Starry Knight Press

Down the Wishing Well

Down the Wishing Well is my twenty-seventh book, my ninth one-shot adventure and my very first book set in a whole new, previously unrevealed part of my campaign world, The Dales; the ancestral homeland of the halflings, gnomes and dwarves of this realm.

Your player is a resident of the border village of Standown, which lies at the entrance to the only road under the impenetrable mountains separating The Dales from the human lands to the West. The valley has a patron deity, Brigid the Dawn Godess, but she has been busy tending to affairs in other realms and in her absence evil stirs in Standown: the new Sheriff Margreth and her humanoid minions are planning an invasion. As the player's birthday approaches, they feel an overwhelming desire to climb down the Old Well just outside the village, an ancient rite of passage, not knowing they are in for more than you bargained for as it is the goddess calling them...DOWN THE WISHING WELL!

This 28 page adventure, is my first ONE-ON-ONE adventure, intended for one GM and one player character, although it is easily adaptable for a party of 4-6 players of levels 1 to 2. It offers one long evening of play time and it is sure to please discerning GMs and players everywhere!

Written to commemorate the author's 50th birthday, it remained the #1 HOTTEST OSRIC Adventure on DriveThruRPG.com for my entire birthday month of October 2018! I'm quite proud of that!

Available NOW as a PDF directly from us, this book's exciting action above and below the waves is sure to provide many hours of quality RPG entertainment!

SYNOPSIS:

Down the Wishing Well

A One-On-One Adventure
Compatible with Most Fantasy RPG systems
Intended for one GM and one player character of levels 1 to 2
Easily adaptable for a party of 4-6 players of levels 1 to 2

The village of Standown protects the entrance to The Dales.
The Little Folk who dwell there have been protected by a goddess.
But the goddess has been silent and evil has grown in her absence.
It’s up to you to go down the wishing well and come back a hero!

Hello and welcome, adventurers and Game Masters!

I wrote this adventure to commemorate my 50th birthday and, while not as auspicious as a 111st birthday, I felt my half century mark deserved a celebratory dungeon crawl featuring some of my favourite elements of the fantasy role-playing genre! Here, in this adventure, you will find a plucky little hero, a village in the grip of a cruel overlord, puzzles and traps, scary beasties, magical wishes, and dreams coming true! So read on and prepare for an exciting journey down the wishing well!

This adventure takes place in the player’s home village of Standown, an ancient habitation which lies on the extreme western border of a land mass known as The Dales. It is the ancestral home of the small folk of the realm: halflings, gnomes and dwarves. During the age of creation the goddess Brigid, the protector of the small folk in this realm and others, brought forth the impassable mountains which surround the valley, to provide her charges with some protection from predation by the Big Folk. Thus, Standown lies at a critical strategic point: the entrance to the sole path through peaks separating The Dales from the human lands to the west.

The village has not always known peace: centuries ago a brief but brutal war was fought here, when evil humans attempting to invade and plunder this region. They were stopped, with the intervention of the goddess’ champion, in a climactic battle at the spot where the village now sits; the humans were forced to “stand down” and reach an armistice. From that day on the village was known as Standown, in remembrance of the importance of peace and cooperation between the races.

Now, once again, evil assails the village of Standown, this time in the guise of the corrupt Sheriff Margreth, an anti-paladin who, in league with evil humanoids, is plotting an invasion of the village and the destruction of The Dales! This evil has awoken the goddess Brigid and she is looking for a new champion to remove the cruel Sheriff in a trial by combat! Meanwhile, your player feels an unnaturally strong desire to climb down the Old Well just outside the village on their birthday, which was a rite of passage a long time ago, not knowing they are in for more than you bargained for as it is the goddess calling them...DOWN THE WISHING WELL!

This supplement contains a completely original ONE SHOT adventure under the Old Well, revealing secrets that are quite literally out of this world! It is fully detailed and ready for immediate use with very little preparation by the GM or the player(s)!

• The adventure was written to be run as a ONE-ON-ONE experience, with one GM and one player of 1st to 2nd level, with a pre-generated player included in the book. However, it can very easily be adapted for use with a party of 4-6 players of levels 1 to 2.

• Inside you will find great Old-school art and detailed maps: including an isometric dungeon map with keyed encounters for each area; an elevation map; and a fully detailed Old School world map of The Dales, with information for further exploration. Many nights of role-playing fun in this new territory are right at your fingertips!

• This adventure provides an exciting expansion to the author’s campaign world, opening up the homeland of the small folk to adventures with you players. Along with the nations of Alderburgh, Jarlburgh, Dùn Bhriste and The Red Eagle Barony, the author’s camping world now comprises five nation states to explore!

This book features 28 pages of excitement and thrills, with players facing diverse challenges, including some that are out of this world, and it is sure to please discerning GMs and players everywhere!