TEXT: WRITING AND DESIGN: Jason Bulmahn
  Editing and dEVELOPMENT:
  rOBERT j. sCHWALB
  Proofreading: Kara Hamilton, Jay Spight,
  and Carlos Danger
  ART DIRECTION: 
  hal mangold and rOBERT j. sCHWALB
  LAYOUT and Graphic Design: kara hamilton
  ILLUSTRATIONS:  Biagio d’Alessandro,
  Mirco Paganessi. and Bob Schwalb
  Feast of the Father is ©2016 Schwalb Entertainment, LLC. 
  All rights reserved.
  Shadow of the Demon Lord, Feast of the Father,
  Schwalb Entertainment, and their associated logos 
  are trademarks of Schwalb Entertainment, LLC.
  SCHWALB ENTERTAINMENT, LLC
  PO Box #12548, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
  info@schwalbentertainment.com       www.schwalbentertainment.com
   An Adventure for Expert Characters
  ~Credits~
  Small towns and settlements dot the 
  coasts and wilds of the Empire, and the 
  people living in them have learned to eke 
  out a meager existence in what is often a 
  harsh and unforgiving environment. Some 
  people turn to local traditions and faiths 
  to keep them safe, others invent them to 
  suit their needs. One such place is the 
  town of Argron’s Dock, where the locals 
  have taken to worshipping a small god 
  they call The Father. Today is a holy day, a 
  time of great celebration, when the people 
  can give thanks to the Father’s bounty and 
  receive his gifts as they have since they ﬁ rst 
  embraced him as their lord and savior.
   Feast of the Father is an adventure for 
  expert characters who happen upon 
  Argron’s Dock during their travels. By 
  interacting with the locals, the group 
  learns festivities are to take place, and 
  the townsfolk invite them to participate. 
  Exploring the town and interacting with 
  the unhinged people living there should 
  provide ample warning of the danger 
  lying in wait. The characters complete 
  the adventure when they discover what 
  is truly going on and unmask the horror 
  lurking behind the god’s mask. 
   An Adventure for Expert Characters
  
  2
  Background
  Argron’s Dock is a bayside village that stands far enough 
  away from the major routes crisscrossing the Northern 
  Reach that the community rarely receives visitors, and 
  the few who stop there only stay long enough to catch 
  the ferry and hasten the trip to the other side of the 
  bay. As a result, the circumstances behind the town’s 
  wretchedness have largely passed unnoticed by the rest 
  of the world.
   The troubles started when a ﬁ sherman named Derwas 
  Plont dredged up tainted ﬁ sh from the bay’s depths on 
  a day just before the last harvest. One of the ﬁ sh was 
  sickly and crawling with small black worms. He tossed it 
  back, but failed to notice a few worms had fallen into the 
  baskets containing the rest of his catch. The tainted ﬁ sh 
  became his family’s meal that night.
   The ﬁ sherman fell ill a few weeks later, bedridden 
  until his bowels ﬁ nally erupted to give birth to the mind 
  worm. This psychic horror grew from one of the worms 
  the man had unwittingly ingested. The mind worm 
  was able to eavesdrop on everything Derwas thought 
  and thus learned about the town and people. Freed 
  from the man’s bowels, the mind worm hungered and 
  had a strong desire to multiply. Derwas survived the 
  ordeal to become the mind worm’s thrall and, later, high 
  priest. Together, they spread the mind worm’s inﬂ uence 
  throughout the town. 
   By the time the priest Regilas realized his people 
  were being taken over by parasites, it was too late. 
  Most people had already become ill and loosed more 
  worms from their bowels. Most victims recovered and 
  fell under the power of their “oﬀ spring.” So, when the 
  priest tried to rally the community against the slithering 
  overlords, the infected fought back, resulting in the ﬁ re 
  that consumed the southern part of town, the shrine, the 
  priest, and the scant few who had not yet been infected.
   Of the surviving townsfolk, all but one live as thralls 
  to the mind worms. Every few weeks, the infected heave 
  more worms from their bowels, which then slither oﬀ  
  to live with the original mind worm that now calls itself 
  the Father. The people then happily consume more eggs 
  so the brood might grow. The Father hopes to spread its 
  control beyond the town soon, and it senses the chance 
  has come with the characters’ timely arrival.
  Getting Started
  The adventure begins when the player characters 
  approach Argron’s Dock a few hours before sunset by 
  way of an old dirt path that climbs up the side of a hill, 
  aﬀ ording a clear view of the community. The characters 
  could have happened upon this place after completing 
  a previous adventure or stumble across it on the way to 
  the next. You can come up with another reason, but it’s 
  important that none of the characters be familiar with 
  the community. 
  Timeline of Events
  Since the mass conversion to this mysterious god, the 
  townsfolk put on a great feast every few months to 
  celebrate their new patron, one that ends in a gruesome 
  ritual cleansing, followed by a willing supplication and 
  consumption of their god’s “gifts.” No outsider has ever 
  seen the feast, at least until now.
   The feast begins a few hours after the characters 
  arrive. The timeline presented below summarizes the 
  events as they might happen if the player characters fail 
  to discover the truth before the feast begins. The group’s 
  eﬀ orts—forcing their way into the burnt shrine, killing a 
  townsperson—could accelerate events and lure the mind 
  worm out into the open. Therefore, use the timeline as 
  a guide, modifying the events as needed to conclude the 
  adventure.
  4pm
  The characters arrive. The townsfolk notice 
  them almost right away, but the locals do 
  nothing more than stare or gabble at them in 
  broken Common.
  5pm
  If the group has not met the mayor of the town, 
  Talani Deskar, she seeks them out. She invites 
  them to attend the Feast and welcomes them 
  to stay at the Dead Crab.
  6pm
  The townsfolk set up tables and chairs, light 
  the torches, and make other preparations for 
  the festival in the street right out in front of the 
  Dead Crab.
  6:45pm
  At dusk, the town drunk, Jelcum, goes on a 
  rampage, ﬁ ghting the other townsfolk. Unless 
  the characters intervene, the townsfolk beat 
  Jelcum to unconsciousness and take him to 
  the mayor’s house where he is killed and his 
  body hidden in the basement. If the characters 
  break up the ﬁ ght and spirit Jelcum away, the 
  drunkard tells them what he knows and begs 
  them to stop Derwas Plont, the high priest. 
  For more information on Jelcum, see Notable 
  Characters.
  7:30pm
  The Feast of the Father begins. The townsfolk 
  gorge themselves on huge plates of food, 
  washing it down with the “Father’s nectar” from 
  the sacred barrels, which were brought out just 
  before the festival began. Over the next hour, 
  they eat far more than any of them should be 
  able, growing huge fat bellies. A success on a 
  Perception challenge roll reveals something 
  seems to writhe under their now taut skin. 
  8:40pm
  The ﬁ rst feaster defecates the worms from his 
  body. Others quickly follow suit. 
  8:50pm
  After the expulsion, the people rise up and 
  begin the procession to the burned out shrine 
  with all of their newly birthed “young.”
  9:00pm
  The townsfolk reach the shrine and the mind 
  worm surges forth from the ruined crypts 
  below. Townsfolk line up and receive his 
  blessing, one by one.
  10:00pm
  The townsfolk go home, and the mind worm 
  slithers back into its lair.
  Locating the Town
  You can place Argron’s Dock on the shores of any 
  large bay or estuary in the Northern Reach. The 
  town needs to be remote, not on any major trade 
  route, and be part of a slow-traveling ferry circuit 
  that makes its way around the bay. When the 
  characters arrive, this ferry is set to arrive some-
  time later the next day.
  
  3
  Argron’s Dock
  The town has seen better days. Since the mind worm’s 
  arrival, the townsfolk gave up on even the most basic 
  maintenance. Weeds grow in the streets, leaky roofs rot, 
  and broken doors and windows are left in disrepair. A 
  foul stench hangs heavy in the air due to poor sanitation 
  and stagnant pools of ﬁ lth. 
   Argron’s Dock has twenty homes and other small 
  buildings, only three of which rise above the other squat 
  structures—the Dead Crab Tavern, the mayor’s home, 
  and the remnants of the shrine. A band of blackened, 
  burned buildings, about a dozen total, spread across 
  the town’s south side. Not far from the tavern stands 
  the town square and the docks, which consist of three 
  rotting piers, stretch out over the waters to the north.
  Locals
  About one hundred people call Argron’s Dock home, 
  though over half live in the farms and cabins in the 
  outlying area. Townsfolk tend to be odd-looking; they 
  are thin with loose skin hanging down past their waists. 
  They have slumped postures and dark circles under 
  their eyes. Most are missing teeth and sport open sores 
  on their skin.
   People go about their business as they did before the 
  Father came to power, but they wander about, listless 
  and speaking as slowly as they move due to the time 
  it takes for them to receive commands from the mind 
  worm that controls them. The townsfolk appear amiable 
  enough, oﬀ ering hellos and good evenings, though their 
  speech is slurred. They don’t volunteer information, but 
  they might impart a few facts with the right questions:
  • The ferry stopped by the town yesterday, so it
  won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon.
  • The only place to stay is The Dead Crab tavern.
  The food there is good.
  • Tonight is the feast of the father. The characters
  are welcome to join in the feast.
   Questions about the feast or the Father are met with 
  silence and blank stares. Although if pressed, the locals 
  tell the characters to talk to the priest Derwas, who can 
  be found in his house, located on a stretch of land that 
  lies between the bay and its attaching ocean waters until 
  the festival begins.
  Notable Characters
  A few important members of the community have parts 
  to play in the adventure beyond those carried out by the 
  wretched thralls.
  Derwas Plont
  Derwas has risen and fallen far since the days he spent 
  working as a simple ﬁ sherman. His guts were the sacred 
  crèche that produced the Father, and thus he was chosen 
  to be the “god’s” high priest. He’s thoroughly insane, but 
  he doesn’t have long left in this world; the parasites have 
  made short work of his innards.
   The high priest stands just shy of 6 feet tall with a 
  skeletal frame and a bulging potbelly. Much of his hair 
  and teeth have fallen out, and his eyes are bulging and 
  rheumy. He wears stinking, crimson robes stained by 
  unspeakable materials. When he talks, he always speaks 
  of the Father’s glory and how everyone would be wise to 
  accept his blessings and gifts, as they are the only way 
  to salvation. If pressed about details, he gives a ghastly 
  smile and promises all will be made clear at the feast.
   Use the high cultist for Derwas, but replace the 
  Forbidden tradition with Enchantment. He’s learned the 
  following spells: bewitch (3), charm (2), and compel (1). His 
  magic comes from the mind worm, and if the horror is 
  slain, Derwas loses his magic and becomes permanently 
  impaired, with no recollection of what has happened.
  Talani Deskar
  The mayor was infected soon after Plont. Once the mind 
  worm took control of her faculties, it was able to deﬂ ect 
  inquiries into the weird happenings in town and give 
  the worms time to spread throughout the community. 
  Talani (as a cultist) appears to be a middle-aged human 
  woman, but she is actually a changeling, though almost 
  no one in town knows this. Her magical nature has let 
  her retain her normal appearance despite being infested 
  with the worm’s parasites. She wears worn simple gowns, 
  but is clean for the most part. 
   She comes oﬀ  as distant and distracted when she talks, 
  but she seeks out the characters to invite them to the 
  feast shortly after they arrive. If the characters ask her 
  about the town, she goes on about what a great place 
  it is, how quiet and peaceful the streets are, and how 
  everyone works together. She even oﬀ ers to help the 
  characters secure a house if they want to settle down. 
  Above all, Mayor Deskar assures them that everything is 
  ﬁ ne, there’s nothing wrong with the people, and that folk 
  here just aren’t in any kind of hurry. 
  Jelcum Halbrit
  Jelcum (as a commoner) is the only person in town not 
  infected by worms thanks to another, diﬀ erent lethal 
  aﬄ  iction. A few years ago, Jelcum contracted a wasting 
  disease, which he has taken to treating with extremely 
  strong drink consumed in incredible amounts. His guts 
  have become inhospitable to the worms; the eggs die on 
  contact with the unsavory stew brewing in his innards. 
  Being drunk all the time has made Jelcum powerless 
  to do anything about what’s happening in town, so the 
  infected have ignored him so far.
   Standing out from the rest, Jelcum is portly, reeks of 
  cheap rotgut and vomit, and he has more gaps in his 
  mouth than he does teeth. Patches of scaly brown skin 
  cover his body, symptoms of the disease that has been 
  slowly killing him. He is middle-aged, unkempt, with a 
  wispy beard trailing from his chin. He dresses in shit-
  stained rags, having sold his nicer clothes to keep him in 
  his cups.
   Jelcum is quite drunk by the time the group arrives. 
  He doesn’t want to be conscious when the feast begins, 
  having found his head swimming with booze, and a 
  makeshift bed on a ﬁ shing boat preferable to the horrors 
  
  4
  he’s witnessed so far. He intends to spend this night as he 
  has so many others: far away from the action.
   Throughout the afternoon, Jelcum can be seen 
  wandering about the town, drinking, irritable, 
  occasionally barking obscenities at others. If cornered 
  and questioned, he might tell the tale of the town, as he 
  knows it, if the characters can befriend him by getting a 
  success on an Intellect or Will attack roll against Jelcum’s 
  Will. Plying him with drink grants 1 boon to this roll. If 
  they fail, he conveys this same information to them just 
  before the feast begins.
   Jelcum does not know why things have happened, 
  only that the people here began acting odd last autumn, 
  and not long after, they started having their feasts. He 
  tells them that everybody gorges themselves and makes 
  a terrible mess. People who participate are never the 
  same after. He does not know about the worms or who 
  or what the Father is, but he blames Derwas for the 
  blight. He believes the ﬁ sherman made a deal with the 
  devils in the bay: foul creatures who demand folks eat 
  themselves near to death so they can be fattened for 
  when the devils come to harvest them.
   Rampage: Jelcum ﬁ nds his courage just before the 
  feast begins. Unless something happens to stop him, 
  such as the characters meet him earlier and oﬀ er to ﬁ ght 
  against the Father’s followers, he attacks the infected 
  setting up for the feast. If the characters don’t interfere, 
  the valiant eﬀ ort goes as described in the timeline. If 
  the characters interfere and can get him away from the 
  infected, Jelcum reveals what he knows to them—if he 
  hasn’t done so already—and either begs them to ﬂ ee (if 
  the characters are inclined to help) or to stop the high 
  priest (if they are inclined to ﬂ ee). 
  Notable Locations
  The following locations are far from the only places the 
  characters can visit, but other locations are generally 
  one-room shacks in which infected families huddle.
  Stone Square
  The only paved part of Argron’s Dock, the stone square 
  stands at the town’s center and boasts a 5-yard-tall 
  stone menhir carved with ancient symbols at its center. 
  Arrayed around it are small marker stones, which let the 
  rock act as a sundial. The townsfolk clear out this area 
  shortly after the characters arrive so they can set up for 
  the feast.
  Dead Crab Tavern
  A run-down drinking hole, it is one of the town’s few 
  large buildings. A shell of a dead crab hangs on a nail on 
  the door leading inside to the squat common room ﬁ lled 
  with long narrow tables and benches.
   Lathas Flig (as a pickpocket) runs the Dead Crab. A 
  scrawny man with greasy black hair and sunken eyes, 
  he, like almost everyone else in town, carries the worms 
  in his guts and talks in a slow, wandering manner. His 
  threadbare clothing is ﬁ nely made, but ﬁ lthy, as if he has 
  not washed it in weeks.
   Lathas’ main job is to see to the needs of people 
  visiting the Dead Crab, which lets him spy for the mind 
  worm. He talks very little and seems to get ﬂ ustered at 
  even the simplest inquiries (beyond orders for more 
  drink or requests for a room). If asked about the town, 
  he tells the characters to visit the “famous” dock and 
  look out upon the bay. If asked about the ﬁ re and the 
  burnt out portion of town, he says it was an accident and 
  nothing to worry about. 
   He oﬀ ers characters cots in a room for just 1 cp a night. 
  If the characters take the oﬀ er, they ﬁ nd an incredibly 
  modest chamber up a short ﬂ ight of stairs climbing from 
  the back of the taproom. The room lacks a door and 
  contains 8 straw mats and a simple basin ﬁ lled with gray 
  water.
   The tavern oﬀ ers up beer, ale, and rotgut, and most 
  nights it sells a crude stew, too, but not this night. The 
  mind worm wants people hungry for the feast. Lathas 
  plies the characters with as much as they can drink, 
  rarely charging them (and clearly makes math errors 
  when he does). He insists the characters will be properly 
  fed at the feast, and although he does not interfere with 
  any of their plans, he eavesdrops on them, reporting any 
  suspicious gossip to Derwas Plont if he can slip away, 
  even if doing so would leave the bar unattended. 
  Mayor Deskar's Mansion
  Mayor Deskar’s mansion stands opposite the Dead Crab 
  on the other side of the stone square. Once a ﬁ ne and 
  well-kept home, the two-story building shows signs of 
  neglect. Part of the roof of the front porch collapsed, and 
  aside from moving enough debris to let the mayor come 
  and go, no one has bothered to clean it up. The mayor 
  spends much of her time here, but she leaves to talk to 
  the characters and invite them to the feast.
   If the characters pay her a visit ﬁ rst, she invites them 
  inside to her sitting room where she welcomes them 
  in a distant, distracted way and urges them to join in 
  the festivities. The mansion itself is well appointed, 
  but everything is dirty, dusty, and covered in cobwebs. 
  Nothing looks likes it’s been moved or cleaned in many 
  months. To make matters worse, water dripping from 
  a leaky roof stained the ceilings and rotting plaster has 
  fallen to the ﬂ oor in chunks, where it has been left to 
  molder. 
   Exploring the house turns up dirty rooms, discarded 
  foodstuﬀ s, and evidence of neglect. A few items of 
  value might be salvaged, bringing 1d6 gc if cleaned and 
  repaired.
  The Dock
  A decaying wooden pier juts out over the bay on tilting 
  piles. Although it is creaky and rotten, the dock still 
  serves for people boarding the ferry when it stops here. 
  Three small ﬁ shing skiﬀ s moor at the dock. One of them 
  has taken on water and is half submerged. Investigating 
  the boats reveals they look in poor repair, stink of ﬁ sh 
  and chum.
  
  5
  Plont House
  Located on the shore of the bay, sandwiched between it 
  and the neighboring ocean, this rotting shack belongs 
  to the high priest, Derwas Plont. Originally, it was also 
  home to the man’s wife and son, but they withered and 
  died after giving birth to the ﬁ rst worm swarms. Now, 
  Derwas spends most of his time here wandering through 
  the three rooms muttering to himself. 
   If the characters visit, Derwas does not invite them in 
  and instead comes out and leads them to the dock if they 
  want to talk. Beyond the tree line, the characters can see 
  the tips of three sailed masts of ships run aground on 
  the beach, which, upon closer inspection, appear rotted 
  and unmoved for some time. Characters investigating 
  the house ﬁ nd nothing but decay inside. The bodies of 
  his wife and son lay rotting on their beds, and the thick 
  stench of ﬁ lth hangs heavy in the air. Characters seeing 
  the neglected corpses must make Will challenge rolls 
  with 1 boon, gaining 1 Insanity on a failure. 
  Burned Quarter
  A band of burned homes spreads across the 
  south side of the town, marking the eﬀ orts 
  of the infected to purge the community 
  of the people who opposed the Father. 
  Aside from the shrine, which is described 
  below, the buildings here were all houses. 
  Searching through the rubble reveals 
  charred skeletons with melted and ruined 
  remnants of crude weapons (daggers, 
  pans, clubs, and the like) lying nearby. A 
  few walls still stand, and doors as well, 
  and it is clear they were boarded up and 
  barricaded from the inside, far more 
  than simply locking or barring the door. 
  Last, it’s clear no one has bothered to 
  sift through the ruins. Bodies have not 
  been disturbed, and the buildings have 
  not been looted for any valuables. 
  Each house searched has a 1 in 6 
  chance of turning up something 
  interesting: either an enchanted 
  object or valuables worth 1d6 gc in 
  miscellaneous coins, art objects, 
  gemstones, or equipment.
  The Shrine
  The burned remains of the 
  shrine stand at the center of the 
  burned quarter. Built to honor 
  the gods of the Old Faith, it 
  was, for many people, the heart 
  of the community. Now, it is a 
  burned-out husk of blackened 
  stone walls, melted glass, and 
  the interior ﬁ lled with the 
  rubble from the collapsed roof.
   The attendant priest, Regilas, 
  escaped infection, and he 
  took steps to ﬁ ght the Father 
  and the infected townsfolk by 
  gathering the other people who 
  had not yet been exposed to 
  the parasites and scour the town for the dreaded mind 
  worm. In between searching, the priest returned to the 
  temple. One night, the monster commanded its thralls to 
  deal with the meddling priest by setting ﬁ re to the brush 
  around the building. The ﬁ re spread to the eaves, causing 
  the shrine’s thatch roof to collapse. The burning debris 
  killed the priest and the few people who sought refuge 
  there. Once the ﬁ re burned itself out, the mind worm 
  slithered into the ruins and made a lair in the catacombs 
  below.
   The mind worm instructs the infected to keep 
  the visiting characters from looking too close. If 
  the characters approach the shrine without taking 
  precautions to do so stealthily, one of the infected spots 
  them and sends word to mayor Deskar. She shows up a 
  few minutes later and implores the 
  player characters to leave the 
  place alone. If they persist, 
  she ﬂ atly tells them not 
  to meddle in the town’s 
  tragedy. Ignoring 
  her pleading and 
  exploring the site 
  should escalate 
  events in the 
  town—the 
  mind worm 
  summons 
  all of its 
  his wife and son lay rotting on their beds, and the thick 
  stench of ﬁ lth hangs heavy in the air. Characters seeing 
  the neglected corpses must make Will challenge rolls 
  with 1 boon, gaining 1 Insanity on a failure. 
  A band of burned homes spreads across the 
  south side of the town, marking the eﬀ orts 
  of the infected to purge the community 
  of the people who opposed the Father. 
  Aside from the shrine, which is described 
  below, the buildings here were all houses. 
  Searching through the rubble reveals 
  charred skeletons with melted and ruined 
  remnants of crude weapons (daggers, 
  pans, clubs, and the like) lying nearby. A 
  few walls still stand, and doors as well, 
  and it is clear they were boarded up and 
  barricaded from the inside, far more 
  than simply locking or barring the door. 
  Last, it’s clear no one has bothered to 
  sift through the ruins. Bodies have not 
  been disturbed, and the buildings have 
  not been looted for any valuables. 
  Each house searched has a 1 in 6 
  chance of turning up something 
  interesting: either an enchanted 
  object or valuables worth 1d6 gc in 
  miscellaneous coins, art objects, 
  player characters to leave the 
  place alone. If they persist, 
  she ﬂ atly tells them not 
  to meddle in the town’s 
  tragedy. Ignoring 
  her pleading and 
  exploring the site 
  should escalate 
  events in the 
  town—the 
  mind worm 
  summons 
  all of its 
  
  6
  minions to the shrine to defend it and these minions 
  gathering into 2 mobs of commoners who show up 1d6 
  minutes later to drive the characters oﬀ .
   The collapsed roof makes gaining access to the shrine’s 
  interior diﬃ  cult. Breaking down the door requires a 
  success on a Strength challenge roll with 2 banes. Doing 
  so reveals utter destruction, a veritable maze of burned 
  pews, broken glass, and tangled, scorched bodies. A 
  thorough search of the place turns up 1d3 enchanted 
  objects, which should have some religious signiﬁ cance. 
  A partly collapsed wall conceals a staircase that descends 
  to the crypts. Characters with Perception scores of 13 or 
  higher automatically spot the gap in the wall, though 
  characters thoroughly searching ﬁ nd it as well.
   The mind worm dwells in the catacombs, its ﬂ exible 
  body suited for slithering through the fallen timbers 
  and debris to reach the waterlogged crypts below. If the 
  characters enter the crypts, the mind worm ﬁ nds them 
  and attacks, while 1d3 mobs of commoners show up 1d3 
  minutes later to tear the characters apart.
  The Feast
  Unless something happens to disrupt the festival, the 
  feast begins at the appointed time, when all of the 
  townsfolk shuﬄ  e to the tables set up in the stone square, 
  each loaded to groaning with heaping plates of food 
  covered by ﬁ lthy sheets. This complex scene unfolds as 
  follows, though the characters might disrupt the events 
  at any time.
  The Invocation
  Once everyone is seated, Derwas rises up to give thanks 
  to the Father for granting the people of Argron’s Dock 
  such a bounty and for “putting the seed of life” into each 
  and every one of them. He also gives thanks for erasing 
  all doubt and worry from the minds of the faithful, so 
  they might live free and happy lives. This prayer takes a 
  minute or two.
  The Father’s Nectar
  When he ﬁ nishes, townsfolk dressed in ﬁ sh netting 
  roll out the sacred barrels containing “Father’s Nectar,” 
  tap them, and ﬁ ll enough mugs with the stuﬀ  so that 
  everyone, including attending characters, has a drink. 
  Derwas then toasts the Father, and everyone drinks 
  deep.
   The “Father’s Nectar” is a powerful sedative and 
  hallucinogen. A living creature that drinks the milky 
  ﬂ uid must make a Strength challenge roll with 2 banes. 
  On a failure, the creature takes 1d6 damage and becomes 
  poisoned until after it completes a rest. If the creature 
  is already poisoned, it becomes slowed for as long as it 
  remains poisoned.
   As well, a creature poisoned by this nectar must make 
  a Will challenge roll whenever they see worm swarms 
  or the parasites in their food. On a failure, the creature 
  overlooks the worms, treating them as if they were not 
  there—this also prevents them from having to deal with 
  the eﬀ ects of being horriﬁ ed by such creatures.
   The nectar acts diﬀ erently on those infected with the 
  mind worm parasites. For them, it causes the parasites to 
  writhe and make their way into the host’s bowels. This 
  is very uncomfortable, but the young worms excrete 
  a powerful tranquilizer that causes the infected to 
  experience intense pleasure instead of pain. Creatures 
  not poisoned by the nectar can see the worms writhe in 
  the bellies of those nearby and must get a success on a 
  Will challenge roll or gain 1 Insanity.
  Infected Characters
  A living creature that consumes the worm 
  larva becomes infected with parasites. While 
  infected, the creature is charmed by the mind 
  worm and can be controlled by the mind 
  worm should the monster choose to exert its 
  inﬂ uence. Luckily, the mind worm does not 
  exercise control unless it or its young are at 
  risk. Instead, it allows its thralls to act freely, 
  hoping they draw other uninfected characters 
  into its clutches.
   An infected creature is impaired from the 
  near-constant headaches and odd twitch-
  ing, which turn into complete malaise and 
  lethargy after a few days. One month after 
  consuming the worms, the host creature 
  becomes violently ill. The young mind worms 
  become desperate to vacate the creature’s 
  body and force their way out. If the host 
  creature drinks the father’s nectar (a brew 
  made up from the mind worm’s poison) the 
  creature is overcome with euphoria as their 
  bowels relax and let loose a tide of worms. 
   The birth deals 2d6 damage to the host 
  under the inﬂ uence of the nectar, and the 
  creature remains charmed by the mind worm 
  for 1 hour after the young escape. 
   Those who do not drink the father’s nectar 
  are wracked with terriﬁ c pain and must make 
  a Strength challenge roll with 3 banes. A 
  creature takes 4d6 damage from the worms 
  forcing their way out and becomes impaired 
  for 1 hour on a failure, or just takes 2d6 dam-
  age on a success. In either case, birthing the 
  worms removes the charmed afﬂ iction.
   A scholar of medicine with a healer’s kit can 
  attempt to remove the mind worm parasites 
  from a host by spending 1 hour working. At 
  the end of this time, the scholar must make 
  an Intellect challenge roll with 3 banes. On 
  a success, the mind worm parasites are suc-
  cessfully extracted and die. On a failure, the 
  host takes 1d6 damage. Infected creatures 
  never willingly allow this to be attempted on 
  them. They always resist such attempts as if 
  they are compelled.
   The simpler way to cure the infection is to 
  kill the mind worm that has sway over the 
  charmed creature. This causes the mind 
  worms inside the hosts to wither and die. 
  Although revolting, the worms then pass out 
  of the creature a few days later.
  
  7
  The Gorging
  After drinking the nectar, the infected turn to the food 
  with abandon. They toss back the sheets to reveal 
  heaping plates of raw and half-cooked food piled on top 
  of spoiled and rotten food, remnants from the last feast. 
  It takes an hour for the villagers to clear their plates, 
  at which point their bellies are quite swollen, and they 
  become lethargic and unresponsive. 
   Characters present for the feast receive their own 
  special dish: a large, seared catﬁ sh. Although the outside 
  is blackened, much of the inside of the ﬁ sh is raw and 
  infested with worms. Characters poisoned by the drink 
  might not notice the worms before taking a bite. Anyone 
  who eats the worms becomes infected. See the Infected 
  Characters sidebar for details.
  The Birthing
  About an hour after gorging, the townsfolk start swaying 
  in their seats, most barely conscious. Without warning, 
  one of them falls forward and unleashes a forceful blast 
  of blood, waste, and worms the size of garden snakes 
  from his bowels. 
   Dozens of other villagers join in, each one moaning in 
  ecstasy as they give “birth” to more of the mind worm’s 
  children. The violent nature of these expulsions kills one 
  in ﬁ ve townsfolk. 
   Within moments, the newborn worms form into 4 
  worm swarms. If the characters have not been infected, 
  the swarms sense their revulsion and move to engulf 
  them. Most of the villagers are too exhausted from their 
  ordeals to become involved in a ﬁ ght, but Derwas is not, 
  and he moves to help the young, crying out that the 
  characters must “accept the father’s blessing.”
  Worm Swarm
  When ﬁ rst birthed from their hosts, mind worms are not 
  particularly dangerous unless consumed, but if many 
  worms are born at the same moment, they instinctively 
  gather into a dangerous swarm. Looking like a writhing 
  mass of blood and waste-covered eels, these pale worms 
  lash out at those not under the parent worm’s direct 
  control.
  WORM SWARM 
  DIFFICULTY 25
  Size 1 frightening monster (swarm)
  Perception 13 (+3); truesight
  Defense 15; Health 45
  Strength 12 (+2), Agility 13 (+3), Intellect 10 (+0), Will 12 (+2)
  Speed 6; climber, swimmer
  Immune gaining Insanity; blinded, charmed, dazed, 
  deafened, diseased, grabbed, immobilized, poisoned, 
  prone, slowed, stunned
  Multitude A swarm takes half damage from attacks that 
  use an attack roll and double damage from effects that 
  require it to make a challenge roll.
  Revulsion Creatures that are not swarms are impaired 
  while they remain in the swarm’s space or within 1 yard 
  of it.
  ATTACK OPTIONS 
  Mandibles (melee) +2 with 1 boon (2d6 plus Invasion, or 
  just 1d6 if the swarm is injured)
  Invasion A living target must make a Strength challenge 
  roll with 1 bane. On a failure, one of the mind worms 
  slithers into the creature’s mouth, attempting to crawl 
  down into its gullet. The creature takes 2d6 extra 
  damage and becomes impaired. An impaired creature 
  (or any creature that can reach it) can use an action to 
  make a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane to attempt 
  to pull the worm out. If successful, the worm is removed 
  and immediately dies. At the end of the round, the worm 
  slides into the creature’s stomach, and the creature 
  becomes infected (see Infected Characters).
  END OF THE ROUND 
  Swarming Worms Each creature not a swarm that is in 
  the swarm’s space or within 1 yard must make an Agility 
  challenge roll. On a failure, the creature takes 2d6 
  damage and becomes slowed for 1 round.
  The Procession
  Once the ﬁ ght against the swarms is over, the townsfolk 
  rise up and drunkenly head toward the old, burned-out 
  shrine along with a few straggler worms that did not 
  manage to form into swarms. Everyone in the procession 
  ignores the characters, even if attacked. 
   Upon arriving, they line up before the doors from 
  which the great mind worm surges forth. One by one, 
  the people make their way up and suckle upon one of 
  the many tendrils that sprout from the mind worm’s 
  belly, infesting themselves with a new brood of parasites 
  before stumbling home to pass out and begin the cycle 
  all over again. 
   If the characters are present and hostile, all of the 
  remaining townsfolk move to protect the worm (this is 
  about 30 villagers, of which 20 form together to make 
  a pair of mobs, while the remaining wander about in 
  an aimless stupor, putting up no defense at all). If they 
  instead play along and line up, they can eventually make 
  their way right up to the worm without being stopped or 
  hindered in any way.
  
  8
  MOB OF COMMONERS 
  DIFFICULTY 10
  Size 3 human
  Perception 9 (–1)
  Defense 10; Health 44
  Strength 11 (+1), Agility 10 (+0), Intellect 9 (–1), Will 9 (–1)
  Speed 10
  Mob A mob takes half damage from attacks that target 
  individual creatures and double damage from attacks 
  that affect creatures in areas. The mob acts as a single 
  creature, but it counts as 10 creatures for the purpose of 
  choosing targets. A mob makes Strength, Intellect, and 
  Will challenge rolls with 1 boon.
  Creatures can move through a mob’s space, but they 
  treat the area as difﬁ cult terrain. The mob can squeeze 
  through openings large enough to accommodate Size 
  1 creatures and can move through spaces occupied by 
  creatures of any Size.
  Spawn When the mob becomes incapacitated, it dissipates 
  and 1d6 commoners appear in open spaces with the 
  space formerly occupied by the mob. The commoners 
  can take the next available turn.
  ATTACK OPTIONS 
  Clubs (melee) +1 with 2 boons (3d6 or 1d6 if the mob is 
  injured)
  END OF THE ROUND 
  Overwhelm If the mob is not injured, each creature that 
  isn’t a swarm or a mob that is in the mob’s space or 
  within 1 yard of it must get a success on an Agility 
  challenge roll or take 2d6 damage.
  The Mind Worm
  The mind worm is a pale white eel the size of a small 
  horse and coated in a glistening sheen of mucus, fed by 
  the continuous stream pouring from its pincered maw. 
  Tendrils blanket its bulbous belly, like writhing nipples, 
  each leaking milky ﬂ uid. 
   Birthed from the digestive track of a humanoid host, 
  the mind worm gains a limited form of mind control 
  over its “parent.” From there, it grows to immense size, 
  implanting its young in other creatures to form a web 
  of mind-controlled thralls. Although intelligent in its 
  own right, the only knowledge a mind worm ever gains 
  is what it learns from its thralls through their senses 
  and memories.
  MIND WORM 
  DIFFICULTY 100
  Size 2 horrifying monster
  Perception 15 (+5); truesight
  Defense 13; Health 90
  Strength 13 (+3), Agility 11 (+1), Intellect 15 (+5), Will 14 (+4)
  Speed 6; climber, swimmer
  Immune gaining Insanity; blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  diseased, poisoned
  Lure When the mind worm ﬁ nishes moving on its turn, 
  each creature charmed by its poison and within medium 
  range of it must move up to half its Speed toward the 
  mind worm.
  Slippery Body A creature attempting to grab the mind 
  worm makes the attack roll with 2 banes, and a grabbed 
  mind worm makes attack rolls with 2 boons to escape.
  Slave Minds A mind worm can see and hear through the 
  bodies of each creature that has been permanently 
  charmed by it, as long as these creatures are within 
  10 miles. 
  ATTACK OPTIONS 
  Mandible (melee) +3 with 2 boons (2d6 plus Mind Poison)
  Mind Poison A living creature must get a success on a 
  Will challenge roll made with 1 bane or gain 1 Insanity 
  and become charmed for a number of rounds equal to 
  its Insanity total. If the target is already charmed by the 
  mind worm, it instead gains 1d3 extra Insanity.
  SPECIAL ATTACKS 
  Infest Host The mind worm uses an action to force a tendril 
  into the mouth of one creature it has charmed within its 
  reach and ﬁ ll it with its eggs. The target creature must 
  make a Strength challenge roll with 2 banes. On a failure, 
  it gains 1d6 Insanity, and the charmed afﬂ iction becomes 
  permanent until the creature or the mind worm dies.
  Poison Spray The mind worm sprays poison in a 1-yard-
  wide, 10-yard-long line from a point it can reach. Each 
  creature in the area must get a success on an Agility 
  challenge roll or gain 1 Insanity and then make a Will 
  challenge roll with 1 bane. If the creature gets a failure on 
  the Will roll, it becomes charmed for a number of rounds 
  equal to its Insanity total. If already charmed by the mind 
  worm, the creature gains 1d3 extra Insanity. Once the 
  mind worm uses Poison Spray, it cannot do so again for 
  1 round.
  SPECIAL ACTIONS 
  Compel Mind A mind worm can use an action, or a 
  triggered action on its turn, to cause one creature within 
  10 miles of it that is charmed by it to become compelled 
  for 1 round.
  Concluding the Adventure
  The adventure ends once the player characters destroy 
  the mind worm, are themselves destroyed by it, or after 
  the characters ﬂ ee the community. If free from the mind 
  worm’s inﬂ uence, the surviving townsfolk, of which 
  there ought to be few, are likely hopelessly insane and 
  wander away to die in the wilderness. Of course, a few 
  of them might take some of the delicious ﬁ sh with them 
  from the bay , starting the cycle all over again in a new 
  and unsuspecting community.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Shadow of the Demon Lord/Adventures/Expert/SotDL - Feast of the Father (expert).pdf