Ruined Mill (2012)

From publisher blurb:

This is a 48 x 30 inch map of a Ruined Mill, it has Hex, Square and No Overlays, it also includes the VTT files for online play. The map suits Fantasy and Modern rpg.

This module contains a ruined mill and the dilapidated remains of the miller’s house. Stone trenches act as canals and funnel water to the mill and downstream. The house and mill were built on higher ground. A partially standing stonewall is all that remains of the warehouse that once stored the grain. There are remains of an encampment here; a fire pit has been built in this area. A large rock to the north, the stonewall, and the forest surrounding this spot make it a good area to hide the light of a fire.

The area hasn’t been used in quite some time, making this a good hiding place for people familiar with the wilderness such as brigands, bandits, scouts, or even rangers.
When visiting a local nearby village, the Player Characters are told about the old ruined mill. The miller was found downstream, dead of drowning. When the bravest villagers went to investigate, they found the mill wheel stopped up by strange seaweed. When they later turned up drowned downstream, the villagers became deathly afraid of the place, and made up a rumor about the ghost of the miller to frighten their kids to stay away from the area. The farmer may tell the Player Characters about the ghost of the miller and his wrathful spirit as well as having seen lights up in the hills during recent nights.

If the Player Characters go to investigate, they may find a group of bandits, brigands, scouts, or rangers. The bandits or brigands could have been using the area as a hideout from the law or as a staging point for raiding caravans on the road. Scouts may have been sent by a local army to look for weak points along the border with a foreign land or to scout the village for a takeover attempt. Rangers may be here hunting the bandits or brigands in the area.

One twist is that they find the brigands, bandits, scouts, or rangers, except they are all dead near the tree line, with the embers of their fire cooling. The Player Characters must investigate what killed them. A search of their bodies may reveal the cause of death; strangulation if they have any sort of Anatomy, Physiology, or Healing skills. Something killed these men, and it is up there stalking the Player Characters as their next victims. A stealthy plant or aquatic monster with a preference for strangulation and/or drowning is the suggestion for the adversary.