2.1 A DISH BEST SERVED COLD A Dish Best Served Cold (Odd Jobs 2.1), is an ad- venture for 4 – 6 Player Characters of 1st-level. It is intended to be a “side trek” adventure to help the PCs gain useful knowledge and experience in the Count- down to Armageddon campaign. This commission is be- ing offered by Yousef Göebels, a road ward- en operating out of the White Deer inn in the town of Brookshire. A reward has been of- fered for Hans Dekker, a yeoman farmer who recently turned bandit. Dekker has reportedly taken up with a band of outlaws that operates close Brookshire. The offered reward is 50 gp for Dekker alive; 25 gp if he is returned dead. The Abandoned Watch Tower In truth, Hans has not joined the bandits. The bandits' leader – Axel Letcher – is a childhood friend of Hans. Hans sought him out after the murder, hoping for protection. Axel made a deal with the Huydermans gang to smuggle Hans out of the area. They are currently hiding out in the nearby ruins of an aban- doned watchtower until a member of the gang comes to escort Hans to a waiting ship. He will be at this location for two more days. If confronted with his crime, Hans will have this to say: “His name was 'Wilhelm”; his daughter and my sis- ter, Merdith, were friends. I didn't know it at first, but Wilhelm had taking a liking to Mer. Fever took His own wife five years ago, so he proposed to my Meredith. He was much older than her and she didn't want him; so she told him so. I reckon Wilhelm didn't take too kindly to that. So, he stalked her, and he raped her. 'Course, he was sorry afterwards. But, I found Meredith hanging from a tree behind our barn a week later – couldn't live with, I suspose. “He came to me after her funeral and begged my forgiveness. He told me he'd give himself up to the magistrate and confess what he'd done. Meredith was a gentle soul and I figured she'd want me to forgive him – so I did. Then, I drove my axe so deep in his skull, they had to bury him with it!” ABANDONED WATCH TOWER MAP * The bandits' (“B”) statistics can be found on page 343 of the Monster Manual; Axel Letcher (“A”) has the same stats as a “Thug” (MM, p. 350); Hans Dekker (“H”) is a “Commoner” (MM, p. 345). • AREA 1 – LOOK-OUT POST • A bandit is secreted amongst this pile of debris; roll a D20 + 1 to determine his Dexterity (Stealth) check. If he is not discovered and neutralized quickly he will alert the others, making surprise impossible. • AREA 2 – ENTRANCE • A crude alarm has been rigged here – a trip wire tied to a series of old cow-bells. Unless the Players roll a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check they will set it off – once again making surprising the bandits impossible. • AREA 3 – CHAOS RUNE • This glyph was inscribed on the floor of the tower decades ago (when followers of Slaanesh used to meet here). It has no actual power and is merely a curiosity for occult-lovers.