Encampment Encounters: Haunted Battleground

Yesterday we restarted a series of posts with ideas for our DungeonMorph designs… today, we’ll re-start a series of “Encampment Encounters”.  This encounter works if the PCs need to rest in the countryside.

Tags: Undead, Countryside, Reenactment

Setup: The PCs make camp in the countryside–but it turns out to be a haunted battlefield.

Details:

• The party decides this field (or a corner of it near a copse of trees or stream or whatever feature they prefer) is the best place to rest. (There is no structure nearby, etc.)
• A PC in tune with undead (Cleric, Paladin, etc.) has a small chance of feeling that something is wrong on this field.  They may decide to move on and camp elsewhere to avoid this.
• PCs with some tracking ability may notice the field is littered with foot & hoof-prints. If they are exceptionally skilled, they can guess a battle has taken place here, not just a large group moving through.
• At dusk, just as the PCs are deciding who will take the first watch, a necrotic fog rolls in.  It doesn’t have any special effect, but makes everyone’s neck-hair stand on end.
• Spirits of hundreds of warriors appear. They fit the description of a long-ago battle. (Human vs. humans, or orcs vs. elves, whatever fits the setting.  Likewise, they may be archers, swordsmen, pikemen, cavalry, a few mages, etc.)
• They fight only each other (one side vs. the other) unless a PC attacks.  Then that PC is considered a foe of that target’s side.
• If some PCs attack a member of one side and others attack someone on the other side, the PCs may have to fight both sides.  Or simply run away, leaving their equipment behind.
• The battle ends after a couple of hours. The spirits and fog fade.

Follow-up Ideas:

• The battle may take place every night, or perhaps once a year on the anniversary of the battle or perhaps only during some celestial event, etc.
• The PCs can later research the battle and perhaps put all the souls to rest.