The Devil of Murder Cliffs
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In the pale light of the witching hour when the moon shows off its twin horns¸ 'Tis said that a devil rises from the deep with a murderous taste for the soul. You will know ere he stalks for the crows love to talk About how they have picked clean your bones. An adventure for 4‐6 characters of levels 3‐5¸ though it can easily be scaled for lower- or higher-level adventurers. The adventure assumes at least one wizard¸ one cleric¸ and one rogue are in the party¸ though there is a fair amount of opportunity for other character classes¸ especially meat shields and sword swingers¸ to shine. High in the cliffs along the timber road stands the Von Klarch Inn. Half ruin¸ half fortress¸ the repurposed manor serves as a waystation for adventurers seeking fame and fortune in the mountainous north. Built nearly 500 years ago¸ the inn started out as the estate of the wealthy Von Klarch family¸ who made their fortune trading with the northern dwarves. In the intervening years¸ the family has fallen on hard times. Frequent attacks by the rising tide of gnolls¸ orcs¸ and trolls who overtook the the north over the intervening centuries wreaked havoc on large parts of the estate¸ destroying the north wing and shrinking the Von Klarchs' once substantial land holdings. More recently¸ attacks by local bandits - allegedly captained by a man referred to as the Devil of Murder Cliffs in reference to local legend - have increased in frequency. These attacks threaten travelers on the road and are bad for business. Others say a true devil released from its bondage once again stalks over the region of Murder Cliffs. Despite these troubles¸ the Von Klarch Inn is the only reasonably civilized to spend the night in the bandit-infested Murder Cliffs.