The only apparent place of refuge is the monas- tery on the hill top above the village. A success- ful Spot Hidden roll allows the investigator to notice that a very high stone barrier has been erected across the narrow path leading up the cliff to the main gate of the monastery. If the in- vestigators make a run for it they will see a pair of monks lowering a narrow ladder to them, beckoning them to hurry. The keeper should feel free to have a few of the villagers hot on the heels of the investigators in close pursuit.
When the investigators are on the top of the wall they can see that this is the first of sev- eral barricades and there appear to be traps, large enough for humans. If asked, one of the monks will say that the monastery has been under siege for several weeks since a small earthquake rattled the area. (In this instance the earthquake is a tremor caused by the mi-go mining equipment located further up the hill.) The monks will answer any further questions by saying that the head Lama of the monas- tery will address their concerns.
Once the monks have ensured that none of the villagers have followed them over the bar- ricades, they will escort the investigators into the monastery. The halls are dusty and silent and the group is ushered into the presence of the head Lama, who is sitting on a throne-like chair within the dukhang (main assembly hall). After traditional greetings, the Lama informs the investigators that the villagers have become possessed by sky demons that dwell on the mountain top. He goes on to say that after a do not appear to be interacting with each
other, and the few that are moving appear to be focused on the investigators, moving slowly towards the edge of the village that the party is approaching.
• A successful Hard Spot Hidden roll will permit the investigators to notice that on several spots along the trail that runs to- wards the monastery are several piles of monks’ robes with what looks like bones scattered around.
• On the road to the village can be seen debris of several dead, pack animals and what ap- pears to be two or three human bodies that have been torn apart. This is the remnants of the merchant’s caravan that the investi- gators are looking for.
• When the investigators are within two hun- dred yards of the village they notice that everybody in the village suddenly turns to- wards them.
• If the investigators approach any closer the villagers split into multiple groups and at- tempts to flank them. They move at normal human walking speed.
• Investigators that backtrack will not be pursued, as long as they have not actually entered the village or passed beyond it by travelling around its edges.
• Any investigators who approach the villag- ers to attempt communication will be at- tacked by multiple people (see Sample Vil- lager stats at end of scenario). The crazed villagers attempt to capture the investiga-
recent earthquake the villagers began to attack anybody who passed too close to the village.
The monastery has been running out of food and over the last few weeks various attempts have been made by the younger monks of the monastery to talk to the villagers, but to no avail. Attempts to seek outside help have also failed, as the villagers have captured and killed the monks who have tried this tact. The Lama says that all of these attempts have failed bad- ly and that the remaining two elderly monks have resigned themselves to the fact that they will starve to death over the next few days.
If the investigators press the Lama for de- tails he will tell them the following:
• The first attempt to talk to the villagers end- ed with the monk being mobbed and torn to pieces, much to the horror of the other two monks who had accompanied him. Both of the survivors had been badly injured. • The next attempt was in the middle of the
following night, when a group of ten monks quietly crept into the village to look for food.
There were two survivors who claimed that the villagers could see in the dark.
• The remaining monks, realizing their dan- ger, began to construct stout barricades along the mountain pass leading to the monastery, which could only be surmount- ed with ladders. Over the next week they continued to reinforce the barriers, noting that the villagers did not seem to attack un- less the village was approached. Unfortu- nately the only way out of the valley is past the village.
• The remaining, younger monks gathered all of the weapons that they could find and made an attempt to force their way through the villagers to try to bring help. Although they managed to do considerable harm to the villagers, each of the monks was brought down and torn apart before they could get through. From a distance it looked like the monks were inflicting devastating injuries, however the villagers kept on attacking, seemingly undaunted by their injuries. • A week later, the two elderly monks heard
screams from the village and witnessed a small group of merchants attempting to flee in various directions as the villagers killed them and their mounts. A few of the badly injured members of the merchant caravan raced up the hill to the barricades and man- aged to reach the safety of the monastery. If the investigators ask to see these survi- vors they will discover that the man that they are looking for is here, but he has been wounded and seems to be in a state of men- tal shock from seeing his friends torn apart and eaten alive in front of him.
The head Lama also says that long ago, a very inquisitive monk had climbed the mountain to confront the demons. The man had disap- peared for many years, however one day he had returned, and had not appeared to age a day. The monk was crazed and died screaming something about the demons stealing his head.
Company Town - Secrets of Tibet If the investigators want to try to gather more
information by searching through the mon- astery library, allow them to make a Library
Use roll each day. Those succeeding find an
account from a monk who had lived in the monastery nearly fifty years before. The ac- count consists of a series of observations of lights in the sky, which would circle the peak above the monastery. This inquisitive monk had climbed the peak and discovered a cave entrance that led to a large chamber where strange mounds of mouldy vegetation were scattered about, as well as a large box making sounds like a singing bowl. The monk grew afraid and dared go no further.