Meet Zifferblatt, December's Big Bad! (Patreon)

Horatius B. Zifferblatt was a renowned clockmaker and an almost adequate patriarch. Given that he spent most of his life studying the magic and science of time and the art of clockwork, it’s a marvel that Horatius managed to welcome a wife and daughter into his manor at all. His wife, Felicitas Zifferblatt, left Horatius for an adventurer who could hold a conversation without mentioning clocks—and took as much of Horatius’ fortune as she could stuff into her pockets, leaving behind her daughter who in turn had a daughter of her own, Ren.

Horatius desperately wants a second chance at family life. Though his first attempt failed and left him trapped in the body of a grandfather clock (long story, it’s all in the booklet!) Zifferblatt believes all is not lost. He has theorized that he can return to his human form by stealing enough time from living victims. Trapped in the manor, he largely relies on victims stumbling into his lair but also tries to attract adventurers by creating ghostly rumors. Once he has enough temporal energy stored up, he will be able to reverse time within the manor, restoring both himself and his grand-daughter Ren to the forms they had on the morning of her 7th birthday, the day he transformed into a clock.

Unfortunately for Ren, while Zifferblatt has given up recapturing his lost years with his daughter Sunny due to her untimely passing, he still wants the time he missed with Ren back. He doesn’t care that she is a grown, happy adult, and is obsessed with giving her the childhood she never had with him, whether she wants it or not.

Will this old timer’s clock toll for the last time, or will he tick off your party? 🕰️