Pilfer this Fantasy plot seed: The Midnight Priest

It happens to all adventuring parties at some point in their travels. They’re crossing vast expanses of land and find villages, settlements, and even cities that might not be on their map, and find strange customs within. Things that are normal, regular and day to day for its inhabitants, but to strangers seem dark and weird. This is one such encounter…

According to the map, it shouldn’t even be here, but as night approaches, so does the town. Walls high and imposing for somewhere out in the middle of the plains. Maybe the residents fear bandit attacks, or there are monsters that dwell in this region? All possibilities that should be investigated for sure, but with the sun dipping below the horizon, the more pressing question is whether they will have beds for the night.

From outside, the settlement appears almost abandoned, and listening in the silence is near deathly. The gates are easily found however, and rapping upon them gets swift attention from a nervous member of the town militia. The militia man – Hawthorne – queries the characters on what they’re doing out this late at night, but has no problem with any answer they give, quickly hurrying them to the inn – The Burnt Burro – but deflects any question they may have, claiming that he’s in no position to talk of matters concerning the town, and that those sort of things are best left to the Alderman. There is obviously something not right about the town though. After this point, whatever happens will be determined by player character actions, so lets just cut to the chase.

The town has problems. Some time ago, there was something of a baby boom, with every pregnancy resulting in at least twins, but triplets being more common, and even a litter of five new babies was far from unusual. This continued for several years, meaning the town grew from a crossroads in the middle of nowhere to a settlement of size. The farmland surrounding the town very quickly started to suffer from the extra demand on it, and various measures were discussed at meetings that would last for days and nights.

Superstition always seemed to hold sway, and the various mystics and clerics claimed that far from a blessing, this was a curse, and that something must be done to stem the tide of newborn humanity that could spell the end of their home. Banishing families that bred too many children was tabled first, but wasn’t seen as to be doing enough. Nevertheless, it was tried, but after two more years, the birthrate was still far too high. Some people thought of abandoning the town all together and starting a new life elsewhere, but stories came back from villages that had been settled in by those banished previously, and it was clear that they were not welcome. Tales of persecution and violence against those banished were common place, as other towns thought that the curse could be spread.

Soon, children started dying. There just wasn’t enough food to go around and mothers were starving themselves so children could have even a small amount of grain. The superstitious element were finding their voices heeded an awful lot more, and with so much death already on the streets, and in their homes, the townsfolk were willing to contemplate some truly horrifying proposals.

The first edict for sacrificing a human child was passed almost unanimously, as the idea of one child dying to save the lives of dozens, if not hundreds that would starve seemed like a safe bet. No one would even know which child was to be taken. A lot would be chosen in secret, and during the night a crescent moon painted on the doorway of a home. The following night, a child would vanish, taken by the Midnight Priest – a position whose secrecy would be staunchly defended – who would add a star to the painting to show that he had visited.

Decades have passed since this began, and the results were quickly seen; birth rates returned to a more normal level, and soon there was food enough for all. The town is still full of people, but some now wonder if the Midnight Priest is to continue their work, what it will eventually mean for the town. For now though, at night, the streets are almost deserted. Families have come to dread seeing a freshly painted crescent, but none dare act. The Midnight Priest is powerful they say, and to den him what is his, will lead to horrendous repercussions, not only for the town, but very specifically to those who stand in his way…

As you can see, this is a dark themed adventure with adult ideas, so be wary of your players’ expectations before adding this to a game. If you choose to do so though, there are several avenues that are open to you.

• The Midnight Priest follows a dark god, and has set his plan in motion many decades ago. It is more than one  man, but shadowy cabal that have pulled the strings and used dark majiks to work their will. Each child taken feeds their malevolent master, and he is growing stronger.
• The town is actually cursed, and the sacrificing of an innocent life is all that holds the darkness at bay, until the players can find a mystical solution to the problem.
• There was nothing mystical at work at all, just a horrifying series of natural events that finally ran its course. The Midnight Priest is no longer needed, but no one has the courage to do anything.
• The Midnight Priest died years ago, and since then, one deranged mind has not only been taking the children for their own twisted purposes, but has been painting crescents on doors much more often than they used to be.
• Or a combination of any of the above, plus whatever else makes sense for your game.