TEXT: Accusation from Beyond
  Vathak SidequeStS
  Complexity: Medium
  Reward: A merchant ally, the gratitude 
  of an inn, or some gold
  Location: Inn
  NPCs: Wolfram Tilsburger (merchant), Astrid (ghost)
  Background
  The Silver Crossroads Inn is a landmark known for 
  many miles around for its large tankards of ale, its 
  generous portions, and welcoming atmosphere. Small 
  wonder that travelling merchants make up a large 
  part of the clientele, and the Crossroads has benefited 
  greatly over the years and has become an unofficial 
  meeting place where business deals are made. 
  One of these regulars is a normally jovial up-and-
  coming young merchant named Wolfram, who 
  usually plans his schedule around meetings at the 
  Crossroads… until recently. One night during a visit 
  over a year ago he received a visit from a spectral, 
  angry-looking young woman who stood at the foot 
  of his bed and whispered harshly, “Why did you do 
  it?” He wrote it off as a weird encounter, until she 
  appeared again during his next visit. Every visit since, 
  she has harassed him every night, and the last time 
  he was staying at the inn she started appearing in 
  the corner of his eye wherever he was. It is disturbing 
  him greatly and his business is beginning to suffer, 
  but he can’t afford not to come to the inn because of 
  his business contacts.
  The party may notice Wolfram — who now has a 
  haggard and hunted look about him — if they are 
  staying at the inn, or he might approach them if they 
  have a local reputation or performed services for the 
  inn at some point in the past. He will describe all 
  of his past encounters with the ghost, and insist he 
  has never seen her before, and that she appears only 
  when he is alone.
  
  taSk
   Wolfram is telling the truth. What he doesn’t know 
  is that he bears an uncanny resemblance to the man 
  who killed a young woman named Astrid at the inn 
  more than 10 years ago, whose restless spirit now seeks 
  justice. While Wolfram’s agitation may spur the party to 
  act, the owners of the Crossroads also want the prob-
  lem solved because rumors about hauntings are bad 
  for business. Some sort of investigation is needed.
  The Gamemaster should determine who the party 
  should speak with, and where they should look, to 
  learn more. Some suggestions are below:
   
  ɶ Interviewing staff. Many people come and go, 
  but long-serving staff may remember the mur-
  der, as well as a detail or two about Astrid, in-
  cluding her name. Money or favors may help 
  them recall what they saw, too.
   
  ɶ Never forget a face. Wolfram can describe Astrid 
  accurately enough to draw a reasonable likeness 
  and show it around.
   
  ɶ Spiritual help. Priestly characters may call upon 
  their deities for more information, or they can go 
  to local temples for such aid.
   
  ɶ Legal records. A ghost points to a murder, which 
  means there may be a record somewhere with 
  added details — including suspects.
   
  ɶ Shadowing. One or more characters can follow 
  Wolfram discreetly until the ghost appears  — 
  regular or magical attempts at concealment will 
  work normally, as Astrid is focused on her quarry. 
  They can try talking to her directly.
  Once the party has enough information to recon-
  struct what happened, they can try to convince As-
  trid that Wolfram is not the man she is looking for. 
  Although she is angry and distraught, Astrid is still 
  intelligent and will consider a reasonable argument; 
  although the Gamemaster may require good role-
  playing — or a successful DC 15 Charisma (Persua-
  sion) roll — to convince her. 
  concluSion
  If the PCs convince Astrid that Wolfram is not her 
  killer, the hauntings will end and the young man will 
  be extremely grateful — and a merchant’s gratitude 
  is no small thing. For saving his business, Wolfram 
  is more than happy to offer the party favorable rates 
  on all future transactions (a 10% discount or bonus 
  is not unreasonable), and should he need caravan 
  guards they will be his first choice. Alternatively, if the 
  party insists on a cash payment he can offer them 50 
  gp per person.
  The Silver Crossroads will be equally grateful, and 
  will offer the party a complimentary meal and night’s 
  accommodation. 
  While Astrid may stop bothering Wolfram, if the 
  party has even the smallest clue who her killer might 
  be she might start haunting them until they do 
  something about it. The Gamemaster will need to 
  decide if the killer is still alive, and if so, how powerful 
  an enemy they would be.
  If the party fails to convince Astrid that Wol-
  fram is not her killer she will continue to 
  haunt the young merchant, who may eventu-
  ally be driven to madness or suicide. If their 
  encounter with the ghost goes really badly, 
  she may attack them — use standard statis-
  tics for a ghost.
  
  Author: Geoff Gander
  Design and Layout: Rick Hershey
  Fat Goblin Hoarde: Ismael Alvarez, Jason Owen Black, Geoff Gander, Taylor 
  Hubler, Matt Roth, Lucus Palosaari, Troy Daniels, and Rick Hershey. 
  Business Manager: Tristan Hershey
  Publisher: Rick Hershey of Fat Goblin Games
  Vathak Sidequests: Accusation from Beyond © 2021
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  Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, 
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