Old Grudges | Free Encounter for D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e

Designed by Hana the Lorekeeper
Cartography by Rye Clark

Resting at an abandoned fort seems like a perfect reprieve—until the shadows come alive with vengeful intent. This level-nine encounter features deadly lurkers in the dark, a history of betrayal, and a chilling mystery to unravel. Can your players survive the relentless hunt and uncover the truth behind the fort’s eerie stillness?

Old Grudges - D&D 5e

Level. This encounter is designed for a group of four to six level-nine characters.

Creatures. This encounter features the following creatures: lurker in the dark.

Location. Along the twisting and turning roads of the Deep Reaches, travelers can spot old, abandoned homesteads, forts, and churches. Flora, especially faelight, covers many of them; however, one fort sits relatively untouched by time (aside from one broken wall). In the nearby pond are several quadrupedal skeletons covered in algae and faelight bulbs, and several bunches of moon’s blessing grow scattered around the pond. In the middle of the pond are several rock columns that rise 15 feet into the air, which are accessible by climbing or with a ladder. The fort appears recently abandoned, as it still holds its stock of supplies. It’s the perfect place to rest! Unfortunately, two hunters have come to the same conclusion, and they are waiting for the party to sleep before springing their ambush.

Loot. In several of the boxes are 1d20 rations, which will last a few weeks before going bad. One of the rock columns in the pond has a wheelbarrow on top of it with a chest containing 20 pieces of ammunition and 1d6 potions of climbing.

Encounter Description

This encounter requires a bit of preparation. Choose one character in the party or roll a die to determine the lurker’s target. This character has had an encounter with a lurker in the dark before and escaped, which has caused the lurker to pursue them. Does the character know it was a lurker, or are they relatively unaware of what creature attacked them? Were they alone or in a group? How did they escape? The Game Master and player need to work together to determine the details, or the Game Master should decide these details.

The party can expect to encounter two lurkers in the dark during this encounter.

Roleplaying Notes.

• Huntal is a lurker; like all others of its ilk, it is full of hate and malice. It never forgets a hunt, and the character it targets is the only one who has ever escaped. It can bend its shadowy body to take on any appearance, from lithe and sharp to huge and bulky (though this doesn’t affect its size or statistics and is merely visual).
• Clavv has no grudge against the party and is here to support Huntal on their mission. It enjoys playing with its victims before killing them. The prospect of prey that provides a challenge has a strong appeal, and it will choose the strongest character to target.
• Both lurkers have scoped out the area and know it well.
• If there are six characters, add an additional lurker. Its name is Taaer, and it has the same motivation as Clavv.

Encounter Notes.

• The lurkers will wait until the party rests before moving into their sleeping quarters. If the party is taking turns at the watch, they will wait until the target is on watch to strike.
• As lurkers thrive in dark environments, they will attempt to plunge the area into darkness by extinguishing fires and torches. If any spellcaster uses light or a similar spell, that character will be the first target in addition to the target character.
• The lurkers will attempt to eliminate one character at a time, starting with Huntal’s target. They will phase in and out of walls to attack characters from behind.
• If the lurkers manage to escape, they will continue to hunt down the party until none of the original party members are alive.

Unsafe Water. Because of the faelight bulbs in the pond, the water is not safe for consumption. Any creature that drinks pond water feels no effect until 2 hours later, when they must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. Creatures that fail take 4 poison damage and become infected with faelight spores. Creatures that succeed only take 4 poison damage.

Abandoned Fort. There is no record or obvious answer as to why this fort lies abandoned. However, the characters can find several clues around the map, such as the destroyed wall (the rubble is old and settled, not new), the playing cards still on the table (an abandoned game), the lack of bloodstains and humanoid bodies (no death occurred here, or it was cleaned up), drag marks from the pond to the front of the fort (at least three things were dragged), and the relatively untouched supplies. The Game Master can interpret these clues however they wish, but the intended story is such:

Two of the fort’s residents were playing a game of cards inside the fort, while the third was on the lookout column in the pond. A nameless arrived, surveyed the scene, and assumed the form of one of the card players after spying on them. It went to the lookout column in the pond and managed to get close enough to knock out the individual there and assume their form. Using their new form, it lured the card players out to the pond, where it knocked them out. The nameless then dragged all three bodies to the front of the fort to sell to the slavers it works with and then left the area as it did not need the supplies inside. The slavers did not take the supplies because their wagons were full of slaves and supplies. It is possible to encounter the kidnapped residents as the party ventures through the Deep Reaches.

Old Grudges, Moderate 9 - Pathfinder 2e

Level. This encounter is designed for a group of four level-nine characters.

Creatures. This encounter features the following creatures: lurker in the dark.

Location. Along the twisting and turning roads of the Deep Reaches, travelers can spot old, abandoned homesteads, forts, and churches. Flora, especially faelight, covers many of them; however, one fort sits relatively untouched by time (aside from one broken wall). In the nearby pond are several quadrupedal skeletons covered in algae and faelight bulbs, and several bunches of moon’s blessing grow scattered around the pond. In the middle of the pond are several rock columns that rise 15 feet into the air, which are accessible by climbing or with a ladder. The fort appears recently abandoned, as it still holds its stock of supplies. It’s the perfect place to rest! Unfortunately, two hunters have come to the same conclusion, and they are waiting for the party to sleep before springing their ambush.

Loot. In several of the boxes are 1d20 rations, which will last a few weeks before going bad. One of the rock columns in the pond has a wheelbarrow on top of it with a chest containing 20 pieces of ammunition and 1d6 potions of climbing (greater).

Encounter Description

This encounter requires a bit of preparation. Choose one character in the party or roll a die to determine the lurker’s target. This character has had an encounter with a lurker in the dark before and escaped, which has caused the lurker to pursue them. Does the character know it was a lurker, or are they relatively unaware of what creature attacked them? Were they alone or in a group? How did they escape? The Game Master and player need to work together to determine the details, or the Game Master should decide these details.

The party can expect to encounter two lurkers in the dark during this encounter.

Roleplaying Notes.

• Huntal is a lurker; like all others of its ilk, it is full of hate and malice. It never forgets a hunt, and the character it targets is the only one who has ever escaped. It can bend its shadowy body to take on any appearance, from lithe and sharp to huge and bulky (though this doesn’t affect its size or statistics and is merely visual).
• Clavv has no grudge against the party and is here to support Huntal on their mission. It enjoys playing with its victims before killing them. The prospect of prey that provides a challenge has a strong appeal, and it will choose the strongest character to target.
• Both lurkers have scoped out the area and know it well.
• If there are six characters, add an additional lurker. Its name is Taaer, and it has the same motivation as Clavv.

Encounter Notes.

• The lurkers will wait until the party rests before moving into their sleeping quarters. If the party is taking turns at the watch, they will wait until the target is on watch to strike.
• As lurkers thrive in dark environments, they will attempt to plunge the area into darkness by extinguishing fires and torches. If any spellcaster uses light or a similar spell, that character will be the first target in addition to the target character.
• The lurkers will attempt to eliminate one character at a time, starting with Huntal’s target. They will phase in and out of walls to attack characters from behind.
• If the lurkers manage to escape, they will continue to hunt down the party until none of the original party members are alive.

Unsafe Water. Because of the faelight bulbs in the pond, the water is not safe for consumption. Any creature that drinks pond water feels no effect until 2 hours later, when they must make a DC 26 Fortitude save saving throw. Creatures that fail take 4d10+26 poison damage and become infected with faelight spores. Creatures that succeed only take 2d10+13 poison damage.

Abandoned Fort. There is no record or obvious answer as to why this fort lies abandoned. However, the characters can find several clues around the map, such as the destroyed wall (the rubble is old and settled, not new), the playing cards still on the table (an abandoned game), the lack of bloodstains and humanoid bodies (no death occurred here, or it was cleaned up), drag marks from the pond to the front of the fort (at least three things were dragged), and the relatively untouched supplies. The Game Master can interpret these clues however they wish, but the intended story is such:

Two of the fort’s residents were playing a game of cards inside the fort, while the third was on the lookout column in the pond. A nameless arrived, surveyed the scene, and assumed the form of one of the card players after spying on them. It went to the lookout column in the pond and managed to get close enough to knock out the individual there and assume their form. Using their new form, it lured the card players out to the pond, where it knocked them out. The nameless then dragged all three bodies to the front of the fort to sell to the slavers it works with and then left the area as it did not need the supplies inside. The slavers did not take the supplies because their wagons were full of slaves and supplies. It is possible to encounter the kidnapped residents as the party ventures through the Deep Reaches.

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