🌑 4 AM JITTERS: The Ragarou’s Corrupted Kinship 🗡️
(A Quick Drop-In Encounter for HH, M!M 2.7 and ZERO)
Good morning, Captain Hedges here, and welcome to the hour of the 4 AM Getters.
If you're reading this, you are up when the news is quiet, the coffee is brewing, and the world is finally still. We prize this time—this early discipline—because it’s when the work gets done.
But there is a darker reason why some of us are always awake at this strange, restless hour.
The Work of the Ragarou
Some people call the feeling anxiety or insomnia. We, who live deep in the magic of the bayou, know better. We know that the restless, jittery feeling that hits between 3 AM and 5 AM is the work of an ancient force: the SPIRIT OF THE RAGAROU.
It is the shapeshifting curse of the bayou—a tireless hunter, cursed to roam and never find rest. The Spirit of the Ragarou doesn't want your blood; it wants your rest.
This creature is no common swamp beast. It is exactly as the old tales describe—a Spirit of the Forest that can't be killed.
“We have fought him and done him so many times. I guess he is like the Werewolf of Mirkwood, a spirit of the forest that can't be killed. I have seen too much of his work to deny he is not real.”
The Curse of the Settlers: Blurring the Lines
The power of the Ragarou in our bayou is not accidental; it is fed by history. The original French loup-garou legends viewed the werewolf curse as divine punishment for a mortal sin, forcing the cursed to wander without rest. When French and German immigrants settled these swamps, their deep-seated folklore anchored the spirit here. The Ragarou is strong because it is fed by the restless anxiety of generations.
The Portal Crisis: Cypress Swamp to Achrox FOR USE WITH HH, MoZ, M!M ZERO, AND M!M 2.7 RULES
The Spirit of the Ragarou has established its domain in the TYIS Fenland Bog on the big island of Achrox. The reason for its increasing menace? There is now a portal set up on the Cypress Swamp—right near my own cabin—that leads directly to that dangerous bog. The worlds are bleeding together, and the Ragarou is crossing the lines.
⚔️ GM Drop-In Encounter: Ragarou’s Corrupted Kinship
This encounter utilizes the core Tygerian Feline vs. Lupin Canine conflict.
GM Notes: Read Aloud Text
The time is 4:15 AM. The Hedge Wizard, Captain Sir Hadjes, is outside his cabin, his green fur bristling. Just ahead, the air shimmers, revealing a hideous, wet maw of light: The Cypress Swamp-Achrox Portal. The mental noise becomes a howl of panic as four massive, starved Zimrala Cave Wolves slink from the rift. The shimmering, skeletal shadow of the SPIRIT OF THE RAGAROU towers behind them, revealing its power: Corrupted Kinship.
The Hedge Wizard yells: "Defend the rift! I need time!" He summons his own forces, using his VERDANT KINSHIP. A pack of primal, powerful Swamp Stalkers (Feline Kin related to the Grrethquat) emerge from the swamp and charge the wolves. The dualistic battle has begun!
Encounter Mechanics & Thematic Conflict
Antagonist Power: The Ragarou’s Corrupted Kinship grants it command over the manic Zimrala Cave Wolves (Lupin Kin).
Protagonist Power: The Hedge Wizard’s Verdant Kinship summons the loyal Swamp Stalkers (Feline Kin) to defend the portal.
The Ragarou's Jitters Effect: At the start of every combat round, all player characters must make a Fear Check (LK SR Target 15) or lose their first action due to mental panic.
Objective: The party must distract the Ragarou and the corrupted wolves while the Hedge Wizard attempts to close the portal. Closing the portal requires the Hedge Wizard to successfully make 3 Madness Checks (CON SR Target 20).
The Price of Eternal Wakefulness
The sun may be rising, the portal may be shut, and the Zimrala wolves may be scattered, but the Spirit of the Ragarou is never truly banished. It leaves its mark not just on the land, but on the mind.
The price of victory against Cosmic Horror is eternal vigilance. Don't waste the exhaustion; don't waste the fear.
Conclusion: GM Scenario Reversal Note
The encounter scenario detailed above takes your players from the Cypress Swamp into the heat of the conflict.
GM Note from Earl: You can also reverse this scenario to have the threat originate on Achrox and lead the players to the Cypress Swamp in order to have your players find the Wizard.
Go get that second cup of coffee. You've earned it.
Product Identity & Legal
The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The world of Zimrala, The Tygerian Isles, The Ether Dragons and their portal mechanics, The Tiger Force Shadow Saga, The specific "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona, The "Royal Cartographer" archetype and the character "Emperor Rajah," The Spirit of the Ragarou (and its ability to cause the Jitters), the "4 AM Getters" concept, the Sleepless Creeper concept, the Fenland Bog (on Zimrala), the TYIS Fenland Bog (on Achrox), the Cypress Swamp-Achrox Portal mechanic, the Verdant Kinship power, and the Corrupted Kinship power. Unique Items: The Ink of Anticipation, The Compass of Lost Things, Parchment of Echoes, The Scope of the True Meridian, The Rod of Infinite Spanning, and The Plumb of Gravity’s Anchor. Monsters! Monsters! and Humans, Humans (1st Edition) are trademarks of Ken St. Andre and Troll Godfather Press and are used with permission. The statistics and game mechanics provided herein are designated as unofficial playtest material for the Tygerian Isles campaign setting. © 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
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