Additional encounters
Encounter 1: The Rotting Grove[edit]
Location:[edit]
A dense, normally peaceful forest on the outskirts of a village. Recently, hunters and herbalists have reported strange changes, with the forest losing its vitality, and the ground turning sickly and blackened.
Setup:[edit]
As the adventurers traverse the forest, they come across a patch of unnaturally decaying plant life. Trees are twisted, their bark cracked and oozing sap like blood. The ground beneath them is soft and fetid, with mushrooms and fungi of sickly green hues rapidly growing and dying within minutes.
• Two Blighted Twig Blights (CR 1/8) and one Blighted Needle Blight (CR 1/4) lie in wait, corrupted by the Viridescent One’s influence. • The adventurers notice small dead animals along the path, their bodies contorted unnaturally.
Hints:[edit]
• The area reeks of decay, and a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals strange, green phosphorescence pulsing within the dead trees and mushrooms. • A DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check hints that the decay is not natural—it appears that the normal life cycle of the forest has been accelerated and perverted. • A DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check leads to a patch of ground with unnaturally large roots, tangled and blighted, showing the beginning signs of aberrant corruption.
Resolution:[edit]
After defeating the blights, the adventurers can further investigate the grove. A DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals that there are faint traces of dark magic—necromantic energy mixed with twisted nature magic. This is an early indication of the Viridescent One’s touch on the natural world. If the party asks the villagers, they’ll learn that this phenomenon is spreading slowly across the forest, but it is not yet widespread.
Encounter 2: The Diseased Herd[edit]
Location:[edit]
A farmer’s field near a small hamlet. Livestock have begun falling ill, and the villagers are unsure if the cause is disease or something more sinister.
Setup:[edit]
As the adventurers arrive at the farm, they find the livestock convulsing, eyes glowing faintly green. The farmer is panicked and pleads with the adventurers to help identify what is wrong. The adventurers can examine the cattle, which appear to be in the final stages of an unknown affliction.
• Two Sickened Dire Wolves (CR 1) are lurking near the livestock, drawn by the scent of rot, but twisted by the same corrupting force. • The dire wolves will attack once the party begins examining the animals closely, their movements sluggish but brutal. • A DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check reveals that the livestock show signs of both illness and magical corruption, as their flesh has begun to bloat and rot unnaturally fast.
Hints:[edit]
• A DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Nature) check identifies that the animals are suffering from more than a mundane disease—there are faint traces of magic warping their bodies, with a distinct necrotic element involved. • On a failed check, the adventurers might assume it’s a strange magical disease, but a DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check can track down the source of the illness: a small patch of land at the edge of the farm, where an unnatural growth of fungi spreads from a nearby forest. • A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check near the source shows traces of someone—or something—having passed through recently, suggesting an outside influence.
Resolution:[edit]
Once the wolves are defeated, the party can burn or cleanse the area with fire or holy magic. The farmer will note that similar strange occurrences are happening in nearby farms, hinting at a wider problem spreading. With enough investigation, adventurers may find that the corrupted fungi resemble the ones from the The Rotting Grove encounter.
Encounter 3: Whispering Spores[edit]
Location:[edit]
An old, overgrown temple ruin deep in the wilderness. Once dedicated to Láude, this temple is now abandoned, with nature overtaking it. However, strange reports of ghostly whispers and sickly plant life have emerged from those who have ventured too close.
Setup:[edit]
As the adventurers enter the temple, they are greeted by a pungent smell of rot. Vines cover the temple walls, and mushrooms glow faintly in the darkness, releasing spores that whisper strange, incomprehensible words.
• Two Corrupted Giant Spiders (CR 1) lurk in the rafters, their bodies bloated with green fungal growth. • These spiders have been twisted by the Viridescent One’s influence and will attack when the party begins to disturb the area. • Upon exploring the temple, the adventurers will notice an old altar to Láude defaced with what appears to be a new, warped symbol of nature, likely a sign of the Viridescent One’s tampering.
Hints:[edit]
• A DC 12 Intelligence (Religion) check will identify that the symbol on the altar has been altered to include elements of decay and corruption, indicating that someone or something is defiling sites sacred to nature. • The whispers from the spores can be discerned on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. They hint at “nature’s fall” and “the cycle unraveling.” • If the adventurers examine the glowing mushrooms with a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check, they will realize that these spores are magically enhanced and connected to some deeper power in the Feywild—likely a hint of the Viridescent One’s involvement.
Resolution:[edit]
After clearing the spiders, the adventurers can destroy the corrupted mushrooms. This will stop the whispers, but they will also realize the temple was a target for something seeking to corrupt the land. This encounter hints at the Viridescent One’s goal of spreading its influence to desecrate sacred natural places.
Encounter 4: The Blighted River[edit]
Location:[edit]
A river that runs through a forest, once known for its purity and vital role in sustaining nearby settlements. Recently, villagers have reported the river water turning a strange dark green, with plants and animals along the riverbanks sickening and dying.
Setup:[edit]
When the adventurers arrive at the river, they find the water a murky green, with large patches of strange algae blooming unnaturally fast. The air smells foul, and dead fish line the shore. At a bend in the river, the party encounters a small group of Blighted River Creatures (use stats for Water Weirds, CR 3, but corrupted by necrotic energy and with blight effects), who lash out at the party, defending the corrupted river.
• These creatures have been touched by the Viridescent One’s magic, their forms twisted into bloated, poisonous versions of their natural counterparts. • A DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check can trace the source of the blight upriver, where a strange, pulsating tree grows near the water’s edge. Its roots extend deep into the water, releasing the green algae.
Hints:[edit]
• A DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check reveals that the algae is not of this world—its properties suggest a magical corruption. • A DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies that the magic is both fey and necrotic in nature, suggesting the presence of the Viridescent One. • If the adventurers inspect the pulsating tree, a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals tiny fey creatures flitting in and out of the tree’s rotting bark. They seem to be twisted nature spirits, further indicating something is manipulating the natural order.
Resolution:[edit]
The adventurers can destroy the tree, purifying the river and restoring its flow. However, they also discover remnants of arcane runes in the soil around the roots, hinting that the tree was intentionally corrupted as part of a larger, ongoing effort to warp nature itself.