My Sorta Halloween Cthulhu Themed Adventure

Day of Masks – My Sorta Halloween Cthulhu Themed Adventure

My gaming group has just begun a new adventure, the first outside the mountains, in a farmland town during the Day of Masks Festival. Asked to find a missing woman, they quickly realize that she is a sacrifice, which they determine is needed to appease a Cthulhu-esque entity. It is actually a reverse style cult scenario as they need to find the woman to make sure the entity is not awoken, and if she isn't found, then her newborn and unnamed child will be used instead. Those from the town who try to escape, are attacked by a dream-stalker (Mothman creature from Pathfinder Bestiary) which they have seen the evidence of, but probably will not have to face. The adventurers have been told that they can leave without repercussion, as it is only the villages who are blessed by the bounty must face the outcome of a sacrifice-less fest, which will destroy the town and much of the region.

During the fest nights everyone in town wears an identical mask and different coloured robe for the sexes. Adults imbibe outrageous amounts of alcohol and participate in masked orgies..all off-screen. Children engage in mock murders of the Ogre-Queen, which has fruits in a similar fashion as a pinata. They also sing a somewhat familiar song, “Ogre Queen is coming soon, coming soon, coming soon, Ogre Queen is coming soon best get ready” sung to the tune of London Bridge. (They are probably going to think they may need to face the ogre queen, this is a red herring that I hope doesn't delay the story or sequence.)

The mountain towns may have the same feasts as the farm towns, but Nobles & Men of Means, prefer the rustic villages during fests, because of the sheer audacity of the townsfolk and to free themselves of social norms. While people in this pseudo-medieval setting are pagan, the townsfolk i.e. every no-name NPC in this town are shit face drunk pretty much all the time. The players were fairly amused when after the first night in town, hundreds of townsfolk all gathered at the local obelisk (center of worship) and had a minor acolyte cast Remove Ailment, to remove everyone's hangover, so they can start work. *even better than coffee!!!

The group used trickery to find the Dark Dreamers Cult HQ in an abandoned building but it won't be simple to get through. I wonder what will they do if they can't find the victim? Will they seek aid, from the Not-So-Evil Church that has significant wealth? Everything is leading to finding the cult members, holding the woman prisoner, and deciding whether or not to hand her over to the druid.

Looking forward to seeing how the heroes face the challenges at our next game.