From publisher blurb:
A Mid-Level Holiday Adventure for Player Levels 6 to 8
Intended for Use with Most Fantasy Roleplaying Games
Mǫrkthwait was a small alpine village in the “no man’s land” between warring nations.
When a peace came between these two factions, the villagers reaped the rewards.
However, good fortune can breed resentment, and now there is trouble in the village.
A series of bizarre pranks and robberies are vexing folks, and ruining their Yule spirit.
Can your players solve this intriguing Yuletide mystery in time to save the holidays?
For the uninitiated, Grýla, is one of the ancient evils of the world. She preys on children, like the demonic beast Krampus. No one is sure where she came from or when she was born, or if she was in fact born and not created by the Chaotic powers of the realms. What is known is that she has been around for time immemorial, troubling the folk of the world by preying on them every Yuletide, snatching up their young ones who she deems to be naughty, and devouring them! She is joined in this sinister mission by her vile brood, including Leppalúði, the half-ogre and half-giant third husband of the witch Grýla and father to the 13 Yule Lads; Jólakötturinn (aka the Yule Cat) a supernatural creature that takes the form of a giant, black domesticated cat, who delights in abducting children on Yule who did not receive any new clothes; and The Yule Lads, a group of thirteen mischievous and meddlesome pranksters who like to steal from, vex, and annoy the inhabitants of one unlucky village each winter. One Lad strikes each night for the 13 days leading up to Yule. Together this murderous family delights in causing mischief and mayhem during Yuletide each year, and this year they are coming to your town courtesy of Starry Knight Press!
Adventure Synopsis: Your players will be taking a break in a warm, cozy inn in the village of Mǫrkthwait, having chosen to celebrate the Yule holiday there while waiting out a winter storm. Their hopes of relaxing will be dashed when the village’s Jarl comes to them seeking their help in investigating a series of strange and unsettling occurrences in the village, which have continued for nearly a fortnight. While no serious crimes have occurred, it has vexed the populace and it is dampening their Yuletide spirit.
While investigating your players will discover a dark secret about a newcomer to the village, the beautiful young woman Álffallegur and her thirteen small children, who were abandoned in the village by her seemingly churlish and dishonourable husband just a fortnight ago...just about the time when all the strange pranks and thefts began.
The players' hunches will prove correct! The “beautiful woman” and her children are none other than Grýla and the Yule Lads, polymorphed into human form by her magic, just as Leppalúði was posing as a human male when he dropped them off at the village. Unfortunately the truth is leaned too late, and early on Yule morning Grýla and her brood strike, stealing away with 44 of Mǫrkthwait's innocent children; dragging them back to the lair they have made in an abandoned dwarven fastness, high up in the mountains!
The deceived villagers are angry and scared! They turn to your heroes for aid, offering vast sums in reward for recovering their kinder.
Can you players pull off a Yuletide miracle and save the children of Mǫrkthwait?