Overview
Butterskull Ranch occupies a large plot of land on the north side of the Triboar Trail, nestled between two hills. Beyond a ramshackle wooden fence stand cornfields, an apple orchard, gardens, and pasture land. A path breaks off from the trail to lead to a two-story farmhouse next to a pond. West of the farmhouse are the charred remains of a barn and smithy that have been burned to the ground.
Alfonse Kalazorn used to be the sheriff of
Triboar, a town to the east, where he was known as Big Al Kalazorn. He retired a decade ago, but retirement didn’t sit well with him. Looking for a new challenge, he claimed a plot of fertile land along the Triboar Trail and turned it into a cattle and horse ranch. Later, he added a
pig farm,
chicken coops, vegetable gardens, cornfields, and an apple orchard. Most of his money comes from the sale of butter skulls - lumps of butter cleverly molded into the shapes of humanoid skulls. Big Al’s butter is made from the milk of Petunia, his prized
cow.
When the
white dragon Cryovain drove the
orcs out of
Icespire Hold, they descended into the lowlands. Recently, a small band of them attacked the ranch, freeing the pigs before setting fire to the barn and the smithy. A few other animals, including a dozen horses and Petunia the cow, escaped during the blaze. Big Al and five of his ranch hands were not so lucky. In their attempt to fend off the orcs, Big Al was captured and the ranch hands were killed. The only surviving hand escaped on horseback, fled to
Phandalin, and delivered news of the attack.
Pigs harmlessly wander the fields, gardens, and orchard. Between the farmhouse and the gutted barn lie the scattered corpses of two
orcs and five
human ranch hands swarming with flies. The bodies carry nothing of value.
The Farmhouse
The farmhouse is a two-story log building with a pitched, shingled roof and a stone chimney. Its wooden doors are set with iron handles and hinges. Its windows are fitted with wooden shutters that can be bolted shut from inside, but are usually open.
There are a total of nine raucous
orcs dwelling in the farmhouse, consuming Big Al’s ale and food stores. The orcs are not expecting trouble, but they fight to the death.
B1. Kitchen
The front door of the house leads into this area, which holds a large butter churn, worktables, empty shelves, and hanging pots and pans. Atop a small table is a skull-shaped wooden butter mold.
There are three
orcs in here, consuming the last of Big Al’s food stores.
B2. Empty Foyer
A creaky wooden staircase ascends from here to area B5.
B3. Dining Room
This room contains two wooden trestle tables flanked by benches. Cattle skulls on the walls add to the décor.
B4. Downstairs Closet
This closet contains shelves holding dinnerware.
B5. Common Room
Padded chairs and game tables are arranged about this room. Scattered on the floor are
Three-Dragon Ante playing cards and wooden
Dragonchess pieces.
B6. Big Al's Bedroom
A large bed and a bulky cedar wardrobe dominate this room, which also has framed paintings of landscapes hanging on the walls.
Anyone who searches the wardrobe and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check finds a secret compartment at the bottom, stuffed inside which is a suit of
mithral chain mail.
There is an
orc in here, ransacking Big Al's bedroom.
B7. Ranch Hands' Bedrooms
Each of these rooms contains two beds and two
chests. Each chest contains a set of neatly folded
common clothes and a
trinket.
B8. Big Al's Office
Big Al’s desk is buried under stacks of ledgers and papers chronicling ten years’ worth of business transactions.
Anyone who searches the messy office finds a small
sack buried under the paperwork. It contains earnings and wages: a total of 65 gp, 145 sp, and 220 cp.
There is an
orc in here, trying to find anything of value.
B9. Upstairs Closet
This closet contains a mop, a broom, and a
bucket.
B10. Cold Storage Cellar
Wooden doors set against the north side of the farmhouse cover stone stairs leading down to the cellar. The cellar has a dirt floor, walls of mortared stone, and an eight-foot-high plank ceiling braced by wooden pillars. Tied to a chair with 10 feet of
hempen rope is Alfonse Kalazorn (CG male
Tethyrian human veteran) with a burlap
sack pulled over his head. Shelves along the walls are lined with skulls made of butter and protected by a thin coating of wax.
There are four
orcs in here, arguing in Orcish about what to with Big Al.
It takes 1 minute for anyone to free Big Al from his rope bonds. Having been beaten by the orcs, he has 9 hit points remaining and appreciates any healing adventurers can provide. He is also without weapons and armor.
Once liberated, Big Al can be convinced to abandon his ranch by anyone who succeeds on a DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check. But he would rather stay, borrow a weapon, and kill any orcs that remain.
Big Al can’t turn a profit without his prized
cow Petunia. He offers his suit of
mithral chain mail (hidden in area B6) as a reward for her safe return. Adventurers can scour the countryside looking for her. At the end of each hour spent searching, roll a d6. On a roll of 6 while on foot, or on a roll of 5 or 6 while on horseback, adventurers will find the
cow.
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