Grim Consequences

If the players visit the Chapel of the Pure Heart in Mordentshire at night, they will witness a local being accosted by a massive black dog.

First Encounter

"As you approach the graveyard, you hear loud, vicious barking & the fearful cries of a woman. In the fading evening light, you see an old woman splayed on the ground with blood on her face. Nearby is a massive black hound with glowing red eyes. While it is not approaching the woman, its savage growls & barks give a clear idea that this creature is dangerous."

The grim is not intending to harm the old woman, only attempting to drive her out of the graveyard. It will also attempt to drive the player characters out if they enter the graveyard. If a creature does damage to the grim with an attack or spell, then the grim will attack until the creature becomes unconscious, dies, or leaves the graveyard.

The players can make an Arcana, Nature, or Religion check to identify the creature. Characters with a background that would have them working at the chapel have advantage on this check. A roll above a 10 tells them that the creature is not a mundane dog & something supernatural, while a roll above a 15 tells them that the creature is a grim, a monster that defends graveyards from those that would desecrate them. A roll above a 20 lets the player know up to three stats of the grim, such as its damage resistances or immmunities, hit points, and highest/lowest ability score.

If the players engage in combat, the grim will not target a player that has worked at the chapel as part of their backstory unless they