Mark's Campaign
This website is a place where friends and strangers can browse the ancient and current RPG campaigns that I have created over the past 40 years. Rather than simply shredding my creations from past decades, I will hopefully engrave them in the dubious permanence of the internet. Enjoy the gallery!
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If you are following this website, the most recent changes/additions have been highlighted in red text.
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Chapter 8 - The Wildwood Mystery
The chronology of this adventure occurs simultaneous with the the earlier chapter called "Poking the Devil" in which the players' old high level characters are infiltrating the lair of an arch-devil in Westcrown. The conclusion of this chapter will be a surprise that hopefully the players will be able to realize in hindsight.
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I generated a lot of background for this adventure just for my own use, but to keep the cast and motivations straight.
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The Oracle of the Tree
About 12 years ago, some very interesting information found its way to the ears of the arch devil Hyganthyrphorum. One of his more powerful pact-minions had received information regarding a potent power source emanating from the druidic stronghold known as the Wildwood Lodge. This information intrigued him and he quickly assigned several of his agents in that area the task of finding out more details. Over the course of the past twelve years, through a series of cleverly plotted alliances and schemes, the arch devil has learned about the true nature of the power source at the Lodge. He discovered that a branch of the multi-verse spanning entity known as Yggdrasil intersects the structure.
In a diabolical masterstroke, Hyganthyrphorum found the closest nexus to the Tree's portal in the Lodge and took up residence in one of the Tree’s nearby extradimensional chambers, inventing a ‘sentience’ and calling himself the “Oracle of the Tree”. Through his infernal magic, the devil began insinuating himself as an advisor to the most recent archdruids of the Lodge and when the latest arch druid, Damaski, proved to be more susceptible to corruption, the devil began his work in earnest.
Deep Background
Known only to a very select few of the most senior druids of the Wildwood Lodge, the beautiful wooden structure, which has a representation of a roaring bear’s head at one end and a howling wolf head at the other is actually a portion of a branch of the multiverse-spanning World Tree, known in Ulfen mythology as Yggdrasil. The branches and roots of the World Tree touch parts of almost every plane in existence and those who know its true powers can tap a fraction the universal magic that runs through the great Tree.
One of the infernal powers at work behind the scenes in Cheliax has recently discovered the location of Yggdrasil’s branch at the druidic stronghold called the Wildwood Lodge. He quickly dispatched a forward scout/representative, the Erinyi known as Foronath Vrelek to try to find a corruptible person (preferably a druid) to get them close to the organization. Foronath befriended the evil druid Lyana and seduced her with promises of power, fame and dominion over more than just the natural world. When Lyana was eventually captured by the heroes at her camp and brought back to the Lodge, she acquiesced willingly, which brought her into the heart of the stronghold. Foronath told her about a secret power source within the building that she could use to attain great power and that the archdruids were likely hoarding it for themselves. But just as she was about to make a move against her superior, he informed her that a new archdruid would be taking over as leader of the Lodge and would see to her ‘atonement’. Olian Damaski arrived a few days later and Lyana used her considerable sexual charms and new pact powers on the stranger and eavesdropped on an unusual meeting between the two archdruids. Whitehorn explained to his successor the true nature of the Lodge and its connection to the World Tree. In a secret magical rite, Whitehorn bequeathed control of the Tree’s power to Damaski. Lyana realized that only the archdruid who was attuned to the World Tree would be able to use its power, so she had to make sure that Damaski was wrapped snugly around her finger. With the magical help of Foronath, she was able to change her new leader’s opinion and allow her to stay on as his personal attendant and majordomo.
Archdruid Isabella Whitehorn has been replaced by her successor, a Katapeshi druid known as Olian Damaski. She introduced the new leader to the intricacies and power of the World Tree and the secret connection within the archdruid’s private quarters. After Whitehorn left, Damaski’s curiosity got the better of him and he began to use the Tree’s powers to uncover some of its secrets. He soon discovered that the Tree had an intelligent sentience, calling itself the ‘Oracle of the Tree’. The Oracle provided Damaski with almost anything he wanted to know; political standings, royal lineages, military plans and secret plots were only some of the juicy morsels he learned. The Oracle then began an insidious infiltration into the man’s confidence by ‘teaching’ him the secret ‘powers’ of Yggdrasil. In reality, the power that Damaski gained was actually infernal in origin, but the druid is too blinded to realize this. Hygathyrphorum has convinced his new ‘confidant’ that this power should be shared with the world and so one by one, the archdruid began inviting some of the most powerful druids in the area to visit. When they arrived, the archfiend enthralled them (he had to magic jar a couple of the more powerful minds that could not be ‘convinced’) and bid them to use the new ‘power of the World Tree’ to bring in more disciples. Through the complex communication networks of the druids, word has begun to spread about the fountain of druidic magic available at the Wildwood Lodge for those willing and open-minded enough to visit. A grand recruitment movement has begun, answered by legions of aspiring druids, many of whom had previously applied for membership but were denied. There are many elder druids who scoff at this news and the local druid Harwyn is one of them. He has not been told exactly what is going on, but has observed many druids and druid aspirants from distant lands setting up camp on the grounds and some of them exhibiting magical and druidic magic well beyond their maturity level.
Harwyn knows that he needs help from someone outside of the order, but someone who can visit on a pretext and do some proper investigation.
Part 1: The Desperate Call
At a time near the conclusion of the Secret Route (15 DAYS FROM ARRIVAL IN KORHOLM), the party will have the following encounter:
[All in party roll DC 19 Will save to be affected (failed save) and a DC24 Per to detect the scrying]
You notice a strange shimmering disc forming in the air above you. It is about 5 feet across and 10 feet above your group. The shimmering becomes more and more opaque and you can just make out the blurry outline of a person's head peering down at you. You hear a familiar voice:
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“Greetings my friends, it is good to see you again.” You recognize the voice as belonging to Harwyn, the druid from your recent Verduran Forest adventure.
“I am glad I was able to contact you. Something…strange is happening at the Wildwood Lodge and I think I need your help. I would ask for your assistance once more, if you are willing to give it.”
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The group may start to ask questions, but Harwyn will remind them that the scrying spell will not last very long.
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“ If you are willing to help, I can provide transportation as I have in the past unless you have your own means of getting to me.” If they decide to travel on their own, he will instruction them, “Please meet me at the Evening Glade, my home in the Verduran where we first met.”
The party's return to the Wildwood Lodge is meant to be a jarring contrast. ​They should know at once that something really weird is happening. I had to revisit some of the previous descriptions to paint the contrast in more detail.
Part 2: Arrival at the Evening Glade
The group will be requested to teleport (or accept transport from Harwyn) to The Evening Glade, where the party first met the druid with the help of Rory Denodir. He will be there to meet them with his two companions, Ori the dryad and Elimen the gnome.
Previously:
The Evening Glade – Just off of a trade road between Nymar and Wispil is a secret path leading through a dense stand of trees, a sharp switchback trail down a seemingly treacherous crag and finally into a small sheltered vale. The Evening Glade is so named because of the dense, high canopy of trees that mostly block the direct sun from the forest floor, creating a twilight effect even in the middle of the day. In the center of the glade is a thatch-roofed pavilion that serves as the home to the druid Harwyn and his friends.
Harwyn is a human male, about 60 years old, although he looks older due to his leathery skin and straw-like hair. He is well built and fit, however, and speaks with the voice of a younger man. He has blonde/brown hair, a full unkempt beard, bright green eyes and a strange multi-colored tattoo on one bare shoulder in the shape of a green, red and brown tree grasping blue stars from a sky above.
Harwyn (N/Human/Dr15) – see separate sheet for details.
Food and drink are fetched by a gnome dressed in wood (ironwood) armor (Ellimen) and a bark-skinned dryad (Ori).
When the group is comfortable, he will ask about their current adventures and state of health. He can provide some healing if needed. Then he will get down to the matter at hand:
“Thank you so much for answering my call. Let me offer you rest and refreshment while I tell you what has been happening since you left.”
“After the treachery of Lyana was discovered by your group, the council of druids of the Wildwood Lodge held a private tribunal where she was required to account for her actions against nature and severely upsetting the balance of the Verduran Forest, for which she had been given partial stewardship. Her perversion of the natural order and the torture of a rare sentient creature that embodied the soul of the very forest she was tasked to protect was probably the most damning accusation of all.
The full council of the Wildwood convened and heard from many witnesses as well as the written testimony of your group. I personally vouched for the veracity of your worth and the large part you played in bringing her to justice. The sidhe you encountered, Belmyra, who was acting in Lyana’s stewardship role while a replacement could be appointed was also part of the tribunal.
In the end, although the evil nature of her philosophies was not an issue, her transgressions as steward could not be overlooked. She was confined to the Lodge until she could be reassigned to a distant area, in a new and unfamiliar biome with a loss of her status. Thus she would work again as an aspirant, learning anew, somewhere far away.”
Harwyn pauses to take a deep breath before continuing:
“Three weeks ago, a new archdruid took up residence, replacing Isabella Whitehorn, who you had met. His name is Olian Damaski, from the southern continent of Garundi, I believe he is from Katapesh. As a desert dweller, he has much to learn of our forest. Shortly thereafter, strange things started happening. Seemingly out of nowhere, our new archdruid announced that the Lodge would be open any who wished to learn and better themselves in the druidic way, whether they are a druid or not. This is simply not how things are done at the Lodge! As Ramos will tell you, there is a vetting procedure and anyone who wants to join the Wildwood Lodge must meet with the Archdruid and a small council of senior druids to even be considered. Then there are tests and a service period that all aspirants must endure. Now, we literally have camps of druid hopefuls and some that just want power for power’s sake. It’s a real mess.
The most disturbing thing I have encountered are fellow druids who I have known for many years, if not decades who have bought into this new philosophy. Some of them are even wielding magic that they shouldn’t have access to yet. Knowledge comes with experience and maturity. Some of these people seem to have found a shortcut and I think there is something very wrong happening at the Wildwood Lodge.”
“I would like to enlist your aid by having you visit the Lodge and try to get some information about this new direction of Damaski’s. I fear that if I go there myself, they will be threatened by my attitude and may try to stop me, or worse, brainwash me as I fear some of my colleagues have been.”
Harwyn’s Info:
- Damaski took over leadership of the lodge 3 weeks ago
- Whitehorn is not reachable for some reason
- Examples of new ‘powers’ are fire-creation, ice-creation, strong animal-control, elemental resistances, anti-fey spells
- There is a distinct lack of trust and brotherhood with the fey
- Belmyra is back on her own plane and is unavailable