Our sidequest series titled “Encampment Encounters” resumes! This encounter is a good fit for any area, especially one with undead nearby.

Tags: Undead, Benevolent

Setup: The PCs are make camp where undead spirits are nearby. A recent victim still has all his wits about him and would like the PCs to give his body proper funeral rights so he may rest instead of tormenting others in undeath.

Strategy:

It is time for a long rest and the PCs set up their camp as they normally would, assign watches, etc.

During a random watch, a PC on duty spots something shimmering behind a corner or other object. Looking more closely, the PC sees it is a semi-transparent person trying to speak, but can’t make noise.

The PC must decide what to do: wake the others, attack, try to communicate, etc.

Attacking the shimmer chases it away. Unless the PCs track it, it will become another malevolent spirit in one more night.

Communicating with the shimmer keeps it nearby and once comfortable it will even approach. Unable to speak, the PCs need to communicate with it using other methods. The spirit is incorporeal, so it can’t use objects either.

Perhaps through charades or any other reasonable means, the spirit tells the PCs evil undead killed him or her that day. If the body isn’t put to rest by the next evening, the spirit will become an evil undead creature as well.

The spirit is willing to direct the PCs to his or her body, and may even know one or two things to avoid.

However, the malevolent spirits attack the PCs on the way! The spirit may have some way to help the PCs.

Any funeral ritual agreeable to the PCs’ religion allows the spirit to rest.

Follow-up Ideas:

The master of the evil undead is unhappy his forces were dimished.

The body has some important clue (map, note, etc.) to the PCs’ overall quest. Perhaps speaking again to the dead spirit will provide more help.