Module Two

Additional mid level Encounters

Module 2: Taint in the Wilds (PC Levels 4-6)

Overview: The party travels to a region where nature has been perverted, encountering an otherworldly influence tainting the land. Along the way, they meet a reclusive guardian (potential Ally) who guides them toward understanding the threat posed by the Viridescent One. This guardian possesses knowledge of the "key places of power" and knows that some of these places have already been corrupted. By the end of this module, the PCs will gain vital clues pointing to the Feywild as the origin of the corruption and prepare to confront the Viridescent One.

Encounter Breakdown

Encounter 1: The Blighted Grove

As the party steps into the forest, an unnatural stillness hangs in the air, broken only by a faint, sickly rustling. The trees here seem to twist in pain, their bark oozing greenish fluid, and the leaves bear a greyish tint, as though life itself has been drained from them. Just as you adjust to the eerie quiet, a low growl sounds from the shadows, followed by the crunch of underbrush. From the gloom, grotesque creatures emerge—wolves with pustules bulging from their skin, their eyes blazing with unnatural green light, and stag-like creatures whose antlers are twisted with thorny growths

   Twisted Wolf
       Medium Beast (Corrupted), Unaligned
       AC: 12
       HP: 22 (4d8+4)
       Speed: 40 ft.
       STR 13 (+1), DEX 15 (+2), CON 12 (+1), INT 3 (-4), WIS 12 (+1), CHA 6 (-2)
       Skills: Perception +3, Stealth +4
       Damage Resistances: Poison
       Condition Immunities: Poisoned
       Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
       Languages: —
       Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)
   Abilities:
       Fungal Bloom (Recharges on a 5-6): The wolf releases a cloud of toxic spores in a 10-foot radius. Each creature in the area must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned, creatures take 3 (1d6) poison damage at the start of each of their turns. A poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
   Actions:
       Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take an additional 3 (1d6) poison damage.

   Corrupted Stag
       Medium Beast (Corrupted), Unaligned
       AC: 13
       HP: 30 (4d10+8)
       Speed: 50 ft.
       STR 14 (+2), DEX 14 (+2), CON 14 (+2), INT 2 (-4), WIS 10 (+0), CHA 5 (-3)
       Damage Resistances: Poison
       Condition Immunities: Poisoned
       Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
       Languages: —
       Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
   Abilities:
       Gore Charge: If the stag moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits with its antlers, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) piercing damage and must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
   Actions:
       Antlers: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3) piercing damage.

Treasure and Clues: After the fight, the party can search the area to find:

A desecrated stone shrine depicting a figure associated with the natural world, defaced and dripping with green ichor. Runes in Sylvan carved into the stone, faintly glowing. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check reveals that these runes have been twisted with dark Fey magic.

Encounter 2: The Ally – Kaelen Greenleaf, the Grove Warden

As you proceed through the twisted landscape, you notice a lone figure standing at the edge of a clearing. He’s a tall elf with weathered skin of a greenish tint, clad in worn leather armour covered in moss and vines. His eyes flash with suspicion and sadness as he regards you. “Another band of wanderers, drawn by the sickness of this land?” he asks, voice rough with age. “If you mean to help, then follow my lead. If you are here to plunder, I will see your bones feed the roots of this forest.”

Kaelen’s Knowledge:

There are six known "key places of power" across Orsein, each representing a vital element of nature. So far, three of these places have been corrupted, and the corruption seems to spread like a disease from each one.

He knows of “an Other” responsible for the blight but doesn’t know the Viridescent One’s true name or origin. Kaelen has seen shadowy figures at night performing rituals to taint the land, sometimes assisted by dark fey creatures.

Kaelen acquired this information through visions, likely due to his connection to nature spirits who sensed the disturbance.

Offer of Help: Kaelen will help cleanse one of these places of power alongside the party, though he warns that doing so will attract the attention of the Viridescent One’s minions.

Encounter 3: Cleansing the Glade of Seasons

Setting: Kaelen guides the party to the Glade of Seasons, an ancient grove where the air shifts to reflect each season as one walks through it. However, it’s currently stuck in a sickly version of autumn, with leaves covered in a decaying green fungus.

   Challenge: As the party attempts to cleanse the Glade, they are attacked by corrupted fey, such as blighted dryads and poison-spitting sprites. The enemies are commanded by a twisted satyr who spouts riddles about "the Master of Verdant Ruin," hinting at the Viridescent One's power over the Feywild.
   Mechanics: Cleansing the grove requires a ritual performed by Kaelen, which takes about ten minutes. During this time, the PCs must fend off waves of corrupted fey creatures trying to disrupt the ritual.
   Outcome: If successful, the grove regains its seasonal shift, and the land around it is restored. Kaelen performs a short ritual, revealing a Feywild portal opening in the glade. He believes this portal was used by the Viridescent One’s followers to enter Orsein and corrupt the land. However, it’s unstable and needs proper attunement to access the Feywild.

Encounter 4: The Dreaming Fount

   Setting: After restoring the Glade of Seasons, Kaelen offers to lead the party to the Dreaming Fount, a mystical spring connected to the Feywild. He believes drinking from the fount will grant them visions of the Viridescent One’s true nature.
   Challenge: Upon arrival, they find the fount corrupted with a black, oily substance. As the party attempts to purify it, they are confronted by an illusionary avatar of the Viridescent One, who taunts them and tries to lure them into despair. This spirit conjures visions of their failures or insecurities, attempting to weaken their resolve.
   Mechanics: PCs must succeed on Wisdom saving throws to resist the illusions and proceed with the purification ritual. If they succeed, the water clears, and Kaelen encourages them to drink from it.
   Vision: Upon drinking, the PCs are given fragmented visions of the Feywild, an ethereal forest full of twisted, vibrant flora. They see glimpses of the Viridescent One, a figure cloaked in green and shadow, twisting nature to his will and spreading the corruption from a throne of vines. This vision strongly suggests the Feywild is the origin of the taint.

Encounter 5: A Parting Gift

   Setting: Before they leave, Kaelen offers them a magical gift as thanks for their efforts. He presents them with a “Seed of the Feywild,” a magical acorn infused with fey magic, which will allow them to open a small portal to the Feywild in case of an emergency. He warns that the portal is temporary and won’t guarantee a return journey, but it may be their only way to confront the Viridescent One.
   Magical Aura: The Seed of the Feywild radiates an aura of transmutation and conjuration (moderate strength).
   Clues to the Next Module: Kaelen explains that only by journeying to the Feywild can they hope to confront the source of this corruption. He suggests seeking out a powerful fey being who could help them, though he warns that dealing with the fey is always perilous. Kaelen mentions a name in passing, possibly a night hag known for bartering secrets with mortals, as a potential lead.

Summary of Key Information and Clues for Module 3:

   Kaelen as an Ally: A knowledgeable druid who understands the nature of the corrupted places of power and has identified the taint as coming from the Feywild.
   Key Places of Power: There are six known locations, of which three are already tainted. Kaelen helps the party cleanse one of them, and they learn more about the Viridescent One.
   The Viridescent One: Hints about a malevolent fey force from the Feywild responsible for the corruption.
   Portal and the Seed of the Feywild: The unstable portal and the gifted Seed both indicate the Feywild as the destination for their next step. Kaelen warns of a powerful fey (perhaps a night hag) who could assist with finding the Viridescent One.
   Vision of the Feywild: Drinking from the Dreaming Fount gives the PCs a vision of the Feywild and its tainted beauty, firmly establishing it as the origin of the corruption and setting the stage for Module 3.