Adventure Shorts #19: Night at the Ravine

At the end of winter, when the heroes travel with a group of traders along a ravine they find that the road has crumbled down. The company is stuck for nightfall, so they camp on the road just beside a 1000' drop. That night several people wake up screaming: “ghosts, dead people!”

What may occur next:

• The ghosts are evil spirits that want to scare the traders to let them fall down the ravine in fear. They are not able to harm or touch anyone phisically, not directly.
• The ghosts are ghosts of traders who had fallen down here, but they actually protect the traders and heroes by waking them. Another part of the road is about to collapse, and only because the heroes are awake one of them will notice. With luck all can move safely back down the road before the rock slides down.
• The ghosts are traders who died here, and a shrine that is built for them on the other end of the broken road lights up in a magic glamer. Then a bridge forms out of thin air, allowing those who dare to pass to the other side. If at least the bridge is real, and not a ghostly trrap, the heroes and traders may be at their destination next day after all.

Trader

Caravan traders are common on all routes between civilized areas, and among them are often adventurous types. Some of them might have a somewhat dishonest streak, but most of them are good folk, who prefer to talk their way out or into any situation rather than using force.

OSR: AC 7, HD 1, Dam 1d6, Move 120', Save: F1, #app 1d8

DD2: leather jacket (armour class 1), long knife 3 (weapon class 1), trading 3

Update: You can find all shorts of this series and more in Unpleasant Encounters at RPGNow.