The Bell Beneath the Ash
The Bell Beneath the Ash
Read aloud
A bell rings once from the dark hills, then stops. Reeve Anwen Pell sets a purse on the table and says, “Something is killing my people’s livestock and anyone who goes looking for it. Find it, kill it, and bring me proof before the spring market begins.”
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Trace the attacks to the old lime kiln.
- 2Find and kill the Ashmaw.
- 3Return proof to Reeve Anwen and secure Brackenford.
- 4Uncover the cause of the attacks.Optional
The clock
The spring market opens in two days. Each night the Ashmaw remains active gives it another chance to attack, and growing fear may cause Brackenford's residents to flee or lash out.
Scenes
- 0:00A Contract at Dusk
- 0:35Tracks in the Mud
- 1:20The Empty Camp
- 2:00The Ashmaw's Lair
Cast
- Reeve Anwen PellQuestgiver
- Mara VennWitness and local bell-ringer
- The AshmawAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
The party arrives in Brackenford at dusk as the spring market stalls are being assembled. Livestock owners are mending broken fences, and a single iron bell hangs silent above the reeve's door. Reeve Anwen explains the contract, while Mara waits nearby, watching the hills.
How Reeve Anwen Pell asks
Reeve Anwen makes a direct, practical offer at the reeve's office.
She provides the last known attack site and asks for proof of the creature's death.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3 hours0:00
35 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Contract at Dusk
Reeve Anwen's office in Brackenford, with market preparations visible through the open shutters.
Present the contract, establish the market deadline, and let the party question Anwen and Mara. Mara can describe the bell and the creature's direction without explaining its true history.
NextMara offers to show the party the last attack site before nightfall.
0:35
45 min
exploration
2. Tracks in the Mud
The outskirts of Brackenford and a scrub-covered hillside trail.
Inspect torn fencing, prints, and a broken bell rope. Careful questioning or tracking points toward the lime kiln; evidence of a wounded animal and human tools suggests the story is not simple.
The Bell-Ringer's TrailNextThe trail leads to a disused charcoal camp where the path divides between a direct approach to the kiln and a safer, longer route.
1:20
40 min
skill
3. The Empty Camp
A deserted charcoal camp beneath the kiln ridge, with an abandoned cart and tools left in haste.
Allow the party to search the abandoned camp, question anyone they find, and choose whether to proceed quietly, prepare a lure, or take the direct route. Evidence can reveal the kiln's hazards and the creature's grievance.
NextA trail of ash and blood leads into the kiln's low entrance.
2:00
60 min
combat
4. The Ashmaw's Lair
The old lime kiln, where drifting smoke curls through broken masonry and the ash pit glows faintly with trapped heat.
Confront the Ashmaw in its lair. The party can attempt brief communication or negotiation, but the creature is frightened, dangerous, and the contract calls for its death. Resolve the fight or let it escape, then determine whether the party returns with proof.
The Lime Kiln LairNextThe party returns to Brackenford to report the outcome and collect any earned reward.
Behind it
What people believe
A dangerous predator known as the Ashmaw has been attacking livestock and people near Brackenford.
Reeve Anwen Pell is offering a reward for its death before the spring market brings more travelers into danger. The attacks appear to center on an abandoned lime kiln in the nearby hills.
Background
For generations, the hamlet of Brackenford has left iron bells ringing at night to keep predators away from its sheep pens.
Recently, a creature has begun attacking the bell-ringers and dragging livestock toward an abandoned lime kiln in the nearby hills. The reeve has hired outsiders to kill it before the hamlet's spring market draws more visitors.
The stakes
If the Ashmaw remains active, more people or livestock may be hurt, and Brackenford may cancel its market.
If the party kills it without understanding the cause, the immediate danger ends but the displaced people and animals who caused the conflict remain a concern.
Encounters
2The Bell-Ringer's Trail
Combat or avoidable hazard
A narrow hillside path with loose stones, scrub, and a shallow ditch. The bell post is unstable, and the ditch provides cover from sight but not from sound.
Foes
2 hungry hill dogs
ComplicationA bell hangs from a cracked post above a steep slope. A loud clang can startle combatants or draw the Ashmaw closer; a character can steady or silence it with a suitable action.
ScalingFor a smaller or less experienced party, use one hill dog. For a larger party, add one hill dog. These are custom low-threat creatures; use modest attacks and let them flee when badly hurt.
The Lime Kiln Lair
Combat
An abandoned lime kiln with a low entrance, a central ash pit, broken masonry, and a side tunnel. Smoke makes the far end difficult to see, while the ash pit is unstable footing.
Foes
The Ashmaw
ComplicationSmoke and falling kiln debris restrict movement. The Ashmaw may try to break away toward a side tunnel if it becomes badly wounded or realizes the party is not pursuing it blindly.
ScalingFor a smaller party, begin with the Ashmaw wounded and avoid adding hazards beyond the smoke. For a stronger party, add one round of falling debris or a minor environmental threat, not additional enemies. The Ashmaw is a custom solo foe; keep its damage restrained for level 1 characters and telegraph dangerous attacks.
Cast
3Reeve Anwen Pell
QuestgiverQuestgiver
WantsReeve Anwen wants the attacks stopped before fear empties the hamlet and ruins the market.
“Bring me proof it is dead, and I will pay. Bring me a story about why it deserves to live, and I will ask what you plan to do about the bodies.”
Mara Venn
Witness and local bell-ringer
WantsMara wants the danger ended, but fears the creature may be more than a mindless predator.
“It comes when the bell rings. I heard it crying like a person, but I know what I heard.”
The Ashmaw
Antagonist
WantsThe Ashmaw seeks revenge on the charcoal burners who drove it from its den, and now attacks anyone it associates with the ringing bells.
“The kiln took my den. The bells call the men who burned it. Make them stop, or I will.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A sturdy lantern and two flasks of oil, supplied for the trip to the kiln.
The Ashmaw's scorched horn, if recovered, is a grisly trophy with no assumed mechanical benefit.
On a win
If the Ashmaw is killed and proof is returned, Reeve Anwen pays the agreed reward and Brackenford resumes preparations for the market.
If the party also uncovers the creature's history, the reeve can choose whether to punish the charcoal burners or help relocate other people and animals displaced by their work.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party fails to locate or stop the Ashmaw before it strikes again.
- The attacks continue, and the next victim is a market visitor. Brackenford closes its stalls and the reeve's trust is damaged.
- The party loses the creature's trail or lets it flee during the kiln confrontation.
- The Ashmaw escapes into the hills, becoming a recurring threat. The party may pursue it later, but the hamlet's confidence in them falls.
- A complication or reckless action endangers a bystander and the party does not make a meaningful effort to protect them.
- The party is blamed for the death or injury of a local, and the reeve withholds payment until the matter is resolved.
Complications (d6)
- 1A sudden downpour turns the hillside path to slick mud. The next group crossing it must slow down or risk slipping and scattering their gear.
- 2A frightened goat bolts across the trail with a bell tangled in its harness, drawing the Ashmaw's attention toward the party.
- 3A charcoal burner arrives at the kiln to retrieve tools and refuses to leave until the party helps him recover a locked iron chest.
- 4A bell rope snaps in Brackenford. Mara runs to repair it, leaving the hamlet's livestock pens unwatched unless someone intervenes.
- 5The Ashmaw has dragged a wounded sheep into a narrow passage. It may be rescued, but approaching risks alerting the creature.
- 6A panicked local mistakes the party for the Ashmaw's accomplices and raises an alarm, bringing an angry crowd to the trailhead.
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