Auril's Ritual

Summary

The party unknowingly casts their name into the hat to be the next human sacrifice. The next morning, one is chosen, possibly one of the party, and placed in custody to be sacrificed to Auril the following morning. The party must find a way to stop the sacrifice and kill the priests of Auril or compel them to cease their practices.

Part 1: The Welcome

Upon arrival in one of the towns practicing human sacrifice, one of the guards or townsfolk informs the party that all newcomers to the town are required to sign in at the town hall. If the party is from Ten Towns and knows about the sacrifices, then they've previously not occurred in this town and so they’re unaware of it happening here.

At the town hall, a clerk takes everyone’s names and logs them in a journal, calling out numbers for each of them: “1001, 1002, 1003, 1004…” If asked he explains they’re used to tally how many are in town.

At the inn, the party is given a warm welcome. People cheer when they arrive and they're given free drinks. It's been too long since they've had fresh faces and the town is glad to have them and hope the party has a pleasant stay.

Part 2: The Lottery

The next morning, the town gathers in the square to witness the priests of Auril oversee a lottery. The party are told attendance is mandatory as the inn closes its doors. Roll 1d1005 to determine if one of the PCs is to be chosen. If not, a girl is chosen. Many of the adults in the town have tried their luck on the southern mountain pass, so the town skews toward children. The winner is taken into custody to be sacrificed the next morning.

The sacrifices are held in the town hall prison (see Easthaven Town Hall, p. 69). If the party tries to stop the ceremony, they are given warning not to interfere or they’ll bring Auril’s wrath upon the town. If they continue, the high priest has one of them taken to prison. If a fight breaks out, the high priest flees with a prisoner and a group of cultists while a contingent remains to fight off the party.

Part 3: The Ritual

The mother of the child begs the party to rescue them. She believes the party arrived in town to stop the priests. The prisoner is held in the Town Hall jail. The party must break in, kill cultists, and free the prisoners.

If the party refuses, the following morning the sacrifices are taken back to the square where a large pit has been dug and filled with water. They’re submerged with stones until just their heads poke above the surface.