Beneath Old Bonegrinder - expanded maps and content for Curse of Strahd
 |
In the eternally gloomy landscape of Barovia¸ a solitary decrepit windmill stands in a bleak field along the Old Svalich Road. Once belonging to the prominent Durst family of the village of Barovia¸ it has since been repurposed by an unassuming elderly lady named Morgantha and her sisters as a place to bake their famous "dream pastries". As rumors of missing children spread across Barovia¸ few suspect the windmill and the sisters within could be the cause. However¸ when a troupe of murderous dolls suddenly come to life in the toymaker Gadof Blinsky's shop in Vallaki¸ a strange connection is revealed to the old windmill. Will the heroes uncover the truth of both the windmill as well as the eccentric toymaker's past¸ or will they perish and be forgotten beneath Old Bonegrinder?
A Curse of Strahd Adventure - What's this all About?
In Chapter 5¸ Town of Vallaki¸ Curse of Strahd introduces a memorable NPC named Gadof Blinsky. Other than being a creepy toymaker¸ Blinsky Toys does not lead to any particular adventure and Gadof's backstory is never fleshed out. In the following chapter¸ titled "Old Bonegrinder"¸ Curse of Strahd introduces an eerie windmill where a coven of night hags turn children into dream pastries. While certainly memorable¸ this location is quite brief and can be either extremely deadly for an unprepared party or frustrating for a party with no way to deal with the hags going in and out of the Ethereal Plane.
What do these locations have in common? Children. This adventure provides (1) a link between Blinsky Toys and the Old Bonegrinder with a new villain¸ Piccolo Blinsky¸ the presumed-dead brother of Gadof Blinsky¸ and (2) a creepy dungeon below Old Bonegrinder where Piccolo turns children into monstrous killer dolls.
As always¸ it is up to you how much of the content you want to use. It's perfectly fine to use some parts of this supplement while discarding others¸ or simply let the ideas presented here inspire new ideas of your own. This adventure is intended for parties of 4 to 6 characters with an average level of 5 to 7 and is intended to take place while the party is adventuring in Vallaki. This adventure can also be used as a horror or Ravenloft-themed one shot separate from Curse of Strahd.
This Adventure Includes:
Four Adventure Hooks ¸ that meld with the story of Curse of Strahd. Suggestions for Blinsky Toys ¸ to help integrate him into the story of Curse of Strahd and connect him to Old Bonegrinder. A New Location ¸ a creepy doll factory beneath Old Bonegrinder! A Dungeon and VTT-Ready Color Maps ¸ custom-made for Beneath Old Bonegrinder both gridded and ungridded. Monsters from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft ¸ let your party face off against the new carionettes and gremishka monsters! (plus a custom boss monster¸ Piccolo the dark puppeteer).
Adventure Summary
The party enters Blinsky Toys in Vallaki only to be ambushed by a pair of evil dolls called carrionettes. Investigation of the dolls reveals a clue in the form of a windmill logo¸ which suggests the dolls came from the Old Bonegrinder. At Old Bonegrinder¸ the party encounters a hag and rescues two children from the upper floors. The children explain that more children are trapped in the basement below the windmill. In the basement¸ the partyfinds the rest of the children as well as an evil toymaker named Piccolo. The party must defeat Piccolo to disrupt the production of carrionettes.
Previews:
Want to Get in Touch?
Twitter @FrictionlessDan
Get the full bundle for 33% off!
Check out other Best-Selling Content by Daniel Kahn! Monster Weaknesses Wild Beyond the Witchlight Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Tomb of Annihilation / Curse of Strahd / Out of the Abyss / Candlekeep Mysteries