Missing Under the Stars
A friend, family member, or contact vanished after reporting a person who looked identical to them walking through town at midnight.
Campaign Overview
Shadow Eclipse
When an impossible darkness begins swallowing the sky, villages whisper of a ritual timed to a rare celestial alignment: the Shadow Eclipse. A ruthless cabal of shape-shifting oni is moving under cover of fear, sabotage, and stolen lives to complete a nightfall rite that will smother the world in endless dark.
The campaign begins with local disappearances, strange eclipsed omens, and a trail of clues pointing toward a hidden rite site. The party must uncover the oni’s methods, survive their agents, and reach the ritual before its zenith.
Tone
- Dark fantasy suspense
- Investigation under pressure
- Mythic horror with high-stakes heroism
Core Premise
The heroes are not just fighting monsters—they are racing a clock. Every victory reveals that the darkness is deliberate, organized, and already halfway inside the world’s defenses.
Player Handout
The Sky Is Going Dark
For several nights, the sun has set too early. The stars seem sharper, colder, and wrong. People vanish from locked homes. Dogs refuse to bark after dusk. A strange rumor spreads: an eclipse is coming, and when it arrives, something ancient in the dark will wake.
You begin in a threatened settlement where the authorities are overwhelmed and the frightened are easy prey. Someone is organizing the terror. Someone is preparing a ritual. And if you fail, night itself may become permanent.
Your first task is simple to say and hard to survive: find the source of the darkness before it finds you.
Free Act I Preview
Shadow Eclipse
Act I opens in a border settlement under a creeping unnatural dusk. The party learns that people are vanishing, livestock are found drained or mutilated, and witnesses describe familiar faces behaving wrong. The central threat is not the full oni cabal yet, but its first operational cell: shapeshifters, frightened collaborators, and a local ritual site tied to an ancient observatory. This act should establish the eclipse clock, the body-snatching fear theme, and the first clear lead toward the main rite. Keep the oni’s true numbers hidden; Act I ends with the party disrupting a preparatory ritual and learning the next destination.
Adventure Hooks
Eclipse Omen
A temple, scholar, or village elder hires the party after every divination points to a shadow ritual timed to the coming alignment.
Act Structure
Act I: The Dimming Sky
Recommended level: 1-3The party investigates an unnatural darkness, discovers a pattern of disappearances and disguises, and uncovers the first oni-linked ritual site. Act I should feel like a hunt through fear: local threats first, then a revealing strike against the enemy’s hidden network. End with the party learning the location of the larger eclipse rite and realizing the enemy is already embedded in nearby settlements.
Objectives
- Investigate the first disappearances
- Identify and defeat or expose the local infiltrator
- Disrupt the shrine ritual
- Recover the observatory map and learn the true ritual destination
A Town Gone Quiet
The streets are too still for market day. Curtains twitch as you pass. Somewhere in the gray light, a bell rings once and is not answered.
Open with rumors, missing persons, and suspicious behavior. Let the players choose whether to follow social clues, visit the shrine, or protect a target. One disguised enemy should be present in the background, but do not force a reveal too early.
Checks
- DC 12 Wisdom (Insight): notice someone repeating answers too perfectly.
- DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion): calm a frightened witness and gain the name of a suspect.
- DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation): connect multiple disappearances to one route out of town.
Clues
- The vanished all saw the same star pattern before going missing.
- A black wax residue appears on doorframes near the missing homes.
- Someone in town knows the route to an abandoned observatory.
Transitions
- Leads to the roadside shrine investigation.
- Can trigger a protective escort scene if the party chooses to defend a target.
Trail of the Black Wax
The mud is marked with dark footprints that seem too long for a human stride. Each step ends in a smear of black wax and crushed silverweed.
Run this as travel, tracking, or a brief skirmish. The goal is to make the party feel they are following a real trail rather than a random rumor. Reward smart tracking with a direct lead to the shrine.
Checks
- DC 12 Wisdom (Survival): follow the mixed trail through fog and dead brush.
- DC 13 Intelligence (Religion or Arcana): identify the wax as part of a ward-breaking rite.
- DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth): approach without alerting the shrine defenders.
Clues
- The trail includes at least one set of tracks made by someone wearing heavy boots over a smaller shape.
- The wax is stamped with a crescent-and-star seal.
- The defenders are preparing, not finished; the real ritual has not yet begun.
Transitions
- Leads into the Blackened Shrine encounter.
- Can reveal a hidden side path toward the observatory if the party explores carefully.
The Starfall Lens
A broken lens catches the moonlight and throws it across the dome in a line like a blade. For a heartbeat, the line points directly at you.
This is the Act I reveal scene and should feel like the first true confrontation with the enemy’s intelligence. Use Kurozane or his proxy to speak, taunt, and expose the larger ritual’s existence. If combat starts, let the villain escape when it makes the story stronger.
Checks
- DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana): interpret the observatory chart and identify the eclipse window.
- DC 13 Wisdom (Perception): spot the disguised villain before he acts.
- DC 12 Charisma (Intimidation): force a hurried confession from a cultist.
Clues
- The true ritual site is beyond the hills, near ancient standing stones.
- The cabal has already replaced at least one community leader in the region.
- The eclipse ritual depends on three anchor sites, not one.
Transitions
- Leads to the next campaign phase beyond Act I.
- If the party wins quickly, they may capture documents or a frightened cultist for further leads.
Milestone: The party reaches level 3 after disrupting the shrine ritual and securing the observatory map.
Villain Character Sheets
Kurozane, Mask of the Dimming Sky
Completed
Kurozane, Mask of the Dimming Sky, is the kind of villain who makes people feel as though they have already lost before the first blade is …
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Kurozane, Mask of the Dimming Sky Character Sheet
Motivation
Kurozane wants to prepare the world for the Shadow Eclipse ritual by spreading fear, replacing leaders, and securing ancient sky-sites that can anchor permanent darkness.
Personality
Polite, mocking, and unsettlingly calm. He speaks like a courtier but watches like a predator. He prefers intimidation, misdirection, and leaving witnesses alive when it serves dread.
Resources
- Shape-shifting disguise
- Hidden cult collaborators
- Night raiders and shadow agents
- Stolen ritual charts
- Influence over frightened townsfolk
Battle Plan
Kurozane opens with deception or ambush, using terrain and fear to separate the party. If pressed, he fights savagely, prioritizing escape over death unless the ritual is nearly complete. He abandons minions when necessary and leaves false clues behind.
Defeat or Redemption
Kurozane can be driven off in Act I, forcing the cabal to accelerate its timetable. If captured or magically compelled, he may reveal the next ritual site—but never the full extent of the cabal without leverage.
Running Notes
Recommended party: 4-5 characters
Session Zero
This campaign uses horror, paranoia, and body-swap suspicion. Discuss lines and veils for impersonation, fear, and corruption themes. Make clear that the tone is tense but heroic: the party can always learn enough to act, and clues should not hinge on one die roll. Invite players to create personal stakes tied to missing people, eclipse omens, or a reason they fear the dark.
Scaling Guidance
For weaker parties, reduce enemy counts by one in most encounters and replace the Shadow with Zombies. For stronger parties, add one additional cultist or goblin support creature, but keep only one oni in Act I so the reveal stays meaningful. If the party struggles socially, allow repeated clues through town rumors and survivor testimony rather than requiring a single successful check.
DM Advice
Keep the clock visible. Every scene should either reveal a clue, raise the danger, or point to the next location. Let the oni feel clever and elusive, but not omnipotent. Act I works best if the villains escape with information while the party wins the truth.
Secrets & Clues
- The oni cabal is using disguises to replace key people, not just attack from the outside.
- The local shrine ritual is a test of the eclipse magic, not the main event.
- The observatory map shows the ritual is tied to an older stone nexus farther away.
- The darkness intensifies on nights when the stars align, suggesting a timed countdown rather than a random curse.
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Encounters
Shadow on the Road
Encounter Builder
Moderate
Suggested Level: 1-2
Travelers are ambushed by masked night raiders who vanish into fog and darkness, leaving behind eerie clues and one survivor who saw a familiar face among the attackers.
Creatures
Terrain Features
- Narrow road bordered by dead trees
- Light fog reducing visibility
- Ditches and stones for cover
Treasure
A torn ritual map fragment, 12 gp, and a black lacquer token marked with a crescent star.
DM Notes
Use as the first warning that the enemy is organized. Replace the hobgoblin with 1 additional goblin for a lower-level group, or add 1 Goblin Boss for a stronger party.
The Blackened Shrine
Encounter Builder
High
Suggested Level: 2-3
At a roadside altar, the party interrupts a shadow-working rite guarded by cult helpers and unnatural darkness that clings to the stones and chills every breath.
Creatures
Terrain Features
- Cracked altar ringed by burned candles
- Broken statuary providing half cover
- Dim magical darkness in the shrine interior
Treasure
Potion of healing, ritual notes, and a silver charm that wards against fear once per day.
DM Notes
The Shadow should feel like a terrifying payoff for earlier clues. Reduce tension by removing the Shadow if the party is very small, or add 2 Cultists if they are cruising.
Masks in the Observatory
Encounter Builder
High
Suggested Level: 2-3
Inside a ruined observatory, the party faces a shape-shifting infiltrator and its last defenders while the eclipse chart reveals the true site of the final ritual.
Creatures
Terrain Features
- Collapsed staircases
- Broken lens array and raised platforms
- Open roof exposing the battlefield to the sky
Treasure
Star map to the ritual nexus, 35 gp in hidden coin, and the oni’s sealed ledger naming future targets.
DM Notes
This is the Act I climax. If needed, let the oni escape at low hit points after the map is revealed. For a weaker party, replace the oni with a doppleganger-style social impostor is not allowed here, so instead use 1 Hobgoblin and emphasize the reveal over combat.
Magic Items
Eclipse Lantern
Completed
Eclipse Lantern
Uncommon
This hooded lantern burns with pale light that reveals invisible ink, hidden symbols, and traces of magical darkness tied to the Shadow Eclipse.
Location
Act I: recovered at the Blackened Shrine
Attunement
False
Starfall Charm
Completed
Starfall Charm
Uncommon
A silver star on black cord that grants brief courage; once per long rest, the wearer has advantage on one saving throw against being frightened.
Location
Act I: reward from Marshal Edda Vale after the observatory clue is secured
Attunement
False
Lens of the Broken Dome
Completed
Lens of the Broken Dome
Common
This cracked crystal lens lets the bearer study the night sky and gain advantage on one Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Survival) check related to the eclipse each day.
Location
Act I: found in the ruined observatory
Attunement
False
Player Characters
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