Murder at the Old Wolf Inn

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Note

This has been modified version from the original adventure (full credits, below). It has been changed to fit the world of Antheros and the Haven Irregulars campaign.

Overview

As you seek shelter from lashing rain and fierce winds, you arrive at the Old Wolf Inn.

However, a dead body has just been discovered at the roadside inn. But the guest doesn’t appear to have died of natural causes. In fact, all evidence indicates foul play – and suggests that someone at the inn is a killer.

As the raging storm draws closer, you must solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again.

Welcome to an evening at the Old Wolf Inn, where a web of mysteries, hidden clues, and secret intrigues await.

about this adventure

Murder at the Old Wolf Inn is an adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game (5e). It is designed for a group of three to five 2nd-level characters, but includes scalable encounters to suit any level from 1 to 20.

This mystery adventure is inspired by the author and queen of crime Agatha Christie. The adventure can be used in any campaign or as an intriguing side quest. Some locations and events mean that the adventure works particularly well as a part of the Eastern Farraway Adventures campaign, but the adventure can easily be adapted to other settings.

featured content

• An investigation mystery adventure inspired by Agatha Christie!
• Nine NPCs (including the unfortunate victim) with background descriptions, agendas, and secrets.
• A detailed map of the tavern the Old Wolf Inn with 22 rooms to search for clues.
• Open sandbox adventure.
• New monster: Stenbumling troll.
• New magic item: Zacki Buttercup’s Extraordinary Bathtub.
• Legend & Lore: The Gate at Oxgate.
• Original full-colour illustrations and maps.

additional downloads

Maps, VTT tokens, handouts, and pre-made characters for the adventure can be downloaded here.

synopsis

The characters are travelling along a trade road when a sudden storm forces them to seek shelter at a nearby inn. On their way, the characters encounter a stenbumling troll (a new monster for this adventure) that has been roused from its hibernation. When the characters have dealt with the creature, they arrive at the Old Wolf Inn at dusk.

However, a dead body has just been found at the rustic inn. Since anyone among the current guests can be the murderer, Kara Tanner, a Winterhold Guard, asks the characters for their help.

The characters must identify the murderer before the storm passes, or the guests will leave, and the culprit might never be found.

optional: a non-violent finale

This adventure can be played as a murder mystery without the need for physical conflict. In this scenario, if the correct suspect is accused of the murder, they grudgingly admit their crime. The guards then take them to Winterhold, where they will face justice.

how to run this adventure

This mystery is a classic investigation adventure with an open sandbox-style structure. The characters can interview the NPCs and search the tavern for clues. However, not all NPCs are willing to let strangers go through their rooms and belongings.

There are plenty of revealing details and clues to be found, but the characters must decide which are solid leads, false information, or simply red herrings. If the characters get stuck, the DM can nudge them back on track by letting an NPC share a vital piece of information.

The DM is encouraged to create a sense of unease by reminding the characters that while the inn is warm and cosy, they are trapped there because of the storm – and one of its friendly guests is a callous murderer!

However, the most important part of the adventure is to have fun while trying to solve the mystery.

Adventure Flowchart

Before the Adventure Begins

The Old Wolf Inn is a rustic roadside inn owned and managed by Inga Broadhammer, a retired dwarven adventurer. It is situated near Oxgate, a market town located on the border between the North Star region and Buckwild. The old trade road outside the inn leads to Stenur Keep and connects the towns of Winterhold and Redbridge.

Oxgate is located at the end of a valley and surrounded by mountainous regions such as Wyver’s Hill and Craig Top. The steep, rugged mountains are home to gnolls, orcs, and goblins. The area is also often foggy, which makes passing through it even more perilous.

markets and tolls

Oxgate has been a market town for many centuries. During the weekend before the spring equinox, it hosts a livestock market where sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, poultry and horses of all breeds and temperaments are sold. There is also an autumn harvest market where crops, salted meat and seeds are for sale. In addition, there is a small crafting midwinter market that mainly attracts locals, as the roads close at first snow.

The valley that cradles Oxgate is divided by an ancient 15-foot-tall stone wall that was once constructed for military purposes. A pair of massive double doors in solid iron are fitted into the wall’s arched gate, and regional lore claims that twelve strong oxen were required to open and close the doors, which gave rise to the town’s name. Nowadays, the doors are always open, but the Winterhold Guards collect tolls and taxes at the gate due to its practical location.

smuggling and contraband

Of course, there are those who trade in goods of a dubious nature or simply dislike paying taxes and toll fees. Such merchants often hire bandits or unscrupulous rangers to guide them through the mountains. Others opt to transport their goods through the tunnels underneath the mountains, but this is a hazardous venture. Many of the tunnels were created long ago by a purple worm, and while they make for easy travel, it is easy to lose one’s way. What’s worse, beasts and monsters alike hunt the tunnels for prey – and the drow sometimes use them for their nightly raids.

a questionable innkeeper

The innkeeper at the Old Wolf Inn, Inga Broadhammer, isn’t crooked at heart, but she struggles to make ends meet. She retired from adventuring several years ago, bought a tumbledown tavern, and spent all her coin on renovating it. Due to the uneven flow of customers and long winters, Inga sometimes earns some extra coin by storing contraband in a secret basement room.

Some of the inn’s current guests are aware of Inga’s questionable dealings. William Fastfinger is a former smuggler and knows about the inn’s hideaway, and Vittra Northdaughter has seen smugglers delivering goods at the inn at night.

guards on alert

The dark elves’ raids near Winterhold have recently increased, so the roads are patrolled by guards who search for signs of drow ambushes, as well as highwaymen, smugglers, and other illicit activity.

Lieutenant Artemis Nahanna, Kara Tanner and Jon Callion from the Winterhold Guards have been scouting the area around Oxgate. Kara is second in command, while Jon is a new but ambitious recruit.

The soldiers patrol in pairs, and during a recent patrol, Artemis and Jon found an abandoned carriage peppered with black-feathered crossbow bolts. To Jon’s growing exasperation, Artemis also discovered footprints that led to a nearby cave, which showed signs of having been used by the drow for storing loot and captives abducted on raids.

Artemis realised that the cave would be a perfect location for the Winterhold Guards to ambush the drow. He decided to immediately inform his superior, Captain Osil Twoaxe, about his findings.

murder, he wrote

However, Jon Callion already knew about the cave. He has been supplying the drow with information recently to help them elude the patrols. His plan is to rise in rank by double-crossing the drow and revealing their operations when the time is right.

When Artemis stumbled upon the cave, Jon knew that his scheme was in jeopardy, and he callously decided to kill Artemis. His first murder attempt was to place burdocks under the saddle of Artemis’ horse and cause a riding accident. But while Artemis did fall off his horse, he suffered only a broken rib.

Jon decided to bide his time and wait for a better opportunity – and he found it at the Old Wolf Inn.

the death of Artemis Nahanna

Upon arriving at the inn, Jon purchased a healing potion from the merchant Hugo von Silverton. He carefully removed the label from the healing potion and attached it to a vial of poison that he had confiscated during an earlier mission.

Later that evening, Jon gave the false healing potion to Artemis, who was in pain because of his broken ribs. However, Jon’s visit was noticed by the guest Cael Thraelive, who saw Jon enter Artemis’ room.

When Jon left, Artemis drank the potion without realising that it was poison, and died within an hour. Later, Jon returned to Artemis’ room and took the pages from the report that Artemis had begun writing.

red herrings and fishy affairs

Lieutenant Artemis Nahanna had a tendency to take full advantage of the hospitality that roadside inns and taverns are legally required to offer patrolling soldiers. Although Inga Broadhammer always treats the Winterhold Guards courteously, she has become weary of offering them free meals and accommodation, especially as her finances are strained. She also worries that they somehow will find out that she collaborates with smugglers.

Therefore, during the evening before Artemis was murdered, Inga sprinkled a generous dose of ground frog leaves onto Artemis’ dinner. Her plan was to make Artemis feel unwell and cause him to think that he had eaten spoiled food, which in the future would make him avoid the inn.

However, Inga is unaware that Artemis was poisoned by Jon later that evening, so she believes that she murdered him by mistake. She is also concerned that the hermit, Enoch the Birdwhisperer, who gathered the frog leaves, will accidentally tell someone about it.

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table-of-contents

Introduction

    - Mysterious Clues

    - Arriving at the Inn

    - Solving the Murder

    - Interviewing the Suspects

    - The Crime Scene

    - Rooms at the Old Wolf Inn

    - Unfolding the Mystery

    - Rewards and Aftermath

    - Appendix

NPC’s

    - Artemis Nahanna

    - Cael Thraelive

    - Enoch the Birdwhisperer

    - Hugo von Silverton

    - Inga Broadhammer

    - Jon Callion

    - Kara Tanner

    - Vittra Northdaughter

    - William Fastfinger

Monsters

    - Stenbumling Troll

Link to original

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Credits

ISBN: 978-1-0683621-0-1

All content © Tove Lund Jorgensen and Erik Jorgensen 2025. First Edition.

Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.;

Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend

Based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson

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