[Free] Dungeon24 - Mistfall: The Vanishing of Ostenwold 1/366 (The Sanguine Dawn Inn, Lower Floor, Area 1) (Patreon)

For generations, Ostenwold was a humble smattering of homes and farms along the river Ost, a quiet, peaceful hamlet with little connection to the outside world. Thirty years ago, two retired adventurers, the human Horst Blackfoot, and the elf Déulara Tauranis, chose to settle down and spend their hard-earned gold on building The Sanguine Dawn Inn. At the time, this was the only safe resting place for travelers on the long march between civilized areas, and soon became a regular stopover for merchant caravans and traveling nobility.

Before the people of Ostenwold mysteriously vanished, The Sanguine Dawn featured everything you needed for a restful stay: a roaring fireplace, a warm bath, a stage for traveling bards, comfy bedrooms upstairs with a view, a fully stocked kitchen—and a secret trapdoor behind a bookcase leading to an underground chamber and the tunnels beyond.

1 - Porch

A dense, mysterious fog blankets the area, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere. Standing prominently amidst this mist is a well-kept building, its wooden structure exuding a sense of welcome despite the eerie surroundings. A sign gently sways in the fog, depicting a blood-red sun rising against a dark sky, silently beckoning travelers. The front porch of the inn is shrouded in the thick fog, adding to the sense of isolation. Through the windows, clouded by the mist, you catch a fleeting glimpse of movement within the barroom. For a moment, it seems as if someone—or something—is there, but it quickly vanishes, leaving you questioning whether it was ever there at all. The silence that follows is profound as if the inn itself is caught in a moment of suspended anticipation, awaiting the unfolding of unseen events.

The thing the characters witnessed was one of the ghouls from Area 4. It slithers back to the dining area to alert the others of the characters’ presence.

The double doors to the inn are unlocked. If the characters stand on the porch long enough, one of the doors opens with a slow creak.