2.1 A DISH BEST SERVED COLD

A Dish Best Served Cold (Odd Jobs 2.1), is an ad-venture for 4 – 6 Player Characters of 1st-level. It isintended to be a “side trek” adventure to help the PCsgain useful knowledge and experience in the Count-down to Armageddon campaign.

This commission is be-ing offered by YousefGöebels, a road ward-en operating out of theWhite Deer inn in thetown of Brookshire.

A reward has been of-fered for Hans Dekker,a yeoman farmer whorecently turned bandit.Dekker has reportedlytaken up with a band ofoutlaws that operatesclose Brookshire. Theoffered reward is 50 gpfor Dekker alive; 25 gp if he is returned dead.

The Abandoned Watch Tower

In truth, Hans has not joined the bandits. The bandits'leader – Axel Letcher – is a childhood friend of Hans.Hans sought him out after the murder, hoping forprotection. Axel made a deal with the Huydermansgang to smuggle Hans out of the area. They arecurrently hiding out in the nearby ruins of an aban-doned watchtower until a member of the gang comesto escort Hans to a waiting ship. He will be at thislocation for two more days. If confronted with hiscrime, Hans will have this to say:

“His name was 'Wilhelm”; his daughter and my sis-ter, Merdith, were friends. I didn't know it at first, butWilhelm had taking a liking to Mer. Fever took Hisown wife five years ago, so he proposed to myMeredith. He was much older than her and shedidn't want him; so she told him so. I reckon Wilhelmdidn't take too kindly to that. So, he stalked her, andhe raped her. 'Course, he was sorry afterwards. But,I found Meredith hanging from a tree behind ourbarn a week later – couldn't live with, I suspose.

“He came to me after her funeral and begged myforgiveness. He told me he'd give himself up to themagistrate and confess what he'd done. Meredithwas a gentle soul and I figured she'd want me toforgive him – so I did. Then, I drove my axe so deepin his skull, they had to bury him with it!”

ABANDONED WATCH TOWER MAP

* The bandits' (“B”) statistics can be found on page 343 of theMonster Manual; Axel Letcher (“A”) has the same stats as a “Thug”(MM, p. 350); Hans Dekker (“H”) is a “Commoner” (MM, p. 345).

• AREA 1 – LOOK-OUT POST •

A bandit is secreted amongst this pile of debris; roll aD20 + 1 to determine his Dexterity (Stealth) check. Ifhe is not discovered and neutralized quickly he willalert the others, making surprise impossible.

• AREA 2 – ENTRANCE •

A crude alarm has been rigged here – a trip wire tiedto a series of old cow-bells. Unless the Players roll asuccessful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check they willset it off – once again making surprising the banditsimpossible.

• AREA 3 – CHAOS RUNE •

This glyph was inscribed on the floor of the towerdecades ago (when followers of Slaanesh used tomeet here). It has no actual power and is merely acuriosity for occult-lovers.