It was OSE Month over at Backerkit and the theme was demons. Demons have a weird history in D&D. BECMI excluded them almost entirely, with only some odd creatures slipping through the barrier between systems. They were famously written out of AD&D 2nd Ed in an attempt to appease unappeasable people, then written back in when public outcry shifted to rap music or whatever parents found upsetting in the mid 1990s. In 5e, they hold a place of prominence as high-level foes as the scope of adventuring turns planar.

As for me, I like them somewhat less codified. They’re literal chaos creatures! They should come in all shapes and sizes and engage in all manner of mayhem from minor mischief to mass murder. They should be unpredictable and weird.

I’ve meant to make another system-neutral trifold adventure ever since the last one I did (Brine of the Wrathful Mariners, follow the link and scroll to the bottom), and OSE Month inspired me to get it done. So I’m proud to present Old Man Morrow is Dead. Let’s Loot His House!

“Old Man Morrow was strikingly rich, notoriously cheap, and as mean as a hornet. He was, predictably, liked by none. The villagers loved to gossip about the treasures he surely had hidden beneath his floorboards. His lack of an heir lead to dreams of dividing up his worldly wealth among the common folk of the town after his inevitable passing. The only possible claimant was his servant, the odd halfling called Moncleus.

“…And so when Moncleus burst into the tavern common room that windy, rainy evening and announced, “Master is finished!,” the fires of greed were lit in the hearts of the folk assembled there. Singly or in small groups, excuses were made and tabs were paid, and the race to find Old Man Morrow’s treasure was on.

“But Old Man Morrow is not quite dead yet. He was ritually communing with a demon when his resentful servant smudged the summoning circle with his duster, opening a portal through which minor demons can move between worlds. They bound and tormented Old Man Morrow, and now his head is full of brain-eating worms. Moncleus was killed on the spot, and the “Moncleus” who visited the tavern was a demon wearing his face, luring treasure seekers, for the demons grow hungry and bored.

“And by luck, readiness, and overwhelming greed, the adventurers find themselves the first to arrive at Old Man Morrow’s door…”

Enjoy, and try to not have your face torn off and worn by a weirdo demon.

*the Simpsons, “Three Men and a Comic Book.” Homer, “A hundred bucks for a comic book? Who drew it, Michaelmalangelo?”