Try to discover who this stranger might be.This exercise puts you in a tense situation where time is critical. What are you willing to risk to discover the truth and aid a stranger? A hero might stop to try and help someone in need, exposing themselves to danger. A less remarkable traveler might keep to themselves and stay safe. An unscrupulous wretch might take a risk only for personal gain. Every action has consequences, and the more time you spend, the greater the danger. Choose your actions carefully and answer the prompts to see how your choices affect you. You find a body in the road. It is beginning to grow dark, and this region is dangerous at night.
Try to discover who this stranger might be.
• After looking at this person, you believe there are three people in a nearby town who might fit his description.
• A small-time highwayman is said to stalk these woods, ambushing merchants on the way to town.
Search for proof. (15 minutes . . .) The highwayman was shot with more than one arrow over the years and should have scars on his chest.
Rolling 5–6 on a d6 confirms this hunch.
• An old watchman left a few days ago to hunt a highwayman in the woods.
Search for proof. (2 minutes . . .) The watchman was married and wore a brass ring on his wrist as was the region’s custom.
Rolling 3–4 on a d6 confirms this hunch.
• A ranger who occasionally sells furs in town is said to hunt not far from here.
Search for proof. (5 minutes . . .) The ranger saved a family from an attacking wolf a few years back and has a scar on his leg.
Rolling 1–2 on a d6 confirms this hunch.
What do you wish to examine?
You find a pouch, a neat roll of parchment stained with blood, and a copper shield in the man’s chest pocket, as well as a holy symbol.
Read the parchment. (15 minutes . . .) “To the stranger who may find me: I have failed in my quest. I cannot claim that I was a noble soul, but I seek judgment only from my god. Please take a coin from my pouch to place (blood has blurred some words) under my tongue, two coins to return to my (blood obscures more) and the rest as payment for your trouble. —Cassidy.”
Look in the pouch. (2 minutes . . .) You find coins: one gold, two silver, ten copper pieces.
Investigate the holy symbol. (20 minutes . . .) This symbol belongs to a thieves’ church. They worship a god of fortune. It is said their god “hates fire, loves any who speaks with gold, judges a tongue of silver, and ignores the sound of copper.”
Consult the Adventurer’s Almanac. (30 minutes . . .) It is not uncommon for a watchman to carry a symbol of the god of thieves, as “a thief knows where to find his own.” Many officers are buried with an old-style badge under their tongues to shield them from the thief lord’s wrath.
Investigate. (10 minutes . . .) The copper shield is a discontinued symbol denoting rank in the watch. It was discontinued because the simple design was too easy to counterfeit.
You see a wound on this poor soul’s chest and what looks like a tattoo running up his arm. His hand is missing four fingers.
The wound. (20 minutes . . .) This is most likely the result of the blow that killed this traveler. It could have been made with an unusual weapon or strange beastly appendage. It is beyond your ability to know which. Whatever did this was tremendously strong. Most likely this stranger died quickly.
The tattoo. (10 minutes . . .) This is an elaborate strip winding symbols and lines. There appears to be a pattern to it, but it would take some time to work out the meaning.
(30 minutes . . .) After deciphering runes and letters from various languages, you find that this tattoo denotes affiliation with the thieves’ guild. Based on what you were able to put together, this person must have been a high-ranking member.
The hand. (10 minutes . . .) Four fingers were lost from this person’s left hand a few years ago. Although they have grown pale, the scars make you wince. The implement responsible for this must have been sharp and regular since the cut is clean.
Consult the Adventurer’s Almanac. (30 minutes . . .) The thieves’ guild punishes ex-members by removing fingers from their left hands. This is to prevent ex-thieves from using their skills outside the guild. It also signals to other thieves the former member’s status. A person missing a single finger may simply be someone who retired early. A person missing four likely betrayed the guild to the law.
(20 minutes . . .) Burn it to keep it from being ravaged by beasts.
(1 hour . . .) Cover it in rocks to mark its place.
(1.5 hours . . .) Dig a grave and perform a rite that your beliefs tell you brings the dead good fortune.
(0 minutes . . .) Leave it to rot.
Add all the time you spent investigating this body.
Roll two d10s to simulate a d100, sometimes referred to as a d%. Choose one die to represent the ones column, and the other to represent tens; this roll will give you a result from 1–100. Add ten to the roll for each hour spent exposed on the road. If your roll goes above fifty, you are attacked by the thing that killed the traveler. Fight or flee.
What, if anything, do you do with the possessions found on the body?
Do you tell anyone about what you found? If so, whom?