumpkin Eater. Otherwise, the party can find the aftermath of the Pumpkin Eater’s carnage but never encounter the beast itself.
After leaving the house, the players can continue forward with another DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check to navigate toward the bright light of the bonfire in the distance.
Arc 3: Fire is life
The bonfire comes closer and closer into view. The sacred bonfire itself gives off 15 feet of bright light and an additional 10 feet of dim light. The bonfire itself is 20 feet by 20 feet.
Read or paraphrase:
“As the bonfire comes into view, the darkness of the forest bleeds away hissing in anger at the bright bonfire around it. The bonfire burns and beats with its own heartbeat. Its flames curl like fingers beckoning you closer.”
The party finds that there is nothing around the area. No monsters, nothing. It’s almost as if the creatures in the darkness refuse to come closer to the light. They are safe from monsters here but the mosnters are not the only creatures that will attack them.
The Flame Guardian
From within the fire itself, the flame begins to shake harder and harder. As the party gets closer, they can see the image of a creature beginning to take shape. The Flame Guardian steps out of the bonfire itself in his black metal armor wielding his flaming greatsword. He will not let them pass to the bonfire itself without defeating him first. It’s time for the final fight!
The Way Back
When The Flame Guardian is defeated, he will step aside and let them pass. They have won their right to the flame. The lantern the Pump-kins gave them can house the new magical flame. After they have retrieved the flame, The Flame Guardian will return into the bonfire and dissolve into it once more. The party can return back the way they came with the new flame. As they walk, they see the bonfire’s light is brighter than their previous flame. It dissolves the darkness around them and nothing seems willing to engage them while they’re close to it. They can make a peaceful journey back.
A New Soul
As they reach the opening of the valley, the light of day is blinding. They find the Pump-kin family huddled together near the wagon. When they bring the lantern over, they see the ritual of the ritual of bringing the Sproutling to life.
Read or Paraphrasee:
“The bonfire light pulsed in time with the rest of the patch, beating as one. Aspen opened the glass panel and brought the light closer to the small sproutling in Juniper’s arm. They waited. They watched. With a sharp gasp, the flame of the candle within the sproutling’s head caught. The little sproutling’s eyes fluttered open. It gave a little cough and all of the pump-kins all let out a sigh of relief.”
As the pump-kins all move closer to get a look at the new sproutling. Aspen speaks to Juniper in low whispers and he goes to the party. Aspen thanks the party generously and offers them two gifts: a Bag of Beans and a name. He offers to let the party name the child. After the party decides on a name, all of the pump-kins thank the group as one as they get the wagon back together. Juniper offers to let the party look at and welcome the baby into the world. The pump-kins will explain to the party that now that their mission is done, they’re heading to the next town over. They’ll offer the party a ride. The party can climb into the back and watch all of the patch members coo over the confused and curious little sproutling filling the back of the wagon cabin with light. And so the game concludes, as Rowan guides the cart down the road. The party will be off again, ready for their next adventure, and this time not on foot!
Bury Me Shallow: A Homebrew Adventure
By Mina Guadalupe