Overview:
On the outskirts of the village of Blackroot, a mysterious and abandoned manor known as Grim Hollow sits shrouded in dark legends. Every year on the night of the Harvest Moon, villagers report strange occurrences around the manor: eerie lights, ghostly sounds, and vanishing livestock. This year, a young villager named Eryn has gone missing, and the village elder fears the worst. The party is hired to investigate Grim Hollow and uncover the truth behind the haunted manor before the village succumbs to terror.

Plot Summary:

The party is summoned by the village elder, Old Man Brennar, who pleads for their help in finding Eryn, a brave but foolish villager who dared to explore Grim Hollow on the night of the Harvest Moon. The manor has been abandoned for over a century, ever since its original owners, the Hollow family, mysteriously vanished after a night of celebration.

The players will explore the decrepit manor, uncovering its dark history and the true reason for its haunting: the Hollow family made a pact with a powerful entity known as the Harvest Shade, exchanging their souls for eternal wealth and power. The curse has left the spirits of the Hollow family trapped in the manor, and every year on the Harvest Moon, they seek new souls to break the curse. Eryn's disappearance is the latest attempt.

The players must traverse haunted corridors, solve eerie puzzles, and confront the twisted spirits of the Hollow family to save Eryn and put an end to the curse once and for all.

Key NPCs:

• Old Man Brennar (Quest Giver):
  The elder of Blackroot village, Brennar is an aging but wise figure who deeply cares for his people. He’s heard the legends of Grim Hollow all his life but fears that this year may be the one where the curse finally claims someone. He hires the party to investigate the manor, offering a modest reward from the village’s coffers.

• Eryn (Missing Villager):
  A 19-year-old villager who often dreams of adventure, Eryn entered Grim Hollow on a dare but has not returned. She is currently trapped in a spectral limbo inside the manor, her soul caught in the growing curse. If saved, she can offer critical information about the manor's darker secrets.

• Lady Evelina Hollow (Ghost):
  The once proud matriarch of the Hollow family, Lady Evelina now lingers as a sorrowful, vengeful spirit. She wishes to be freed from the Harvest Shade’s pact but is bound by her guilt and greed. She may offer the players clues in exchange for their help, but she is not entirely trustworthy.

• The Harvest Shade (Villain):
  A malevolent entity tied to the natural cycle of harvest and death, the Harvest Shade feeds off of souls. It granted the Hollow family their riches and immortality but cursed them to suffer for their hubris. It is the final foe the party must face, able to manifest its power through shadow and harvest-themed magic.

Encounters:

1. The Village Investigation (Social, Difficulty: Easy)
   The party must gather information from the villagers to learn more about Grim Hollow’s history and the legend of the Harvest Shade. They may visit the tavern, talk to elders, or examine Eryn’s belongings for clues.

   • Challenge: The players can use charisma-based skills (Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation) to coax information from frightened villagers or to gain the trust of Old Man Brennar.

2. The Haunted Hallways (Exploration/Puzzle, Difficulty: Medium)
   Upon entering the manor, the party must navigate its winding, creaking corridors, filled with traps, illusory walls, and shifting architecture. The manor’s layout changes as the curse becomes stronger.

   • Puzzle: A series of locked doors can only be opened by piecing together clues left in eerie portraits and written in blood on the walls. The players must solve a puzzle to unlock the dining hall, where Lady Evelina’s spirit awaits.

3. The Hollow Banquet (Social, Difficulty: Hard)
   The players enter a grand dining hall where ghostly versions of the Hollow family are reenacting their final meal. Lady Evelina invites the players to "dine" with them, offering cryptic hints about the curse. The players must navigate this social encounter carefully, as offending the ghosts will trigger a deadly combat encounter.

   • Solution: The players can negotiate with the spirits, using Insight to understand their desires or Arcana to break the illusion that binds them. If combat is triggered, the family becomes hostile, using possession and spectral abilities.

4. The Harvest Shade’s Domain (Combat, Difficulty: Deadly)
   In the depths of Grim Hollow lies the Harvest Shade’s lair, an underground cavern filled with dead crops and cursed relics. The Harvest Shade itself manifests as a towering figure of twisted roots and shadow, attacking the players with powerful necrotic and nature-based magic.

   • Abilities: The Harvest Shade can summon spectral tendrils, cast Blight, and create shadowy duplicates of itself. The players must also contend with the Hollow family’s spirits, who have been fully corrupted.

Rewards:

• The Hollow Relic: A mysterious artifact that glows with a faint light. Once per day, the bearer can use the relic to cast Dispel Evil and Good. It also provides protection against curses and necrotic damage.

• Harvest Shade’s Essence: A rare magical component that can be used by powerful spellcasters to create enchanted items or brew potions that control plant life.

• Title of “Saviors of Blackroot”: The party earns the trust and admiration of the villagers, gaining free lodging and supplies in the village for life. They also gain a +1 bonus to charisma-based checks when interacting with the people of Blackroot.

Conclusion:

If the party successfully defeats the Harvest Shade and frees the souls of the Hollow family, they will break the curse on Grim Hollow. Eryn is rescued and returned to the village, and the once-haunted manor falls silent. However, if they fail, Grim Hollow's curse will claim them, and they will join the Hollow family as tormented spirits, awaiting the next Harvest Moon.