Something stalks the road of the Worncliff Village during the early hours of the night. It is a rider in a suit of rusty-orange full-plate armour, an iron mask on his face, and a great sword on his back. His steed moves eerily silently on the forest path and the paved road. Villagers who encounter him flee, for he never speaks, and there appears to be no eyes behind the eye-slits of the iron mask. Trade never prospers for the Worncliff Village and a new abbot has arrived here and is determine to chase off this intruder so that traders may come.
- The Duskrider is the reveant of a dead knight charged by an ancient liege to safeguard his castle. The castle has long fallen into ruins and eventually, the village of Worncliff was built over it. Hidden somewhere in the village is the ruling signet of the lord, and that signet binds the oath-bound knight to his duty. Moving the signet elsewhere would always move the knight; destroying it, however, will be unwise for the Duskrider would not rest till the insolent ones who have a aprt of the signet’s destruction. The ruling symbol, however, shields the village for ages from unwanted magic. The PCs must weight the pros and cons of removing the Duskrider.
- The Duskrider was once from Worncliff, and has spent more than half his life-time fighting the crusades. He returned, only to find bandits ransacking the village. He charged into battle, won the day, but fell with grievous wounds. Even in dead, he refused to give up guarding his beloved hand, and rise again as the Duskrider. He would make a good NPC for the PCs to interact with, for Worncliff is the site of a great secret…however, the PCs must first prove his quality to him.
- Astute adventurers would observe that the Duskrider sometimes seem to be riding on grasslands, sometimes on paved roads and sometimes where the terrain is not suitable for riding at all. By following the tracks of the Duskrider, the PCs would be able to find a tomb, and an opening where the Duskrider will enter and emerge. The rider, whoever it (or he or she) is, seems to be guarding the tomb and chasing villagers who dare to approach it away. What lies within the tomb? The answer is simple: the beloved of the Duskrider, a powerful mystic who has fallen into a trance when seeking adepthood and have not woken for hundreds of years. The mystic, however, is also responsible for a series of curious incidents in the region – nightmares, hysteria and llusions. There’s a slight chance that the mystic would wake. How should the PCs handle this problem?
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