The Bell Beneath Brackenford
The Bell Beneath Brackenford
Read aloud
Something has been taking livestock and travelers from the moor outside Brackenford. Last night, a child heard a bell ring from the old cairn, then saw a huge hound cross the graveyard without leaving tracks. The reeve will pay you to find the beast and kill it before dusk brings another victim.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Find the Barrow Hound's trail on the moor.
- 2Kill the creature stalking Brackenford.
- 3Uncover why the hound woke and what it was guarding.Optional
- 4Prevent further disturbances at the cairn.Optional
The clock
At the end of each major scene spent delaying the hunt, the hound makes another nighttime raid or frightens another family into leaving. After three such delays, Mara's urgency becomes public panic and Tomas refuses to risk another trip onto the moor.
Scenes
- 0:00A Contract in the Square
- 0:30Tracks in the Black Soil
- 1:15The Caretaker's Warning
- 1:50The Hound at the Barrow
Cast
- Mara VennQuestgiver
- Tomas ReedAlly
- Sister ElowenWitness
- The Barrow HoundAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
Read the hook aloud in Brackenford's muddy market square. Mara Venn waits beside a covered animal carcass, its flank marked by a long, dark claw wound. Tomas Reed offers to guide the party to the edge of the moor, while Sister Elowen watches from the chapel steps and quietly warns them not to break the cairn stones.
How Mara Venn asks
Mara Venn approaches the party directly in Brackenford's market square, offers an advance for supplies, and promises the balance upon proof that the beast is dead.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3 hours0:00
30 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Contract in the Square
Brackenford's market square, beside the reeve's office and the village chapel.
Mara hires the party. Tomas offers practical guidance, while Elowen warns against disturbing the cairn. The party can accept the job, negotiate, and ask about the attacks.
NextTomas leads the party to the last place a traveler was attacked, where the trail turns toward the moor.
0:30
45 min
exploration
2. Tracks in the Black Soil
The village graveyard and the wet track leading onto the moor.
The party examines claw marks, disturbed earth, and a faint trail of black water. Checks, questions, or careful observation can reveal that the hound moves between the graveyard and the cairn. Roll or choose a complication if the search needs pressure.
NextThe trail reaches the old cairn, where the party hears a bell note from beneath the stones.
1:15
35 min
social
3. The Caretaker's Warning
The old boundary cairn, a ring of weathered stones beside a shallow sinkhole.
Elowen may admit what she knows if approached with patience. The party can inspect the broken bell and choose whether to repair it, proceed to the cairn, or confront Elowen about her secrecy.
NextThe hound appears at the cairn or retreats through a gap into the burial chamber, depending on the party's approach.
1:50
60 min
combat
4. The Hound at the Barrow
The cairn clearing or the burial chamber beneath it.
The party confronts and kills the hound. Its behavior may reveal that it is guarding the barrow rather than ranging randomly. Afterward, the party can inspect the chamber and secure the damaged seal.
NextThe party returns to Brackenford with proof of the kill, or stays to secure the cairn before reporting back.
Behind it
What people believe
A dangerous beast has been preying on travelers and livestock near Brackenford.
The reeve has hired the party to track it to the old cairn and kill it before more people disappear. Local accounts place the creature near the graveyard and the moor, where an old warning bell was recently heard.
Background
For generations, the hamlet of Brackenford has kept an old boundary cairn intact on the moor.
The cairn marks a buried barrow and bears iron bells meant to warn of disturbances below. A recent storm toppled one bell, and the graveyard's soil has since turned soft and black.
The stakes
If the hound is not stopped, it will attack again, and Brackenford may abandon the moor-side homes.
If the party kills it but leaves the barrow damaged, the immediate danger ends while a supernatural threat remains possible.
Encounters
2The Hound at the Cairn
Combat
A ring of toppled stones on a windswept moor. The ground is uneven, a shallow sinkhole borders the cairn, and broken bell ropes trail across the stones.
Foes
Barrow Hound, custom undead beast, approximately level 4
ComplicationThe cracked earth and loose grave markers can shift during the fight. On a dramatic impact or failed movement attempt, the GM may call for a suitable check to avoid falling prone or becoming briefly stuck.
ScalingFor a smaller or lower-level party, reduce the hound's durability and remove its fear-inducing howl. For a larger or higher-level party, add one custom Grave Mote, a minor undead hazard, rather than increasing the hound's damage substantially.
The Barrow Threshold
Combat
A narrow stone passage beneath the cairn opens into a burial chamber. A cracked lintel, shallow water, and a fallen stone lid provide cover and hazards without requiring specialized rules.
Foes
Barrow Hound, custom undead beast, approximately level 4
ComplicationIf the party damaged the cairn or ignored Elowen's warning, the hound begins alert and positioned to charge. If they repaired the bell or approached carefully, it starts at a distance and can be confronted on the party's terms.
ScalingUse this as the sole major combat encounter. If the party already fought the hound at the cairn, this is a brief final confrontation with the same creature, not a second full encounter: it begins wounded and has reduced endurance. For a party that bypassed the first fight, use the full version here.
Cast
4Mara Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver, Brackenford reeve
WantsProtect Brackenford and keep the villagers from fleeing before the harvest.
“I need it dead before another child vanishes. Bring me proof, and I will pay what the village can spare.”
Tomas Reed
Ally, local trapper
WantsHelp the party find the creature while keeping his injured scouts out of danger.
“The tracks go toward the cairn, but they are too long for a wolf and too deep for a man.”
Sister Elowen
Witness, caretaker of the cairn
WantsKeep the barrow sealed, even if the party must be misled or obstructed to do so.
“That thing is not hunting for meat. It is trying to get home.”
The Barrow Hound
Antagonist, custom undead beast
WantsProtect the grave of her ancient chieftain and prevent anyone from opening the barrow.
“The bell is gone, the seal is cracked, and now you have come to kill the one creature that heard it calling.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A silver-plated hunting knife, a practical keepsake with no assumed special rules.
A vial of herbal antiseptic supplied by Tomas, usable according to the table's preferred healing rules.
On a win
The Barrow Hound is dead, and the party returns proof to Mara Venn.
Brackenford's attacks stop. If the party also repairs or secures the cairn, the graves remain quiet; if not, the reeve posts a watch and the threat may return in another form.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party abandons the hunt or cannot defeat the hound.
- The hound remains at large and attacks another isolated traveler. Brackenford's reeve can offer a new lead, but the party loses local trust and the reward is reduced.
- The party kills the hound by collapsing the burial chamber or using destructive force against the cairn.
- The barrow's inner seal is damaged. The hound is still dead, but restless dead begin appearing near the cairn, creating a follow-up problem.
- The party threatens or harms Elowen or publicly accuses her of causing the attacks without evidence.
- Sister Elowen hides the iron bell and refuses to share what she knows about the barrow. The party can still complete the kill, but loses a chance to prevent further disturbances.
Complications (d6)
- 1A bank of ground fog rolls across the moor. Until the party reaches higher ground or waits ten minutes, sight beyond 30 feet is obscured.
- 2A fresh sinkhole opens beneath the trail. The first traveler to cross must avoid falling into a 10-foot-deep hole or spend time hauling them out.
- 3The hound's howl spooks Tomas's pack mule, which bolts with a bundle of stakes and rope. Recovering the supplies costs time or requires a substitute.
- 4A villager arrives carrying a bloodied cloak and insists the hound has returned to the settlement. The report is mistaken, but the group must calm the crowd or lose an hour.
- 5A cracked cairn bell rings once in a gust of wind. The sound draws the hound toward the party's current position.
- 6A patch of black moor water gives way underfoot. One carried item is soaked or lost unless someone secures it before it sinks.
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