Thirteen Peals at Bellwether Hollow
Thirteen Peals at Bellwether Hollow
“A vanished reeve, a bell that rings for the dead, and a village built on an unpaid bargain.”
— Hook · Mystery
“The Saint Orra bell rang thirteen times last night, though its tower has been locked for twenty years. This morning, Reeve Calder vanished, leaving only a wet footprint trail that ends at the village square. Find him before sunset, when the bell is expected to ring again.”
— Hook · Mystery
Rain taps against the shutters of the village meeting hall as Mara Venn places a ring of old iron keys on the table. Outside, anxious villagers argue beneath the silent bell tower. A muddy footprint leads from the tower steps to the center of the square, then stops beside a single scrap of reeve's ledger paper bearing the words, 'The debt is still unpaid.'
Mara Venn
Mara Venn requests a private meeting in the village hall. She offers a modest advance, admits that the local witnesses are frightened and contradictory, and asks the party to avoid causing a panic until there is proof of wrongdoing.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The bell only rings when someone in the village is about to die.
- 02Reeve Calder was seen arguing with Sister Elian beside the old records house.
- 03The bellkeeper's family disappeared after trying to silence the tower decades ago.
- 04A thief named Tavin Soot has been selling keys copied from the village hall.
- 05The village founders built their first homes over a sealed shrine.
If the party fails, Reeve Calder is sacrificed, the Echo Beneath gains renewed influence, and Bellwether Hollow becomes bound to a supernatural bargain for another generation. If they succeed, the village survives but must confront the truth that its prosperity was built on a hidden murder.
Background Lore
For generations, the village of Bellwether Hollow has relied on the old Saint Orra bell to warn of floods, fires, and raids. Three nights ago, the bell rang thirteen times without anyone touching it, and by dawn the village reeve had vanished. The investigation points toward the abandoned bell tower, a collapsed shrine beneath the village, and a decades-old crime that several respected locals have worked hard to conceal.
The village of Bellwether Hollow is in crisis after its ancient warning bell rang thirteen times without being touched. Reeve Calder disappeared shortly afterward, and the only evidence suggests that he went toward the abandoned bell tower. The party must investigate the disappearance, identify who may have taken him, and prevent another supernatural ringing expected at sunset.
