1: A warband of ibixian goatmen. The
ibixians will appear in either a small or large group (50% chance of one or the
other). The details are as follows:
1-3: Small Warband: There will be 2D4
ibixians and a 25% chance of 1 warchief and a 10% chance of a shaman. The
ibixians will feign friendliness or neutrality until they have assessed whether
the party is an easy mark, then position to attack when they feel they have won
their trust.
4-6: Large Warband:There will be 4D6
ibixians, 1D2 warchiefs and a 50% chance of 1D2 shamans. Unless the party is
obviously stronger than them in terms of numbers or visible ferocity (i.e. the
party contains demons, or is mostly tieflings, which ibixians all think are
demons anyway) then the warband will attempt to surround the party and cow them
into surrender, placing them in chains. Failing that they will beat the party
into submission and chain them as slaves, then demand the party lead them out
of the wood in exchange for freedom (which they won’t likely honor). They will
flee if an attack leads to a 40% or greater loss in the first two rounds of
battle.
2: The Black Rook takes an interest in the
party. If the party contains a greater percentage of neutral or evil
characters (fewer “good” characters than evil) then the Rook will seek to
capture their attention and lure them toward the lair of Aruman (see Encounter
20 below if they follow him). If the party contains more good than evil/neutral
characters then the Rook will lure the party to the wide open grove of one of
the following (roll a D6): 1-2 the Hydra’s Tree (see Entry 19 below), 3-4 a
Haunted Grove with a 100% chance of 1D3 demonic treants (Entry 4) or 5-6 the
Mark of the Spear (Entry 18).
3: Wastrels and Lost Travelers. The
Vosjin Wood often tempts and lures hapless pilgrims, travelers, mystics and
madmen into its clutches; there are in
fact many ways into the wood other than the known path from the Hill of
Giants….but without the guidance of a tymardiae of the “interest” of the shadow
in the woods there is usually no chance of stumbling across such paths, until
it desires you to do so, that is…Roll on the subtable that follows for the
nature of the lost travelers (1D12):
D12/Result
1-3: a warband of orcs (2D8) who are
trying to cut through the woods; 50% chance they have a Tymardiae guide to lead
them, 20% chance that guide skipped out due to abuse and left them in the woods
4-5: 1D6 or more wraiths manifest in
the night and attack, screeching with fury and speaking an ancient dialect of
old men; they are undead formed from the corpses of men touched by the madness
of the Balck Obelisk.
6: An outworld incursion of 1D6 or more
Cyclopes wanders upon the party; Roll a D6: 1-3 they are friendly and seek to
trade; 4-5 they are looking for the Black Obelisk for a ritual they must
conduct; 6: they are following the call of the Black Rook.
7: A group of 1D20 pilgrims comes
across the party. They are a mix of different species, but all seek the glory
of either (D6); 1-3 the Temple of Hox-Nagor, 4-5 the power of Mt. Sahambla, or
6 the Black Obelisk. There is a 20% chance 1D6 of the pilgrims are clerics of
1D6 levels experience.
8-9: a band of rogue bandits (3D6
brigands and 1D3 leaders) trapped in the woods and seeking escape. These may be
bandits from the region of Samaskar, but there is a 20% chance they are
actually from a distant land and don’t even speak the local language. They will
react to the party according to perceived strength in numbers.
10: A group of 1D6 hill giants are
marching through the woods hunting beasts. Adventurers are fine beasts.
11: A caravan out of Samaskar or
another city is trapped in the woods. The caravan leader is a dour soul with
some occult understanding who realizes what has happened, but he is doing his
best to put a god spin on it, hoping he will find a local guide to assist in
their escape. He does not realize that one among his hired crew is actually a
warlock or witch who has drawn the ire (or interest) of either Sukagra or
Aruman for an ancient spell tome that they carry, and that is the reason the
forest grabbed them on their journey. The caravan has been trapped for 2D6 days
(doubles add and roll over on this) and if they term of entrapment is more than
10 days then the crew is starting to look haggard, worn and mutinous. He will
beg the adventurers for aid in escape.
12: Aruman is wandering and looking for
herbs and material for his alchemy when he stumbles across the party and puts
on his “best face” to talk to them; will invite them back to his villa if they
are friendly, or will call up 2D6 wraiths of the woods to aid him in battle if
they attack.
4: A Haunted Grove. The party comes
upon a thick grove of trees that are twisted and misshapen to resemble tortured
humanoids, as if the bodies of men are locked up in the woods. This is a common
sight throughout the forest, but something about the grove feels particularly
concentrated and evil. Any attempt to find a way around the haunted grove is
rolled at disadvantage against D20; a DC 15 insight check suggests that the
grove feels like it is willfully manipulating the woods and path to force entry
into the grove.
Haunted
trees within the Vosjin Wood are described above, but this grove is especially
vile, containing the trapped forms of demons that served in the blood knight
army of Sar. The trees have become animated, and eagerly seek to slay any who
enter the woods. 85% of these are awakened trees and a grove typically contains
4D8 of them, but 15% that 1D3 will be corrupted treants, roaming the woods and
lurking in haunted groves waiting for victims. These possessed awakend trees
and treants function like the regular monsters, but there is a 50% chance with
each physical attack that they deal damage with that they will heal as many hit
points of damage as they dealt with the attack.
It is
possible to awaken the demon spirits within the trees; a tree which has slain a
victim has a 5% chance of being able to possess the body of the slain victim,
inbuing the body with its own demonic spirit. The victim will appear to return
to life, but the demon’s mind will be the animating force. The body will slowly
and disturbingly transmogrify into a random demon type within 1D6 months.
Next: Entries 4 to 8
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