January 3, Hobbet Adventure Year 2
It is a miserable winter's day in the Miskatonic River Valley: cold, raw, and windy. There is still over a foot of snow from the New Years blizzard, constantly being rearranged by the wind into a shifting maze of snowbanks.
Incredibly, a lone Hobbet has braved the elements!
Beppo Filbriggle has left the comfort of the Hobbet Lands and set out to seek his fortune. He is on a journey to the human village of
Hornpipe where (rumor has it) there are opportunities for Adventure.
Anxious, shivering, and alone,
Beppo worries he has wandered off the trail and will have to spend another night in the forest. Fortunately, just then, he spies something: A track through the snow! It's a couple of days old, and partially covered up by blowing snow, but there is an unmistakable trail in the snow, not of footsteps, but of some object being dragged through the snow. The track is about two feet wide, and the snow is smoothly packed down.
While a voice in Beppo's head warns him this might be the trail of some dangerous monster (a giant snake slithering on its belly, in a perfectly straight line?) it also might be a sign of civilization. Beppo weighs the risk and decides to follow the trail. Maybe it will lead him to town?
In some places, the trail has been completely covered by drifting snow. In other places, shielded from the wind, the trail is better preserved, and Beppo thinks he might also see some faint, individual footprints in the snow. He gets the mental image, of a number of people pushing, pulling or dragging a 2-foot wide object through the snow. Whether the footprints belong to hobbets, humans, or some other creature, Beppo cannot tell.
The gamble seems to pay off: The trail in the snow leads Beppo to (what he assumes is) The Village of Hornpipe! The first landmark he sees is an old windmill on the horizon. Then he begins to hear the sounds and smell the smells of civilization. He finds himself standing on the top of
Hornpipe Hill, on the south edge of town. The village is spread out to his north, on the south bank of the Miskatonic. Directly on Beppo's right hand is the windmill, and on his left hand is the
Hornpipe Hill House of Pancakes. Smoke rises cheerfully from the chimney, and the aroma of fresh pancakes is tantalizing to the hungry Beppo.
Now that he is within the town limits, the snow has been trampled by many feet, and it is impossible for Beppo to follow the mysterious trail trail in the snow any farther. Beppo doesn't see anyone in his immediate vicinity (on the hill), but off in the distance, he can see humans doing normal human things around the village (tending their animals and so forth).
Beppo Filbriggle, your adventure begins NOW! The red X means 'you are here.' You came out of the forest to the south.
(DM's note: I am deliberately leaving vague the exact time of day, so that whenever Beppo meets up with the other PCs, the timelines will sync.)