\textbf{The Black Well of Grimhallow}

\begin{center}
\textit{An old-school tactical dungeon crawl with narrative weight and brutal consequences.}
\end{center}

\vspace{1em}

\section*{Adventure Overview}

\begin{itemize}
    \item \textbf{Genre:} Dark Fantasy, Horror
    \item \textbf{Style:} Old-School Tactical Combat + Narrative Choice
    \item \textbf{Length:} 3--5 hours
    \item \textbf{Players:} 3--6
    \item \textbf{Tone:} Bleak, oppressive, desperate
\end{itemize}

\section{Premise}

The remote village of Grimhallow is dying.

Its only well has turned black and foul. Animals rot from the inside. Children dream of whispers beneath the earth. A forgotten god stirs below the stone.

The villagers offer what little they have for help.

The truth: the well was built atop a sealed god.

It is waking.

\section{Design Goals}

This adventure is designed to test:

\begin{itemize}
    \item Tactical positioning and terrain usage
    \item Resource management (light, healing, time)
    \item Lethal combat pacing
    \item Fear and morale mechanics
    \item Investigation and player-driven problem solving
    \item Meaningful moral decisions
\end{itemize}

\section{Act I --- The Dying Village}

\subsection{Opening Scene: The Funeral}

The players arrive as a child is buried. Her lungs were full of black sludge, but her body was dry.

Villagers whisper:
\begin{quote}
“She never left her bed. We heard her singing at night.”
\end{quote}

The village is tense. No one trusts anyone.

\subsection{Village Layout}

\begin{itemize}
    \item Central square with the well
    \item Chapel ruins
    \item 6--8 wooden huts
    \item Graveyard on a hill
    \item Animal pens and fenced lanes
\end{itemize}

\subsection{Key NPCs}

\begin{description}
    \item[Elder Morcant] Desperate leader hiding the village's history
    \item[Sister Elowen] Healer who knows the corruption is supernatural
    \item[Tomas the Gravekeeper] Saw something crawl from the well
    \item[Old Widow Aneth] Keeps a relic from the old cult days
\end{description}

\subsection{Investigation Rewards}

Each lead grants a tactical advantage:

\begin{itemize}
    \item Hidden tunnel entrance
    \item Knowledge of monster weakness
    \item Ritual instructions
    \item Relic weapon
\end{itemize}

\section{Act II --- The Black Well}

\subsection{The Well Shaft}

A 30-foot vertical shaft of slick stone. Black water churns below.

\begin{itemize}
    \item Climbing hazards
    \item Falling risks
    \item Rope combat
    \item Limited vision
\end{itemize}

\subsection{Encounters}

\begin{itemize}
    \item Drowned dead climbing upward
    \item Grasping tentacles
    \item Hallucinations and whispered commands
\end{itemize}

\section{Act III --- The Forgotten Chapel}

An ancient cult complex beneath the well.

\subsection{Dungeon Features}

\begin{itemize}
    \item Cramped corridors
    \item Low ceilings
    \item Ritual traps
    \item Bone pits
    \item Collapsing tunnels
    \item Blood-slick floors
\end{itemize}

\subsection{Key Chambers}

\subsubsection*{Ossuary Hall}
Bone pillars provide cover. Necrotic mist reduces visibility. Skeletons animate if disturbed.

\subsubsection*{Sacrament Chamber}
Ritual circle. Cultist ambush from alcoves. Braziers can be overturned.

\subsubsection*{Tithe Vault}
Cursed treasure. Collapsing ceiling. Chained guardian beast.

\subsubsection*{The Black Font}
Mutated priest. Corruption pool. Multiple elevation levels.

\section{Enemies}

\begin{itemize}
    \item Cultist Fanatics --- high morale, bleed attacks
    \item Corrupted Villagers --- high HP, infectious wounds
    \item Bone Constructs --- slow, crushing blows
    \item Hunger Spawn --- fast ambushers
\end{itemize}

\section{Act IV --- The Heart of Tharos}

A cathedral cavern. A massive stone heart chained to the floor. Black ichor drips from its cracks.

The god speaks.

It offers power, protection, and survival.

At a cost.

\section{Final Choices}

\subsection{Destroy the Heart}
Boss battle. Waves of monsters. Collapsing cavern. The land becomes cursed.

\subsection{Reseal the God}
Ritual defense encounter. Countdown timer. Sacrifice required.

\subsection{Accept the Pact}
Village becomes a dark stronghold. Long-term corruption.

\section{Random Dungeon Events}

Roll every 20--30 minutes:

\begin{enumerate}
    \item Torch goes out
    \item Distant chanting
    \item Tunnel collapse
    \item Corrosive slime drip
    \item Lost villager stumbles in
    \item Something follows the party
\end{enumerate}

\section{End States}

Each ending seeds a campaign:

\begin{itemize}
    \item Cursed wasteland
    \item Dark theocracy
    \item Monster-infested ruins
\end{itemize}
