TEXT: a dozen dire  rumors • page 1
  A Dozen Dire Rumors © 2020 Philip Reed, all rights reserved. 
  Some artwork © Grim Press, used with permission. All rights reserved.
  In addition to serving well as flavor and background to 
  your campaign, you may also find that rumors are suit-
  able sparks for side quests. When used in such a man-
  ner, the rumor becomes much more than atmosphere 
  that gives your adventure the illusion of existing in a 
  much deeper world. As with any creative seed, the doz-
  en rumors described on the following pages may be ex-
  panded as you see fit.
  Once you take a rumor and turn it into more than back-
  ground chatter that the player characters overhear and 
  ignore, you’ve positioned yourself as a creator of ad-
  ventures. Congratulations, gamemaster, for stepping 
  beyond the role of referee and for entering the role of 
  storyteller.
  a dozen  
  dire rumors
  by philip reed
  “Side quests are peripheral to  
  the characters’ primary goal,  
  but successfully completing a  
  side quest might provide a  
  benefit toward completing  
  the primary goal.”
  – Dungeon Master’s Guide 
  (5th Edition)
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 2
  anatomy 
  of a 
  rumor
  using the rumors
  1. A title, to help set the mood.
  2. Flavor text appears in italics. You may use 
  this text as read aloud text, or you may pre-
  fer to use it as inspiration and reword the 
  flavor text in your own language.
  3. Each rumor includes an overview of the 
  general idea to get your creative muscles 
  humming. Adapt as you see fit!
  4. There are true and false options for each of 
  the rumors, providing you with some ideas 
  on how the rumors might play out. Wheth-
  er or not a rumor is true or false is your call.
  5. Each rumor includes an illustration to 
  help spark your imagination as you think 
  through how to best use the rumor in your 
  campaign.
  The dozen rumors detailed on the following pages are 
  first and foremost meant to get your imagination run-
  ning. As the gamemaster, you’re constantly under pres-
  sure to devise scenes and stories and to keep the action 
  flowing, always entertaining the players and as much a 
  playwright as you are a movie director. 
  Atmosphere. The rumor isn’t intended to do anything 
  more than add some depth to the campaign setting. 
  You never intend for the players to act on the rumor; 
  it is merely being used to make the campaign feel like 
  there’s more going on outside of the player characters’ 
  sphere of influence.
  Breadcrumbs. Perhaps you’re building to something, 
  an encounter against a rival or a larger in-world event 
  that will shake the player characters and the NPCs. 
  When used in this way, the rumors are leading to an ad-
  venture of your own design that, in some way or other, 
  incorporates the rumors in such a way that the players 
  get the feeling you’ve mapped things out in advance.
  Adventure Seed. If you’re feeling especially inspired 
  and creative, you can select any rumor and expand it 
  out into a full adventure. In the sample rumor, above, 
  the party is promised an epic battle if they set out to 
  engage the ogres, trolls, and orcs that are approaching 
  the city. Expanding this rumor into an adventure will 
  require you to map the surrounding area, provide sta-
  tistics for the monsters, and perhaps toss in a few allies 
  – other adventurers, city guards, thrillseekers – who join 
  the party in seeking out and attacking the army.
  1
  5
  2
  3
  4
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 3
  foreboding feathers
  “It were the size of a giant, wings 
  easily stretching twenty feet and 
  as black as night. The creature 
  rode on the winds, a trail of blue 
  fire following its every move. Me 
  and the others watched it for several 
  minutes before losing sight as it flew be-
  hind the towers of the watch hall.”
  Louise Fromm is known and respected throughout the 
  city, her role as lead clerk of the town watch is one that 
  gives her access to a lot of information. Fromm has nev-
  er been one to tell tales, so when she started speaking 
  of a giant bird overflying the city, those who knew her 
  looked to the sky and completely trusted her.
  Fromm’s story is one that is told and retold throughout 
  the city, and the PCs eventually overhear several peo-
  ple arguing over what the creature could have been 
  while the party is buying supplies at the town market. 
  Surprisingly, the story has remained almost exactly as 
  Fromm told it with little embellishment. People so trust 
  the woman that they try very hard to repeat her story 
  exactly as she shared it. 
  If they ask around, the PCs are soon directed to the 
  watch office and Louise Fromm. The woman tells the 
  same story as the group has already heard, refusing to 
  change her tale one bit. She knows not what the thing 
  was or where it could have gone to.
  True. A wizard’s familiar was struck by a spell and the 
  creature is now giant, angry, and empowered with the 
  ability to cast low-level spells. If the PCs start looking 
  around, they soon hear of Mark Littauer, a wizard who is 
  looking for a giant and unusual bird.
  False. Fromm saw something, but it wasn’t a monster. A 
  tinkerer constructed a large kite and the winds caught 
  it, carrying it away. The kite is crashed outside of the city.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 4
  fear of the frost giant
  “With winter coming, it be time we gather any limbs and 
  downed trees that we can before the guards barricade the 
  west gate. No reason to risk the long way around the city 
  later this winter, when the snows fall and the winds threat-
  en to rip the flesh from a man’s face, just because we failed 
  to remember that the guards always seal off that gate 
  these days.”
  The adventurers are walking the streets of 
  the city when they see an elderly man 
  surrounded by several children, all 
  between the ages of seven and 
  eleven or so. Each listens as 
  the man speaks and, once 
  he finishes talking, all of 
  the children head in the 
  direction of the west gate.
  If they stop any of the 
  children and ask what is happening, the kids tell the he-
  roes that they’re going to collect what wood they can 
  manage and bring it back. The man, they identify him as 
  Hugo, pays them copper for the wood that they deliver.
  Talking to the elderly man, Hugo Bischoff, the PCs learn 
  that he is paying the children to bring as much wood 
  as they can before the guards close the west gate 
  for the winter. If pressed for details on why the 
  gate is closed tight at winter, Bischoff tells 
  them that it is to keep the frost 
  giant from getting into the city 
  during the cold months.
  True. Asking around the 
  city, the PCs learn that the 
  guards do close the west 
  gate during the winter. 
  Several years ago, a frost 
  giant entered the city 
  through the gate and in-
  flicted a lot of damage 
  on some of the buildings 
  within several blocks of 
  the gate, and it managed 
  to escape before it could 
  be stopped. Ever since 
  then, the guards choose 
  to seal the gate rather than 
  risk the giant again attack-
  ing the people of the city.
  False. The story of a frost 
  giant assaulting the city is 
  one that has grown with the 
  telling, and what was once a 
  rumor is now seen as a fact. 
  There are no giants nearby, but 
  the gate is closed and guards 
  posted at it throughout the win-
  ter; they refuse to allow anyone to 
  enter or exit the city through the sealed 
  gate. If the PCs can prove to the people that 
  there are no giants to fear, and convince them to 
  open the gate, they will be treated as heroes.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 5
  the beast
  in the  
  water
  “I’ve been on that ship a decade if it has been a day, and I’ve 
  never seen anything like that which attacked us last week. It 
  were the size of the great tower you see out that window, and 
  it thrashed in the water with those giant tentacles so much 
  that I was sure we would be splintered and drowned. We only 
  managed to escape when something below the waters caught 
  the beast’s attention; it must have been a meal far meatier and 
  tastier than we could provide something so incredibly massive.”
  Standing in line for bread and cheese in the town market, 
  you and your companions join Zianon Kipel in casual con-
  versation that soon turns interesting. The man, once a sailor, 
  has a story to tell about why he retired from the sea and 
  now spends his days working as a guard for some of the 
  merchants operating stalls in the market.
  “I wouldn’t go out again, not after what I saw,” Kipel says after 
  describing the terror of the sea monster. “The only thing you 
  will find if you set off to search for that beast is a one-way ticket 
  to Wreck Haven. I’ve certainly no interest in finding myself lost 
  in that town of castaways.”
  If the PCs are unfamiliar with Wreck Haven*, Kipel describes 
  it as a small village on an island somewhere beyond the sea. 
  The village has only a few hundred inhabitants, every single 
  one was once lost at sea and eventually found themselves 
  on a beach. The town is built from what wreckage finds its 
  way to the island, and those who have heard of the place 
  say that it is far too dangerous to willingly visit.
  True. Kipel was once a sailor and did retire from the life 
  when the ship he was on was smashed to pieces by an un-
  known monster. He refuses to go on another ship, no matter 
  what money is offered, though he will direct the PCs to a 
  trustworthy captain who will take the adventurers out in his 
  ship (for a price, of course). If the PCs can find the monster 
  and slay it, those who harvest the blubber of whales will pay 
  handsomely for the carcass of this beast that is as valuable a 
  source of blubber as any whale.
  False. Kipel was definitely on a ship that was destroyed at 
  sea, but it wasn’t a sea monster. The ship smashed itself on 
  rocks during a storm, and the captain and crew told a sto-
  ry so that the owner of the ship could collect the insurance 
  money. The insurance company will pay a reward if some-
  one brings proof of the what really happened to the ship.
  * To learn more about the village of Wreck Haven,  
  please see the Delve Second Edition roleplaying game by FGFantasy, 
  available at www.drivethrurpg.com.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 6
  a demonic threat
  “I were there, I say! We were six days’ ride from the city when 
  we found the ruins of the keep. It were late in the day when 
  we reached the once-great fortress, and we decided that 
  making camp in the courtyard of the keep were preferred 
  to sleeping out in the greater unknown. Things were quiet 
  and uneventful for most of the night, until it stepped from 
  whatever cosmic portal connects the keep to that outer 
  hell where it came from. I thought we would be forced to 
  defend ouselves from the devil, but it only spoke and not 
  once moved to attack. I’m still having troubles sleeping at 
  nights since hearing that thing’s horrible voice.”
  The elf reaches out his hand in greeting 
  when he notices you paying close 
  attention to his tale. “Lyari Elban-
  ise,” he says as he shakes your 
  hand. “I couldn’t help but no-
  tice you listening in, and 
  I’d be happy to answer 
  any questions that 
  you may have.”
  Elbanise is an 
  elven mage, 
  a veteran of 
  many adven-
  tures and not 
  afraid to con-
  front any who 
  call him a liar.
  The elf tells of 
  how the demon 
  stared at his party 
  for hours and then 
  turned and vanished 
  through the portal. El-
  banise holds up a small 
  ruby, finely cut and polished, 
  and shows it to the group. “This 
  was resting on the ground near the 
  portal once the monster left us. If you 
  wish to see the site, I charge 20 gold per day 
  and its only three days to the ruins of the keep. 
  Allow me to grab my gear and I can be ready to go 
  in the morning.”
  True. The elf did encounter a demon, and true to his 
  word he leads the PCs to the keep. Once there, he 
  suggests that they make camp and wait overnight. Of 
  course, he refuses to stay the night and wants nothing 
  to do with whatever demon may appear. The PCs will 
  have to force the elf if they expect him to stay overnight.
  False. Lyari Elbanise is a thief looking to lead others out 
  of the city where he and his friends can rob them.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 7
  a stranger
  brings doom
  “Seven murdered on the road to High-
  town last night, is what my friends in 
  the watch are saying. It were the work 
  of a necromancer and the foul caster 
  is still out there somewhere, no doubt 
  intent on slaughtering every one of us 
  so that he can turn us into his undead 
  servants. Take care when you go into 
  the alley to relieve yourself; the necro-
  mancer may be waiting in the dark.”
  Jozelin Benoist, trapper and furrier, 
  opens his mouth to speak but quick-
  ly closes it as the door behind you 
  opens. He wipes his greasy hands on 
  his tunic after setting down the tur-
  key leg. Looking across the table at 
  you, he smiles and laughs nervously.
  “I’m kidding you lot, though, and 
  there’s nothing to fear out there in the 
  dark. Everything is as safe as safe can 
  be in these parts.”
  Another man sits beside you and 
  holds out his hand to shake. “I’m Lom 
  Barayev, constable. Good to meet you 
  fine souls. What is your business here?”
  Barayev presses you until he is satis-
  fied with your answers. “May be best if 
  you continue on in the morning, folks. 
  We know you have treasures to seek 
  out and monsters to slay.” He then 
  chats to a few others before setting 
  out into the night.
  Benoist checks over his shoulder and 
  motions you closer. He whispers: “I 
  hear the constable is a partner of the 
  necromancer. Be careful.”
  True. The necromancer and consta-
  ble aren’t partners; the constable is 
  the necromancer! If he suspects that 
  the adventurers are on to him, he will 
  ambush them once they are a few 
  miles outside of the city. He fights to 
  the death and won’t surrender.
  False. There is no necromancer and the constable is only doing his 
  job, keeping adventurers forever moving onward and not allowing 
  them to spend too long in town. Benoist is a thief and a murderer, and 
  he has been using the necromancer story as a way to conceal why 
  some have been recently murdered.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 8
  a manticore’s den
  “You know that crumbling tower near Platinum Lake? I 
  was out fishing at the lake last month, hailing in trout to 
  sell in the town market when I saw a beast land on the 
  tower and enter through the roof. I wasn’t brave enough 
  to investigate, but I recognized it for what is was: a man-
  ticore. I know not how long it has lived in the ruins of the 
  tower, but I’m betting some adventurer or other would pay 
  a few gold for directions to the beast’s lair.”
  All his life, Todor Pesic has lived in a shack on the out-
  skirts of the city. It was his mother’s home during his 
  youth, and the shack was left to him when she died sev-
  eral years ago. Pesic has no family and no job, and he is 
  often found in and around the city working what jobs 
  he can find and struggling to earn enough for some 
  gruel and a round or two of beer at the local 
  tavern. The man doesn’t save, rarely thinks 
  ahead, and is always desperate. If the ad-
  venturers ask for info, he’s happy to 
  share it . . . for a price.
  The man is willing to take as little as a single gold for 
  directions to the lake and the tower, but he refuses to 
  act as a guide for any less than three gold. Wise dun-
  geoneers will hold off on paying Pesic until they are 
  standing at the base of the tower.
  True. A manticore has turned the top few floors of the 
  abandoned tower into its den, where it has lived for sev-
  eral months. The creature has collected random trea-
  sures, mostly cast off and broken gear, though it does 
  have a small chest of gold that it found several weeks 
  ago, and it is protective of its home and likely to fight to 
  the death against any intruders.
  False. It isn’t that Pesic is lying, but that he 
  was mistaken in what he saw enter the 
  tower. A young dragon has taken up 
  residence in the tower, and it is 
  far more dangerous than 
  any manticore.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 9
  the goblin’s potions
  “Poison is more like it, I hear. That little squeegthon of a goblin is out there right 
  now, trying to sell those so-called potions to the fools who dare to trust such a one 
  as a goblinoid. The watch says the creature hasn’t committed an offense and is 
  free to move about the city, but I says the watchmen are weak cowards who are 
  no doubt paid gold by that squeethon; why else would watchmen allow such a 
  monster as a goblin to sell such dangerous concoctions to any one of us?”
  Over the chatter of the tavern, you can hear someone at one of the 
  tables in the back slamming his fist on the table and ranting 
  about a goblin potionseller who seems to have truly frustrat-
  ed this man. Overhearing his friends at the table trying to 
  calm him, you soon make out that his name is Romund 
  Wictred and that he has something of a deep and 
  excessive hatred for all goblins. 
  “Maybe it is time we find that little squeegthon 
  and take care of it before the thing forces too 
  many more of its wares on the people of the city.”
  Wictred rises to his feet and then stumbles, 
  slumping back down in his seat. The man has 
  clearly had too many drinks and is in no condi-
  tion to do anything about goblins whether they 
  are crooked and evil or not.
  True. Asking around, you soon learn that the 
  goblin’s name is Clorx Pluikks and that he has 
  been selling all sorts of potions to those with 
  enough coins to satisfy the goblin’s greed. Many 
  of the potions are as the goblin describes them 
  – mostly healing and low-level strength potions 
  that he stole from a wizard – but there are also 
  some poisons mixed into the supply. The goblin 
  isn’t aware that any of the potions he is selling are 
  poisons, though, and is only looking to make as 
  much as he can off of the stolen goods before the 
  wizard that he victimized chases him down and 
  inflicts some permanent justice on the thief.
  False. It isn’t false that there’s a goblin selling 
  potions – Clorx Pluikks is definitely selling every 
  potion he has managed to steal – but it is false that they are in any 
  way poisonous or dangerous. Still, the goblin is being chased by 
  the wizard who he has wronged so Pluikks wants to sell everything 
  and vanish as fast as he can. Perhaps the wizard hires the PCs to 
  help him in capturing the goblin thief?
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 10
  the silent hunter
  “Word from the people of Hightown is that he 
  rides a frosnoc and is forever clothed by the 
  frozen winds and ice of the plane of snows. 
  The warrior is said to never speak and only 
  communicates by gesturing with his long, 
  frost-encrusted sword. I’ve not heard tale of 
  him murdering, but there’s no chance that 
  something so strange and powerful isn’t here 
  for anything less than evil.”
  As the adventurers are shopping for gear in the 
  town bazaar, they strike up a conversation with 
  Wimbeck Tagber, a gnomish bookmaker who is tak-
  ing bets on the gladitorial events that are scheduled 
  for tomorrow. The gnome is friendly and open, ready 
  to talk for so long as the PCs remain at his booth. He tells 
  the party of a strange, silent warrior who others report has 
  been seen outside of town every day for the last few weeks. The 
  gnome has no details beyond what he has already shared, though 
  he does think that it is an evil entity and one that is best avoided.
  Later that day, while still in the bazaar, screams and shouts from the 
  crowd rise and soon the buzzing word that “the hunter has killed” 
  reaches the party. The people are talking only of the rumor of 
  murder now, and the town watch has reportedly set out to find 
  the hunter and kill him.
  True. There is an odd hunter from another world stalking the 
  forests near the town, and the creature is doing all that it can 
  to murder any evil that it encounters. The Silent Hunter never 
  speaks, because it is a magical force of nature and not a living 
  being, and it will only defend itself if attacked by those of a good 
  or neutral alignment. If it encounters evil, the thing attacks with 
  no mercy and will do all it can to kill the evil character or creature.
  The Silent Hunter was summoned by a sorceress, the elf Aila Aebella, 
  and she rushes to tell the watch and the people of the town if they 
  move to attack the strange being. Aebella brought the thing here to 
  help her defeat a force of goblins that are hiding in the forest; the gob-
  lins killed her brother and she now seeks revenge. 
  False. There is no creature in the forest. The rumor started when a child 
  saw a dark figure on horseback late one night, and it has now grown 
  out of control. The people screaming that the thing has killed are con-
  fused; a citizen was killed by a bear and their wild imagination has tak-
  en it from there.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 11
  a pirate king’s gold
  “What I heard is that there’s a chest of gold somewhere on that island, buried decades 
  ago by Kevin Rodin before he were captured and put to death. The Pirate King never did 
  tell where he buried the riches, but those who knew him were said to have known the 
  spot and to have hinted that it were on the eastern side of the island. No one has yet 
  been able to find the chest or claim the gold.”
  When visiting Ebenezer’s 
  Common Room, one of 
  the many taverns in the 
  city, the party overhears a man 
  named Henry Cliffscribe telling 
  tales with to his friends in exchange 
  for drinks. Cliffscribe is a bit of a drunk 
  (see A Dozen Sinister Rumors), and 
  he can often be found in this very 
  tavern spending what little coin he 
  has managed to collect. 
  The adventurers, always in search of any 
  leads that may direct them to riches, are cer-
  tainly interested when they hear Cliffscribe’s story of buried 
  treasure, and it is only a matter of time before the drunk is doing his 
  best to convince the party to buy him another drink. 
  Cliffscribe says that he heard of the treasure years ago, when his father 
  told him the tale of Rodin and the island, and he soon starts spinning 
  lies in an attempt to keep the drinks flowing. There’s a very good 
  chance that the PCs recognize the lies and soon ig-
  nore the man, so he reveals one last bit of informa-
  tion if he feels that he is losing them.
  “I know where the map to the treasure is,” Cliffscribe 
  tells them if they start to rise.
  True. The man really does know where the map is, but 
  he won’t share the info until he gets another drink in 
  him. Once satisfied, Cliffscribe tells the adventurers that 
  they can find the map in the Dungeon of Owls, an ancient 
  tomb on one of the many islands that are off the coast of 
  the city. Getting the map from the tomb may be a chal-
  lenge as great as finding the buried treasure.
  False. Cliffscribe has no knowledge of the map, but he 
  is desperate for drink and so far gone that he will say 
  anything to keep the party paying for his ale. They’re 
  sure to be angry when they find out that he is lying.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 12
  do not cross
  the angry sea
  “All dead! The ship was lost and there were no survivors. 
  If it weren’t for the crew of the Ocean’s Depth, we would 
  never know what had happened to the missing vessel. 
  Just last week I met sailors from the Depth, and they told 
  how they watched the beast come up from the waters and 
  smash the ship to kindling. You wouldn’t catch me out on 
  that sea these days.”
  The man is roughly thirty winters of age and has cap-
  tured quite the audience as he tells tale after tale, shar-
  ing news of the outside world for so long as the drinks 
  keep flowing. Skeptical PCs will no doubt question ev-
  ery tale, but the locals are enraptured with the storytell-
  er and ask question after question.
  If the PCs stop the man and chat with him, they soon 
  learn that his name is Umed Bahar and he is happy to sit 
  and talk; he immediately asks them to buy him a drink.
  “I know not what the beast was, and I didn’t see it with my 
  own eyes, but this isn’t the first time that I have heard of a 
  sea monster out there in the waters.” 
  If the PCs press for more information, Bahar suggests 
  that they visit the docks where they’ll find sailors who 
  are certain to know more.
  True. There is something out there in the water, yes, 
  and the sailors who travel the sea report that something 
  large has been spotted several times over the last few 
  weeks. The sea monster is a demon from the elemental 
  plane of waters, and it was brought to this world by the 
  acts of a mad wizard.
  False. There are monsters in the sea, as there have al-
  ways been, but there’s nothing unusual or remarkable 
  out there in the water.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 13
  a promise of riches to 
  those who will help
  “He said he will be back later tonight, and any who wish to join him are certain to 
  close out the week with more gold in their pocket than they’ve ever held before. He 
  wouldn’t say what the job was, only that it were for the bravest of men and those 
  who were willing to get wet and were strong of body and mind. I’m just waiting 
  now for him to get here so I can learn more; you better believe that I’m not afraid of 
  some work if it means a fortune in gold.”
  Late one night at the tavern, the adventurers get into a deep conversation with 
  an aged halfling who tells them that he is there waiting for a job. The promise 
  of gold is all it takes to get the halfling’s attention, and he encourages the PCs 
  to wait around a little longer for the elf with the plan who is expected soon.
  “So you wish to join our group,” the elf asks of you after he arrives. Tanyth 
  Cramaris is an elven fighter who has spent decades exploring the dun-
  geons and tombs of the world. He arrives shortly after the PCs speak 
  with the halfling, and he immediately hears of their interest in his offer of 
  work. “We’re raiding the Black Tower of Bal-Curz,” the elf says. “The town is 
  only a few days’ ride, and I’ve learned that the sorcerers in the tower are sit-
  ting on magical treasures that are ours if we are brave enough to take them.”
  The elf has made arrangements with a caravan of merchants for he and 
  his party to serve as bodyguards to the caravan, so there’s a promise 
  of certain pay to any who join the adventure. If the PCs choose to join 
  Cramaris, it soon turns out that they are the only members of the par-
  ty. Everyone else is too scared of the journey and tower to join in.
  True. Tanyth Cramaris does know of the Black Tower of Bal-Curz, 
  but he has no special insight or information beyond the rumors that 
  many speak of the tower. The caravan pays guards one gold per day 
  of the ride to Bal-Curz (which is as far away as the GM says it is), but 
  once the party reaches the town, they soon learn that Cramaris is 
  hoping for the best and making it up as he goes along. If the adven-
  turers wish to try and infilitrate the Black Tower – a dark and oddly out-
  of-place structure that rises high above the mercant district of Bal-Curz 
  – they’ll pretty much have to take control of the adventure since the elf 
  has no plan.
  False. The elf has only heard rumors of the Black Tower and there is no 
  caravan. He feigns surprise when the merchants fail to show in the morn-
  ing and suggests that they proceed to Bal-Curz without the caravan.
  * To learn more about the town of Bal-Curz and the mysterious Black Tower,  
  please see the Tower of the Black Sorcerers adventure by Dungeoneers Guild Games, 
  available at www.dungeoneersguildgames.com.
  
  a dozen dire  rumors • page 14
  the demon bride
  “Leonid Skudra’s daughter is missing. Jogita was last seen 
  leaving her work at the laundry two weeks ago and van-
  ished before she made it home. Yesterday, Skudra was in 
  here talking about how his daughter was to be wed to a 
  demon and he insisted that only brave adventurers could 
  save the girl before she was taken to the deepest of hells to 
  live eternal life as the demon’s wife. The man left, scared and 
  crying, when he could find no he-
  roes to rescue his daughter.”
  After asking the tavern keeper for 
  any interesting or unusual news, 
  the PCs are regaled with a tale 
  of a local and the daughter who 
  is to wed a demon. The tavern 
  keeper, Rodrigo Egolf, doesn’t 
  know where the wedding is to 
  happen, but he can direct them 
  to Skudra’s home and says that 
  they should find the man there.
  If the adventurers choose to visit 
  Skudra at his home, they are told 
  that the master of the house is 
  unavailable; Skudra has set out 
  to rescue his daughter. Either by 
  tracking Skudra or asking those 
  who may have seen him, the PCs 
  eventually find themselves at an 
  older, large home deep within 
  the city’s oldest neighborhood. 
  A home that, if the locals are to 
  be believed, is haunted.
  True. Jogita Skudra has been 
  taken by a demon and is being 
  forced to marry the creature. 
  The home is that of the demon’s 
  human servant, Vilars Blaus, a 
  wealthy merchant who owes his 
  fortune to the deals his demon 
  master has arranged for him. The 
  PCs reach the home just as the 
  wedding is about to start. Will 
  they save the girl and her father?
  False. It is not a demon that Jogita Skudra is to marry, but 
  only Vilars Blaus who has kidnapped her and drugged 
  her with a love potion. Leonid Skudra has been caught 
  by thugs in the service of Blaus, and the man is bound 
  and captive in the cellar. Can the PCs see through the 
  love potion that has ensnared Jogita, or will they think 
  this is a wedding of love and allow it to happen?
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/A Dozen/A Dozen Dire Rumors.pdf