The Great Wood
Stonetop sits on a bluff overlooking the Great Wood, which stretches hundreds of miles to the east. Few villagers dare to even cross the Stream that flows near the base of the bluff. Hunters, trappers, and foragers go deeper, but even they venture a day or two into the forest at most.
Impressions
Always
- Massive trunks, reaching up up up, some bigger around than houses
- Pale sky glimpsed through the canopy
- Trees bending, creaking, rustling in the wind
- A skittering in the distance
- A sense of smallness, of being swallowed up by something ancient and vast
Spring
- Feet slipping on mud, rotting leaves
- Drip drip dripping of snowmelt, rain, mist
- Pale buds and early blooms, blue and yellow and violet
- Hopeful swell of birdsong
The terrain is hilly and rugged, laced with small streams and dotted with ponds. The trees are a mix of deciduous and evergreen.
In some spots, the trees grow tightly, surrounded by thick brush so that one can barely walk. In others, massive old growth trees dominate, the space between them sparse and open.
Summer
- Brilliant, overwhelming green
- Drone of insects buzzing, birds chirping
- Oppressive heat and humidity
Autumn
- A world aflame with reds and golds
- Crunch of needles and leaves underfoot
- Stark long shadows cast by a low sun
- Sharp smell of cold, damp air
Winter
- A frosty coating, a deathly stillness
- Shocking white of snow drifts
- Trees like boney fingers
- Surprising chirp and rustle of finches
The Compact
For generations, the people of Stonetop have kept their promise to the Forest Folk: they never cut down a living tree in the Great Wood. The villagers gather deadfall, but timber comes from elsewhere.
- According to the elders, when did someone last break the compact? What happened to them?
- Who's been pushing to start harvesting trees, since the Forest Folk seem to have vanished?
What will happen if someone fells a living tree? That's for you to decide. Maybe…
- they suffer the Forest's Wrath;
- they risk releasing an evil spirit, held captive by the tree's roots;
- the trees house the spirits of dead Forest Folk, and they've just created a specter; or
- nothing—unless the Forest Folk return.
Questions
- Who in your family used to ply the Wood? How did they lose their nerve?
- What did you see deep in the Wood that you've never told to another?
- Who did you lose to the Wood? How?
- Of all the stories you've heard of the Wood, which one scares you most?
Places
- The Golden Oak
- The Maw
- Red groves
- The Stream
- Vor Svetelik
Hooks
- A villager wanders off into the Wood for unknown reasons
- A hunter stumbles home, having narrowly escaped some new danger
- A southern scholar arrives in Stonetop, seeking a guide into the Great Wood
- A hunter or trapper who the PCs care about hasn't returned home
- Trappers are catching strange game: sickly, mutated, and wrong
Steading improvement
Great Wood Timber
Requires all of the following:
When you mark all the requirements, increase Fortunes by 1 and add "Timber from the Great Wood" to the Resources list.
Henceforth, the steading has a ready supply of timber for improvements and other projects, and it consumes 1 less Surplus every winter.
Terrain
Pick 1 or combine 2, or have someone roll the Die of Fate ().
| 1 | Pond, wetland, or lake |
|---|---|
| 2 | Creek, stream, or river |
| 3 | Rocky outcropping, cave(s) |
| 4-5 | Clearing, meadow, sparse trees |
| 6-7 | Dense thicket |
| 8-9 | Swath of one type of tree |
| 10 | Briars, thorns, nettles |
| 11 | Slope, hill, ridge, ravine |
| 12 | Single, notable tree If you like, roll for size/scope/intensity. |
Discoveries
For any of these, pick 1 or have someone roll the Die of Fate.
| 1 | A change of terrain (previous page) and roll again |
|---|---|
| 2 | A chance for insight into a threat or danger (e.g. tracks that reveal numbers, whereabouts, etc.) |
| 3 | game (see below) |
| 4 | Useful or valuable flora |
| 5 | A crinwin, Fae or spirit of the wild, curious or indifferent |
| 6 | A point of interest (next column) |
| 1-3 | Mostly harmless but prone to bolt: deer, fowl, rabbits, etc. |
|---|---|
| 4-5 | Big and dangerous if provoked: boars, wisents, tal gerdwyr, etc. |
| 6 | Deadly and easily provoked: cave bears, ceirwmawr, raselbaedd, etc. |
| 1 | A place corrupted by the Things Below or the Fomoraij |
|---|---|
| 2 | A place haunted by death and the undying |
| 3 | A place bearing traces of the Forest Folk |
| 4 | A place sacred to the spirits of the wild |
| 5 | A Fae domain or waystone |
| 6 | A ruin or artifact of the Green Lords If it's been there for at least 10 years, it's likely marked by Forest Folk glyphs. |
Dangers
Hazards
- Getting lost
- Treacherous terrain (loose footing, mudslides, sinkholes, deadfall, etc.)
- Swarm (bees, wasps, midges, bats, etc.)
- Tall tree to climb, and a reason to climb it
Monsters
- Crinwin
- Fae
- Spirits of the Wild
- Chimerae and other remnants of the Green Lords
- Servants of the Fomoraij
- The ghosts or revenants of those who died in the Wood, like the Gwraig Wen
- A copse of dool trees and its resident spirits
- The Pale Hunter and his hounds
- The Crombil, should it wake
- One of the many beasts that inhabit the Wood
Boar
HP 10; Armor 0
Damage gore (hand, messy, 1 piercing)
Instinct to protect their territory
- Relentlessly charge their victim, over and over
- Eat just about anything
- Ignore pain or injury
Butcherbird
HP 1; Armor 1 (tiny)
Damage peck (hand, messy, 2 piercing)
Instinct to feast on bloody, bloody meat
- Grab on and stab stab stab
- Fend off any who would steal the flock's meal
- Scent blood from miles away
About the size of a woodpecker, with black and wine-red plumage, flitting about in small flocks (). Their laugh will make your blood run cold. But don't worry. They'll get your blood flowing again, real soon.
Something interesting: Butcherbirds can smell fresh blood from miles away, and might descend on a hunter's kill to gorge.
Something useful: They can smell the blood of their own, and shun it; smeared butcherbird blood is an excellent repellent.
Cave Bear
HP 16; Armor 1 (fur, hide)
Damage claws, bite, hug (hand, close, forceful, messy, 1 piercing)
Instinct to fill its belly, to protect its young
- Rend, maul, crush
- Move with surprising speed and grace
- Sniff out food, or trouble
Great big silver-brown things, eating anything they can dig up or catch. They mostly hibernate through winter, and get especially bold and ornery in autumn as they try to fatten up. They've been known to wake up and forage even in winter, though.
They lair in big caves, usually two mates and maybe their cubs. Out and about, the bulls are usually found on their own; the sows on their own, or with their cubs.
They're not usually aggressive towards people—unless surprised, extra hungry, or protecting the cubs. Then? Watch out.
Ceirwmawr
HP 16; Armor 0
Damage hoof (close) or antlers (reach, forceful)
Special quality awe-inspiring antlers
Instinct to tolerate no disrespect
- Toss aside a barrier or foe
- Suffer harm without flinching
- Make a show of strength
Majestic. Proud. Antlers so large you can scarce believe how deftly it moves through the woods. They are the royalty of deer. It is said that only the Pale Hunter can give them chase, and that any mortal who dares to stalk them quickly finds the tables turned.
Questions
• What special property does folklore say the ceirwmawr's antlers possess?
• What dire fate is said to befall those who slay a ceirwmawr without the Pale Hunter's permission?
Cougar
HP 12, Armor 0
Damage bite (hand, grabby)
Special qualities keen night vision and sense of smell
Instinct to catch prey unawares
- Move into position, silently and unseen
- Pounce on prey, dragging them down (forceful)
- Bite down and rake (messy)
They don't usually hunt people. But when game is scarce, or some fool provokes them, they sometimes get a taste for human blood. Even then, they mostly leave groups alone, waiting for someone to fall behind or wander off. Mostly.
Cwisarff
HP 10; Armor 0
Damage venomous bite (close)
Instinct to defend its current spot
- Wait patiently to spring on prey
- Hiss menacingly at a threat
- Bite quickly and ready to strike again
The vaunted "tree adder," most lethal serpent in the Wood, up to 6 feet long and dripping with venom. In warm months, they hunt and bask in the canopy or sunny clearings. In colder months, they hide in hollows and under logs, going into torpor in winter. They don't hunt people, but they don't fear them either.
When you are bitten by a cwisarff, mark a debility in addition to taking damage.
Until the poison is treated, you can't regain HP and are in danger of further damage and debility.
Cynddaraig
HP 20; Armor 2 (scales)
Damage three-inch long teeth (close, reach, grabby, messy, 3 piercing, advantage)
Instinct to dominate its territory
- Roar and unfurl its quills, making even brave warriors quail
- Bite a limb clean off
- To lose itself in primal fury
The mighty "rage drake," almost 10 feet tall and 20 feet from nose to tip of tail. Its jaws are full of knives. Blood-red patterns surround its eyes. A frill of feathered quills sprouts from its neck and runs down its back. Maybe a half-dozen of them stalk the whole Great Wood, and one hasn't been spotted near Stonetop for generations (Tor be praised).
Something interesting: They prey mostly on large game (wisents, tal gerdwyr, etc.).
They'll attack people, but rarely hunt them.
Something useful: They attack people to establish dominance, seeing us as rivals. An appropriate offering or show of obeisance might calm one enough for you to get the hell out of there.
Feathered Drake
HP 6; Armor 1 (feathers, scales)
Damage boney crest (close, forceful), talon & teeth (hand, messy, 1 piercing)
Special qualities flightless
Instinct to spring on unwary prey
- Burst out of the brush
- Bash prey to the ground, senseless
- Surround downed prey, and rend
Bigger than a grown man, with a talon yea-long on each foot and that ridge on their heads they use to go crashing through the undergrowth. They might follow a party for days, waiting for them to let their guard down or for someone to fall behind.
Then? Bam.
Their feathers are much-sought by merchants. You can harvest a bundle ◇ of drake feathers (fragile, Value 3) from a flock of 3-4 drakes.
Gylglyd Vines
Damage strangling vines (hand, grabby)
Instinct to lure prey
- Ensnare their senses with beauty
- Lull their minds with euphoric scents
- Slowly entwine them, unnoticed, and hold them fast
Thick, velvety green vines that drape entire groves or clearings, speckled with flowers of iridescent blue and pink and yellow. The mind reels to see them, wanting to move closer. The flowers give off the sweetest scent, erasing all cares. But the wary might notice strange bulges in the hanging vines, or white bone beneath the carpet.
Something interesting: Gylglyd flowers are prized by herbalists and apothecaries, but nearly impossible to cultivate.
Something useful: A kerchief soaked in musk can counter the euphoric effect.
Hagr
HP 16; Armor 1 (blubbery hide)
Damage meaty hands (hand, close, grabby, forceful) or tree trunk (reach, area, crude, forceful) or hurled heavy thing (thrown, forceful)
Instinct to compulsively shape its environment
- Fix someone with its evil eye, overwhelming them with fear
- Pluck things from the ground as if weightless
- Obsessively stack things to exacting standards
- Throw a tantrum when things aren't just right
Misshapen brutes with sagging flesh and one bulging eye so filled with hate it'll stop you dead in your tracks. They spend their days collecting fallen branches, looking for just the right one to add to their home of rotting logs. The others they pile neatly, reverently. Perhaps they were servants of the Green Lords, once bred to build, and now, long ages hence, building still.
Nailadd
HP 6; Armor 2 (carapace)
Damage venomous bite (hand)
Special qualities webs, prodigious leaps
Instinct to capture prey and slowly consume it
- Leap on prey and knock it prone
- Inject a paralytic venom
- Drag helpless prey into the canopy and cocoon it
So far, these hound-sized spiders have thankfully avoided hunters and trappers in the Wood. They certainly haven't come near town. But they're out there, rest assured, and growing in numbers.
Something interesting: Nailadd venom paralyzes prey, rather than killing it.
Something useful: You can harvest the venom ( uses, dangerous, reload, Value 1) from an intact corpse. When you coat a blade in nailadd venom, it deals + extra damage and numbs the wounded area.
Raselbaedd
HP 20; Armor 4 (hide, unnatural resilience)
Damage gore (hand, close, forceful, messy, 3 piercing)
Special qualities iron hide, always hungry, easily provoked, afraid of fire
Instinct to hold a grudge
- Rip things apart: armor, weapons, flesh
- Eat almost anything
- Refuse to back off or let go, even when dying
- Recover from even mortal wounds, over time
- requires:
When a boar lives long enough, and survives enough close calls, and dines year after year on the roots and nuts of ferro trees, it eventually becomes a raselbaedd.
The size of a horse, with tusks like short spears and a hide that's crisscrossed with scars and that bristles with broken blades.
When you deal 2 damage or less to a raselbaedd, before armor, your weapon chips or shatters on its hide.
A raselbaedd's hide (immobile, Value 2) can be harvested by a competent hunter with a fine steel blade (2 piercing, Value 2). It can then be fashioned into raselbaedd ◇ cuirasses (2 armor, Value 3). Doing so
Tal Gerdwyr
HP 14; Armor 2 (feathers, scales)
Damage trample, kick (close, forceful), tail sweep (reach, area, forceful)
Special quality extremely long neck
Instinct to get annoyed
- Bellow loudly
- Smash down or through a barrier
- Reach very, very high up
The Forest Folk would sometimes tell stories of the "tall walkers," drakes with necks like trees and bodies like small hills, draped in feathers that look like vines and leaves.
Supposedly, they roam deep in the forest, blithely chewing leaves from the canopy and singing mournful songs to each other.
Wisent
HP 10; Armor 0
Damage headbutt, gore, trample (hand, close, forceful)
Instinct to protect the herd
- Put itself between a threat and the young
- Stampede (area, forceful, messy)
- Leap a surprising height and distance, even from a standstill
Forest bison travel in herds of up to twenty, but only the bulls typically fight. When cornered, though, even the sows can be dangerous due to their mass and strength.
Wolf
HP 6; Armor 0
Damage bite (hand, grabby)
- Follow prey for miles on end
- Surround, flank, and harry
- Clamp down, eventually crushing bone
Qualities keen sense of smell Instinct to bring down the weakest prey