A distant relative of one of the players (Mrs. McGirr) recently passed away and left a house and belongings to one of the player characters in her will. The house is in the Village of Colebrook, a small family-centric community with a stout following of an agricultural religion based on fundamentalist ideas – the Way of the Oak and Field. Unknown to the players and part of the mystery lies in the murder of Michael McMasters by the village elders, led by Richard and John Starling to ensure social control and the power of their religious sect.

The players arrive at the town in the afternoon before the midnight celebration of the defeat of the Dark Rider and a sermon about how the faith of the Way of the Oak and Field triumphs all. All this culminates with the rising of a Cursed Scarecrow (McMasters) intent on revenge against his killers and anyone else in the way.

The adventure has a slow burn feel to it but an impending climax, the celebration at midnight at the Mill Crossroads. If the players enjoy the mystery, allow them to talk to everyone and build suspicion that this village has some dark secret behind it. They may be intrigued by the clues found in the homes and farms of the various families or even Mrs. McGirr’s home or they may just goof off in the town until the Cursed Scarecrow rises and attacks in the middle of the John Starling’s midnight sermon. The players won’t know about the Cursed Scarecrow until he arrives. Once the players defeat the Cursed Scarecrow, a ghostly version of McMasters appears and reveals the truth of the evil of the elders and the Starling family along with a rather stunning surprise.

If your players are murder mystery solvers, extend play as long as they are having fun. To help with this, each area has important tidbits and clues for you to work with. If your players are more hack and slash oriented and find chatting with town folk boring, simply change the time of day to after sunset a mere few hours before the celebration at midnight at the Mill Crossroads.