Something About Mary

Background

In the village of Kresk, at a fairly rough interval of once per month, a very special lady comes to town. She seeks out the best and brightest children and offers them space in her very special boarding school. There is no visitation permitted but they are offered the finest education and upon graduation the very best of them have been heard to return to the village and take their wise and trusting parents away to a life of ease in a land beyond the mist.

Rumors

Kresk is not a large place but it still manages to keep some secrets. Some people know little secrets. Some know big secrets. Some know things that are just plain wrong.

Roll a contested Persuasion against the chosen villager's Insight. Whether successful or not, roll 3d8 and consult the Rumors table (everybody has something to say, but not all of it is valuable). Add the difference on a success or subtract the difference on a fail. On a result lower than 3 the villagers are literally getting up, crossing themselves, and walking away when the character tries to talk. The bartender refuses to take their order and calls a serving girl over to ask them to leave because they have a "cursed smell" to them.

3	Go Jump in a Lake	14	Thy Neighbor's
4	False Kitty	15	Rough Sport
5	Hilltopping	16	Puppies
6	Fool's Errand	17	A Good Game
7	Plaster Artifact	18	Regretful Heirloom
8	Snipe Hunt	19	Good Wood
9	Wolf Bait	20	Infatuation
10	Sob Story	21	Beacon
11	True Kitty	22	Watery Ghost
12	Good Joke	23	A Dark Secret
13	My Problems Matter	24	Found Geode

Go Jump in a Lake

You find yourself talking at length with a man named Yavni Hannish. He tells you about the north pond which he claims is haunted by an evil spirit who takes the form of a particularly ill tempered goose. He warns you that the goose carries a curse. If the goose bites you, the wound will never heal and you will wake to fresh blood on your bandages until you eventually bleed to death weeks later. Only holy vestments will stop the bleeding but the curse cannot be lifted until the goose is slain but the goose is immune to metal weapons.

Truth: (Insight 12) The man is a frightful drunk, though well practiced in hiding it. He keeps talking as long as possible, adding sometimes conflicting details so long as the drinks keep flowing.

False Kitty

A young man named Terrin Vamil spins a tale of how his little sister Ekki has lost her pet cat. Terrin takes care of Ekki since their parents disappeared in the night some four years ago and while he has no great coin to offer for help he assures the character that he would offer his knowledge of the town and his servitude if they could help return the smile to his little sister's face. He begs the character to just meet Ekki, that the promise of a true adventurer's aid would give the poor dear hope.

On arriving at Terrin's shack, the character finds two straw mattresses on a dirt floor. On the larger one is a note written in charcoal on a board that reads

I have to find Kitkat. Please do not be angry with me. I come back fast. Pinky promise.

Terrin tells you that he cannot read and asks what the note says. If told he breaks down in tears, offering everything he has if only they would find his sister.

Truth: (Insight 16) Terrin and his comrades play this game to mock outsiders. The shack is not Terrin's but has been abandoned for years. Different boys continue leading the character in circles with sightings at Red's Mill, Mercy's Hospital, the Ghostly Goat, Picker Paula's, the North Pond, and the Black Church. If the character goes all the way to the Black Church, Terrin loses the game. If one of the other boys' clues are not followed, that boy loses. The loser has to wear a Donkey Hat and pay for the other boys' drinks the next night.