The Gray Mare - A Festive Encounter (FREE!)

During the Graymare's winter festivities, the townsfolk have reported strange ghostly sightings, and the preparations for the festivities are suffering from too many usual setbacks. 

Not before long, the heroes realise something is amiss, and that the very celebration itself may be the cause of the town’s problems. 

What could cause these hauntings? Can they still go ahead with the winter festivities? Could this be part of the ghostly legend of the Gray Mare?

About the Project

This project was a collaborative effort between myself, Jess Testa, and Dizzy the Bard.

This encounter uses both the Skill Challenge rules supplement from the DMsGuild, and the Social Combat rules supplement. I'm super excited to include an encounter that uses these rules in an organic manner, and hopefully this gives you an easy reason to use them in your upcoming games!

But it gets even better!

Dizzy will have some audio files out soon on their Patreon. These tracks are the voice of the Gray Mare, as she challenges the adventurers to a rap battle. This is a completely unique experience to TTRPGs that I think will really enhance your game, and bring this boss level encounter to a whole other level.

Why a Rap Battle? - The Mari lwyd

This adventure is inspired by the wassailing folk customs found in Wales, and many parts of England, including the Cotswolds where I live... In the tradition of the Mari Lwyd that inspired this adventure, the Gray Mare and her team go from door to door trying to engage residents into what some might call a ‘rap battle’.

 It is my intent to bring this beloved figure to a wider audience through the medium of tabletop gaming, so that such traditions can continue to live on in a new form.

Map Specifications

This free version of 'The Gray Mare' includes:

• The Full Festive Encounter PDF of 'The Gray Mare'
• A 'Winter Festival' map (Gridded and Gridless)
• A nighttime version of the 'Winter Festival' Map (Gridded and Gridless)
• An easy zip folder containing all the above.

The BARbarian tier post includes:

• Everything from the free post and...
• An Autumn Festival' map (Gridded and Gridless)
• A nighttime version of the 'Autumn Festival' Map (Gridded and Gridless)
• A 'Summer Festival' map (Gridded and Gridless)
• A nighttime version of the 'Summer Festival' Map (Gridded and Gridless)
• The VTT lighting document for the maps.
• An easy zip folder containing all the above

This map is 2400X2200 pixels, at 24x22 squares each at 100 pixels.

As always, thank you so much for your support - please do share this, or my Patreon link, with those that might be interested.

More about Dizzy The bard

Dizzy is an artist that makes real hip-hop music, replete with all the  technical prowess and bombastic imagery you'd expect, but with a focus squarely on fantasy narratives.

You can check out more of their work over on their Patreon or Youtube.

More about Jess Testa

Jess is a Seattle-based artist creating works for TTRPGs and other storytelling content types.

You can check out more of their work over on Instagram, or find them at jtesta.com 

Want more content?

• Check out more of my work on the DMsGuild
• Check out the master post of all of my patreon maps

If you fancy supporting me, I'd appreciate you joining the Patreon, or just sharing this around with anyone who might like it.

Do let me know if you use these maps, I'd love to hear from you.

-Bonus