During the early days of the colonialism of the New World, it was said that, far in the northwest, there lay an artifact of great power that would allow any ruler to bend any individual to her will. This tale was in fact false, and no such artifact existed, but the colonists did not know this. Eager to possess the artifact, the leaders of two rival colonial empires sent massive expeditions westward to find it and bring it back to them. These expeditions took different routes, but eventually encountered each other. With spirits filled with patriotism, the two expeditions fought each other for the right to bring back the non-existant artifact. Neither side was willing to give way, and the death toll was massive on both sides, with the two expeditions being completely shattered, and the survivors were soon done in by the freezing weather and a lack of supplies. Now, the site of the battle is a haunt, inhabited by the souls of all the warriors and explorers who lost their lives fighting a futile battle over something that never existed.
Do you like it?
If you were me, what RP hooks would you use to get the players to journey to the haunted area? In fact, what form would the haunts take?
Well, the most obvious hook is that people still believe the artifact exists and want to try to claim it.
Also, you're saying that this happened during the early days of colonization, so I assume the timeline is far enough along now that settlers might be trying to move into the area. Or better yet advanced parties scouting for routes for the transcontinental railroad.
The spirits of the battle could have suddenly become a lot more active for some reason. Forcing native tribes out of the area and causing a chain reaction of migrations that push previously friendly tribes into settled lands.
The entire expedition was fake. The rumors of the artifact were started by one of the empire's kings in order to have an excuse to send a popular and loyal knight/general/prince on a dangerous fools errand. The king also leaked the rumor to the rival empire so they would send troops to the area increasing the chances of a clash that would kill his imagined rival. Only discovering the full extent of the plot as he lay dying the betrayed nobleman went mad. Now, centuries later he has risen as a death knight and is raising an army of the dead to march and destroy his long-dead betrayers. The PCs are alerted to the situation by the death knight himself as he sends demands for the head of the dead king and declarations of war to the government by undead messengers.
I like the idea of railroad scouts, especially if there was enough trouble in the area to necessitate armed guards (the PCs) for the scouting party.
What magical effects would fit these haunts, though? What should it look like?
How closely are you keeping to RW history here? Were the expeditions sent out by your worlds versions of the English, French, Spanish, Russian, and/or Dutch?
My first haunt thought is cannibalism. If a character is reduced to below 0 HP, then the character that attempts to stabilize him is affected by the haunt. They are overcome with the hunger that the original survivors felt that caused them to turn first on the wounded members of their company. The character must make a will save or start tearing at the flesh of their wounded party member.
The battle caused a local river to run red with blood. As the party tries to cross or navigate the river it suddenly turns to blood again and hacked up body parts start floating past them. After the haunt is over the PC's must stop and wash their blood-stained clothes and equipment or the smell attracts wild animals and monsters.
Immediately following the battle one of the commanders ordered his men to burn the enemy dead in a bonfire. In their haste and anger the soldiers threw enemy wounded onto the fire as well. The haunt caused members of the PC's party who are of the burned soldiers ethnicity to find themselves trapped in a pile of burning corpses. Other members of the party are sickened by a cloud of smoke that reeks overpoweringly of burning hair and flesh.
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I had a few haunts in a battlefield in Pathways 3. It's free. I've contributed haunt articles to most of the Pathways. They're all free and all available through this site.
I would use a lot of minor haunts that produce ghost sounds or harmless illusions, a few minor haunts with more serious effects that can be triggered by undead, and a handful of heavier haunts. Use enough haunts that the players feel embattled.
My 30 Haunts for Ships and Shores has a series of haunts related to a mutiny, the wrecking of a ship upon the rocks, and a battle with some reavers that could have the fluff changed to work for this. It's not free, but it's cheap.
Nastier druid spells and ranger spells often translate well into outdoor haunts. (For example, the spell 'entangle' could be the basis for a field of grasping hands).