A Quiet Midwinter

A very queer Holiday-themed fantasy heist adventure for Old School Essentials or your favorite BX clone (or other OSR games).

In the time of legends, when the gods, fey, and demons finished their war, they signed their peace treaty on Midwinter Night in the village of Quiet. Midwinter has been sacred throughout the known lands ever since, and Quiet’s Midwinter celebration is legendary. Once a year, on Midwinter Night, Vidah the Divine Seer receives a message from the demons of the gorge and the gods of the mountain, naming those of the mortal world who the gods and demons agree are the exceptionally virtuous and exceptionally wicked. Vidah brings the list, which everyone calls the “Naughty & Nice List,” to Quiet and gives it to the fey ambassador Archon Winter.

But this year, Vidah is missing, Archon Winter is drinking, and everyone in town is struggling to find the Midwinter Spirit. That means it's a perfect time to steal something, whether it's Archon Winter's gifts, the Divine Seer's missing list, the mayor's pre-signed requisition papers, or even just the town's spirits.

This heist adventure for low levels includes five locations, over a dozen NPCs, an airship pulled by flying wolfhounds, multiple townsfolk facing holiday crises, and even a lightly cursed treasure or two.

Inspired by holiday films with certain... Hallmarks.

Written by Richard Ruane, cartography by Dyson Logos.