The adventure begins as the player characters first arrive in town, either on the eve of the holiday or the holiday morning.

If they arrive in Revelleschafte on the holiday’s eve, the PCs have the chance to enjoy the festivities, learn about the town and its people, and spend the night in the inn—and it is filled with happy travelers and good cheer. The next morning, however, they awake to the news that the town has been pillaged by goblins , and (if willing), they can answer the call to adventure and trek down to the Abandoned Mine. PCs that insist on staying up at night may have the chance to encounter a small goblin raiding party amidst the night’s chaos, or may be so drunk on mead and spiked eggnog that they sleep through the whole attack anyway.

If they arrive on the morning of the holiday, they enter Revelleschafte only to find a despondent scene, bereft of holiday cheer. The town has just been pillaged by goblins on the eve of All’s Giving Day, and people are struggling to find the holiday cheer without their food, drink, and presents. As soon as the PCs make their presence known, some townsfolk grow eager to retaliate. “Our stuff!” they cry, “Please save our stuff!”

The mayor of the town will offer a reward of 150 gp per PC if they return with most of their belongings and proof the goblins have been killed. The mayor will offer half as much if the PCs only return with one or the other.

All's Giving Day

The adventure is based around the winter solstice, recognized in the Allesund town of Revelleschafte as All’s Giving Day. This is an Allesund holiday where on the eve families gather together to drink, be merry, and sing carols and hymns about the importance of togetherness during the long winter. All’s Giving Day can, of course, be easily replaced by another setting-appropriate winter holiday.

The following morning, families and friends exchange wrapped gifts with each other in the spirit of altruistic giving. These gifts are often toys and chocolates for children, clothes and jewelry for adults, and sundries shared between couples. That evening, families share in a large feast of roasted poultry with a variety of vegetables and side dishes.

All’s Giving Day is a holiday that many townspeople prepare for months in advance, making sure their gifts are bought or made, and that enough food is readied for the feast.

<= Presents for Goblins | The Miremuck Goblins =>

The winter solstice brings with it a desire for warmth, good company, and good food. The longest, coldest day of the year often coincides with holidays celebrating light, family, thankfulness, and generosity. This is no different for medieval fantasy peoples.

The snow-covered town of Revelleschafte prepares for its holiday of All’s Giving Day (or another fantasy holiday appropriate to your campaign setting), a day where all folk feast and exchange gifts with one another. For many, it’s the happiest day of the year. But this year, it’s a nightmare. This year, goblins want that holiday. Goblins want the feasts, the drinks… and especially the presents.

Note: This adventure is a humorous romp, and may not be suitable for all campaigns.

Presents for Goblins, by Kiel Chenier, is a holiday romp: an adventure that takes the winter holiday season and pairs it with vicious and strange little monsters hell-bent on ruining everyone’s fun. It takes inspiration from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) and Joe Dante’s Gremlins (1984), as well as a little bit of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986).

An adventure for characters of 3rd-5th level.

• Beginning the Adventure
• The Miremuck Goblins
• The Town of Revelleschafte
• The Abandoned Mine
• Conclusion

Beginning the Adventure =>

Spillage

Should the party act to remove the cauldron from the scaffolding, it must be both lifted and balanced. Lifting the cauldron requires a DC 13 Strength check, and balancing it requires a DC 16 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.

On a failure on either check, roll a d% to determine the amount spilled. For each 10% (rounded down) spilled up to 50%, add 1 month to a base 6 month time period for the effect to dissipate. A character who fails one of the two checks can still hold onto the cauldron, but failing both causes the character to drop it.

If 50% or more of the cauldron is spilled (including if the cauldron falls into the river), the Trom will forever bear a minor love effect and become a local legend. In time, it may grow to attract love-seekers and potion makers from near and far. This does little to resolve the supply shortages, which may cause a regional famine unless Lanidor is brought to its senses.

If Hermia Is Spared

Hermia can be forced to create an antidote if she is left alive. “The original potion was based on the essence of voles, because they find true love and mate for life. The opposite of the vole is the praying mantis, as they only mate once … and there’s no romance at all there,” she explains. The potion she makes will cure the effect of the love potion, but if she’s left to her own devices she’ll add a bit of magic (DC 15 Intelligence [Arcana] to notice) that will create uncontrollable mutations, turning the townsfolk into hideous aberrations that proceed to plague the countryside and will require extermination.

If Hermia Is Killed

Without Hermia’s knowledge of the potion’s contents, creating an antidote will be quite an undertaking and require many far-off components and a great deal of arcane knowledge.

A DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals that the first component is a live praying mantis—this at least can be found in any trade city.

Dealing with Two-lips

Whether the party punishes Two-lips for the trouble he’s caused, or how they exact retribution, should be left for them to decide. Was it an honest (if poorly conceived, researched, planned, and executed) mistake, or was it something more nefarious? GMs should reward creativity when dealing with Two-lips.

<= The Business of Emotion

The Mouth of the Cave

After traveling for several hours, you find a dense forest on the edge of the small mountain range, marking the end of the valley. The canopy of the forest before you is ominously thick, allowing little light through.

The lazy, meandering river gains pace as you exit the valley and follow it to a nearby mountain. At the base of the mountain you find the mouth of a large cavern, and the roar of water echoes from within.

Intelligence (Investigation) checks outside the cave find the following:

• DC 10: Large, bear-shaped footprints in the mud along the river bank.
• DC 15: Tracks showing that whatever left the footprints dragged a large animal. These tracks can be followed to the corpse of a horse in the bushes. 

The horse was attacked, dragged, and partially eaten by a large beast. Further Intelligence (Investigation or Nature) checks reveal:

• DC 10: Deep, parallel claw marks along the horse’s flank.
• DC 18: A single owl feather in a nearby bush.

The Throat of the Cave

As the players enter the cave, they soon find themselves standing above the river as it has cut its way through the stone.

The ground along the river’s edge (marked on the map) has been partially eroded by the river’s rapid waters. The first Medium or larger creature that steps in this area causes a five-foot patch to crumble. The player must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw to avoid falling into the river below, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage from the fall, suffering a severe exposure to the love potion (Odds and Ends) and being carried downriver 1d6x5 feet.

The Cauldron Chamber

You round the bend and enter a large chamber. Along the far wall, a roaring waterfall pours from the depths of the mountain. Near the edge of the platform, a cast iron cauldron rests upon a wooden scaffold overhanging the river. A pinkish light glows from the open top of the cauldron, and occasionally, a single fuchsia drop leaps into the churning source of the River Trom.

Directly in front of you, lying upon a nest of trampled grass and bones is a large, feathered mass whose glowing yellow eyes stare from the darkness. It remains motionless, watching and breathing loudly.

The owlbear smelled the PCs when they entered the cave, but obeys Hermia’s orders, and dutifully guards the cauldron chamber. It watches the PCs, but attacks if they get within 10 feet of the cauldron.

On the second round of combat, Hermia ( witch ) arrives on the scene, having invisibly watched the party from beside her owlbear . She remains under her magical disguise as she approaches.

Hermia will not attack immediately, and momentarily calls off her owlbear to parley with the PCs. However, she instantly retaliates if attacked, if the players attack her owlbear  after she arrives, or if she overhears the party discussing plans to destroy her potion setup.

If Hermia attacks or is attacked:

The beautiful female form before you dissolves, leaving a thin wisp of magical essence hanging in the air. A hideous, green-skinned monster now stands in her place. Her mouth opens wide as she cackles wickedly, revealing the sharp points of many shattered teeth. Her long arms and sharp claws drag behind her as she approaches. “You dare to disrupt my experiments?” she cries out. “This cave will be your grave!”

The scaffolding supporting the cauldron has 15 hit points and AC 10. It is resistant to piercing damage. It automatically fails saving throws against spells with an area of effect, like fireball. Its wood is damp from the river water, and it ignores the first 5 points of fire damage it takes each day.

If inspected, the scaffolding upon which the cauldron of love potion rests is obviously rickety. A DC 11 Investigation check reveals the structure is slightly off level, likely leading to the overdosing.

If the scaffolding is destroyed, the cauldron drops vertically towards the riverbank, pausing momentarily as it spins on its edge above the  ledge. Attempts to stop it from falling in will require a PC’s reaction and should be judged based on a DC 16 Dexterity check (to catch it) and DC 13 Strength check (to hold onto it). Otherwise, it slowly rotates (for maximum drama) before toppling over the ledge, spilling the entire contents of the cauldron into the river—see the Spillage section of Resolving the Adventure.

<= The Business of Emotion | Resolving the Adventure =>

The following information will help the Narrator run the adventure.

Detect Magic

Should the adventurers cast detect magic while within 30 feet of the River Trom, they find the river itself radiates magic of the enchantment school.

Interacting With The Water

At several points throughout the adventure, whether through drinking beer in the village or falling into the river while fighting in the cave, the  PCs may come into contact with the enchanted water from the Trom.

The effects of the potion build with exposure and should be tracked for each PC. A minor exposure (drinking, washing, etc.) adds one point, while a severe exposure (falling into the river, etc.) adds three points. This effect wears off after 1d6 days of not being exposed to the water.

Exposure Tracking

1 (Slight): A wave of peacefulness and confidence washes over the PC. At all exposure levels, the PC has advantage on Charisma checks.

2-3 (Low): The affected PC immediately favors the first person of any gender they see after reaching this level of exposure. The PC compulsively does minor things to try to gain the favored person’s attention.

4-5 (Medium): Gaining the attention of his or her favored person is now the PC’s primary concern. The PC behaves as though affected by a charm person spell cast by the favored person and will act irrationally to justify their actions.

6+ (High): The PC is spellbound. If his or her favored person says “jump,” the PC will ask “how high, my love?” If the PC’s favored person provides a simple instruction (“attack that creature,” “run over there”), the PC must make a DC 13 Wisdom save; if the PC fails this save, they must act as instructed, as per the suggestion spell. If the PC succeeds on the save, he or she may act freely this time, but the spellbound effect remains.

<= The Business of Emotion

The sun burns brightly above as you travel up the River Trom, trudging up an uneven trail northwards out of town. As you round a bend in the river, you are momentarily dazzled by dozens of rainbow colored blocks of land, and almost choke on a sickly-sweet smell in the air.

A wide field of flowers surrounds a quaint farmstead in the distance. Outside, a crew of small figures loads a cart with colorful bundles of flowers.

Inside the farmhouse, Two-lips directs a crew of gnome workers around the farm. He blanches at the sight of the party, stammering, “You… you, you…? What are you doing here? Who are you?”

Two-lips does his best to hide the fact that he’s behind the recent outbreak of lovestruck villagers (shooing the party, trying to slip away to oversee the farm, insisting that he’s too busy), but his defenses are pretty thin. After a bit of pressing with a DC 12 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check, or any explicit threat of violence, he caves and begins to confess.

While Two-lips is superficially apologetic about the incident and explains how he’s attempting to “play it straight” or “make an honest living for once,” he also seems to delight in how successful the plan has been in saving his farm. 

If pressed, he will insist that the plan with the love potion was all Hermia’s idea, and that all he  did was purchase the ingredients she requested. He will also direct the party towards the cave where he and Hermia set up the potion to drip into the Trom, but will not accompany them.

Two-lips, an experienced merchant, will react negatively to any attempts of extortion by the party, but he is “always willing to make a deal” and will pay handsomely to avoid punishment: 75 gp and “a year’s supply of white roses.”

Wild creatures now prowl the lands between Lanidor and the cave; including a pack of five  dire wolves . Should the party encounter these wolves, they are attacked along the riverbank, and the wolves attempt to knock them into the river using the Shove action, exposing them to the love potion (Odds and Ends).

<= The Business of Emotion | The Tunnel of Love =>

While in Lanidor, the adventurers may hear various rumors. Roll or choose from the following table.

Rumors (1d8)

1. There are flowers everywhere in town, and that damned gnome’s face is plastered all over the place. (True)
2. There have been strange circles carved into the wheat the last few weeks. We usually just chalked it up to damned youths, but maybe there’s more to it than that. (False)
3. As you can see, none of the work is being done. Harvest time is on us, there should be dozens of people out here in the fields. Instead, they’re all shacked up in town like the world’s ending. (True)
4. I don’t know if I’d trust the “virgin” oracle’s visions anymore after what I saw her doing with Ol’ Turnstall…and his son…. (True)
5. I secretly started harvesting and stockpiling grain at night when everybody is sleeping. With no work being done, it’ll be worth a fortune soon! (True)
6. I always knew that my wife had something for that bastard down the street. If you see them, give them my regards! (True)
7. We don’t get many fey around here, but I’ve always just sorta known when they were around. It’s like I can smell ’em or something. They’re around here somewhere, I just haven’t found ’em yet…. (False, not counting Hermia)
8. We’ve spent a lot of time thinking of what could be causing this. It really seems like some mess that witch would be involved in, but I’m not about to go knocking on her door to find out…. (True)

<= The Business of Emotion

Unless otherwise noted, the villagers of Lanidor use commoner statistics.

Emilia Fulton, Human Housewife (estranged)

A petite and very attractive young woman. As “dainty” as it comes in an agricultural town like Lanidor, although she could still probably crack walnuts with her bare hands. Will begin flirting with a random PC present at the bar, or whoever speaks to her first. Has a tawdry, small voice; a listener can almost hear her eyelashes fluttering. 

Francine Dunwit, Human Barmaid

A densely built woman, she looks like she could heft two bales of hay in her broad arms just as easily as she could a half dozen tankards of ale. Assumes that any present PCs are “paired” and treats them as such. If there are any “spare” (unevenly matched) PCs, assumes they’re still looking. Sounds like a plain-talkin’ country woman, don’tchaknow. Francine is married to Markus Dunwit.

Graben Turnbull, Dwarf Innkeeper

An old dwarf, hunched and not much for adventuring. Arthritic and pudgy around the middle, “fast” isn’t a word many would use to describe him. Graben was once a notable miner, but he was banished from his clan when, to his eternal shame, a mine he dug caved in part of an ancient dwarven burial ground. He has since settled in Lanidor and established the inn, The Glossy Bedpost.

An opportunistic profiteer, unaffected by the potion due to his dwarven resilience, Graven remains very private. He sounds like a gravelly old western prospector—his speech is marked with many “um’s” or “er’s” like a lumbering stutter. 

Hermia, Fey Witch

While disguised, Hermia ( a witch ) appears to be a wild but physically attractive hermit. In her true form she has dark green, warty skin and stands hunchbacked, her arms stretching to unnatural length and ending in clawed fingers. Though she is a hermit that lives far outside of town, Hermia willingly assists those foolish enough to seek her aid, but invariably twists their greed to further her magical experiments.

Years ago Hermia betrayed her coven, leading to her exile and the loss of most of her power. A shadow of her former glory, she will play herself off as a tragic figure to appear sympathetic. When in disguise, Hermia sounds like a sultry nature spirit. In her true form, she sounds like a gravel-throated, bitter old lady. 

Markus Dunwit, Human Carpenter

A remarkably wide thug , as solid as the wooden bar upon which he’s leaning. Currently smitten with his new love, Emilia Fulton, despite the fact that his wife Francine Dunwit stands across the bar. Will begin a fight with the PCs, involving four other men nearby, if a character returns Emilia’s advances. Has a booming, strong voice.

Two-lips Thistlestrip, Gnome Flower Farmer

A portly, graying gnome noble  with shifty eyes and a furrowed brow. The occasional glint of greed still flickers across his face with a crooked smile. Two-lips would sell his own mother if the price was right, and was kept at arms’ length by most of the other gnomes in his home village. His one true skill (aside from fatting his own pockets) was his green thumb.

When it came time to leave the gnome village (after all but robbing it blind) he decided to try his hand at “an honest living” and started a farm on the outskirts of Lanidor. Two-lips is greedy, but not callous. He is confident even in defeat, but extremely paranoid. Two-lips gesticulates wildly with his hands as he speaks, and sounds like a fast talking aggressive salesman. 

<= The Business of Emotion