10/30/2025

Happy Thursday, and welcome back to Tabletop Thoughts!

This week’s Drop-In is perfect for those of you ready to lean into the fog and shadows — it’s an eerie, one-page encounter for Shadowdark RPG that’ll have your players second-guessing every flicker in the mist.

We’re heading to Hollowmere, a fog-choked village where a cursed lantern glows each All Hallows’ Eve. Follow its light… and you might never return. This October’s Drop-In mixes folk horror, tragic ghosts, and that irresistible supernatural temptation: do your players destroy the lantern, or wield its haunted light?

The Hook: A child has vanished, lured by the pale lantern on the moor. The villagers beg the adventurers for help before sunrise — and offer what little they can for the deed.

Key Locations:

• The Fog Road: Visibility drops to a few feet; whispering voices tempt travelers off the path.
• Hollowmere Bog: Black water, a half-sunken watch post, and the ghostly lantern itself. Touch it unwisely and awaken the Drowned Lanternkeeper.
• The Drowned Watchman’s Rest: A flooded hollow beneath the bog, where the long-dead watchman’s story waits to be heard — or avenged.

Monsters: From Drowned Servants to Hollow Spirits, and the terrifying Drowned Lanternkeeper, there’s danger at every step. Adjust for party level and watch your adventurers sweat!

Treasure & Choices: Will they return the lantern to Marla Weave, the chapel’s keeper, and sanctify it — ending the curse? Or keep its haunted power for one night, risking their souls? The Lantern of Hollowmere glows beautifully… but it comes at a cost.

NPC Spotlight: Marla Weave is kind but burdened, a superstitious woman with weathered skin and a voice like soft gravel. She can bless, advise, or sanctify — but if the lantern is kept, she visits dreams to remind the heroes of the light they now carry.

Whether your players are low-level explorers or veteran shadow-walkers, The Lantern of Hollowmere is a compact, atmospheric adventure that fits neatly into any spooky swamp or moor session. Add fog, shifting silhouettes, and a touch of cold water to bring the terror alive!

Keep on gaming!