Tales Trees Tell
Friday, June 16, 2017 2:14 AM
Lakeside town of Kabel's Hill
A small collection of barns and houses that sits atop a low rise on the banks of Hardlow Lake, and resides less than an
hour away from Brookburn Bog.
IN THE TOWN
The Leaky Bucket Inn: The inn's sign, if it can be called that, is simply
an old bucket dangling from a post that has
Hupe and Grinn Brightbell been driven into the ground in front of the two-
- Halflings story building. The word "Inn" has been painted
- Hupe is a nervous pushover on its side in what appears to be pitch. Rain has
○ "We're just having a bit of country trouble; Nothing for Lords and Ladies to bother themselves with." filled the bucket to the top and water trickles
○ If pressed he gets nervous and suggests they speak with his wife out from a more than a dozen places.
○ "Well… Umm… I don't see why not."
- Grinna
Before you even enter the place, you can hear a
○ "I don't care what my husband says! You can't bring that thing in here!"
number of excited and angry voices emanating
○ A few months ago a man named Halvin moved into an abandoned barn west of town. Wood carver, kind of
an odd one.
from inside. Above them all one voice bellows,
○ A month ago he stopped coming to town- A few of the villaines went to pay him a visit and see if he was "It's been over two tendays! What do you plan
okay, but he was nowhere to be found. to do?!"
○ His possessions were still there, undisturbed, along with a map of the swamp; A few places were marked off,
along with various trails, including one to the Frog-Folk Village.
○ "We don't go into the Quivering Forest and the Quivering Forest doesn't come and steal our children in
the night."
○ Because of this shaky truce with the fey, the villagers decided that a few of them would go and see if they
could find Halvin before he was found by the fey.
○ That was three weeks ago and they've heard neither hide nor hair of them since
○ Almost as an afterthought, one of the scruffier villagers hollers out "T'was prolly dem damned faeries tha'
killed my cows! Damn their eyes! Damn their wings!"
○ The man is thoroughly drunk, but laments the loss of a few of his prize cows. After a few of the others in the
room chuckle at him, he obstinately invites "any of ya fools tha' don' believe me ta come and take a look fer
yerselves!"
The nervous buzz of the Leaky Bucket's common room is
shattered by a scream of terror. A heartbeat later, a young
human woman bursts in through the front door. "They know!
They know what we did!" she cries, throwing herself at
Grinna's feet and clawing madly at the halfling's clothes with The Note:
one hand and pointing out the door with the other.
“Kabel’s Hill honors the long-standing truce between the people of
No sooner than she collapses than everyone in the inn shoves our village and the creatures of Brookburn Bog. We seek only to
and pushes to get outside first. As you wrestle your way retrieve a lost friend who does not fully understand what his
through the throng, various villagers cry out in alarm and issue trespasses signify."
prayers to the gods for protection; some silent, others not so
much. The two dozen or so people from inside the inn are
gathered around the town's central signpost. Hanging from it
is an adult human male, blood streaming his eyes and mouth.
- His eyes tongue and eyes have been out, the latter replaced with polished black stones carved to resemble lidless eyes.
- Six long hairpins have been driven into his chest, each pinning a note to his body.
- The villagers identify the stones as the symbol of Rickety Agnes
- Despite appearances, Rerk is still alive, and can be healed. Though if he is, he simply screams for five minutes before
falling unconscious and going comatose for five days.
- To remove a pin requires a DC 15 medicine check. A failure incurs a failed save for Rerk; He already has one. Three and
he dies.
______
Investigating the Livestock:
Three dead cows, each in various stages of rot. It's obvious large portions of the carcasses are gone, carved away with a
knife. A few carrion birds fly off as you arrive.
- There are a few bite marks with black, rancid flesh at the edges of the wound, as if it's been poisoned.
- Cows are mutilated, like someone's been hacking at it with a knife but don't know what they're doing.
One of the recently deceased cows shudders, and the flesh on its side writhes for a moment. Suddenly, the blade of a
small knife parts the hide and opens the cow width-wise across its belly. A bloody, small, spined creature with long horns
and green scales spills out onto the ground. The foot-tall creature picks itself up off the ground and say, "Oh, heya! I
didn't see ya there!"
• Halvin is a really swell guy, but he makes pretty dumb decisions. The last one was a doozey. He went into the Bog.
"Even I thought that was stupid."
• If asked why, he says simply "Even fiends know better than to cross a hag."
• He's been killing cows in the fields, but only because they probably deserved it.
• He didn't say when he'd be back, but he promised me he would be. Pipyap sure does miss him.
Notes 2 Page 1
_______
Investigating Halvin's Barn
The approach to the farmhouse leads you into a small hollow within a copse of trees right on the edge of the swamp
proper. The house has definitely seen better days, as evidenced by the loose boards and shingles, the peeling
whitewash, and the handful of stones that have fallen from the leaning chimney. A small barn, around in the back, leans
even more, and vines have grown up to cover most of it.
Inside the House:
- DC 13 Perception or Investigation check to find a hidden panel in his cupboard. Behind the panel is a small ornate silver
box with the likeness of a spider etched onto the lid (15gp), inside of which is a pouch with 15gp tucked inside, a garnet
(5gp), and a diary written in undercommon.
- The diary has a spider embossed onto its cover and is filled with many cryptic notes, sketches, and maps, much of them
of the area around Brookburn, Kabel's Hill, and the swamp. If any character spends at least 10 minutes studying the
diary, they learn the following information:
- Halvin is a Drow
- Halvin was sent to Phlan to treat with the fey of the Quivering Forest; specifically to convince the fey to break their
pact with the town and sit idle while the Drow and Orcs plunders it.
- He had been sending letters and gifts to the elves and fey of the forest to no avail. Either his messages were not
being received or they were being ignored.
- After months of no progress in obtaining permission to enter the forest, he simply ran out of patience, and
decided simply to enter on his own and visit them personally.
- He knew that Greenhall was the closest thing to an elvish settlement in this part of the forest, and had a general
idea of where he might find the hag, Jeny Greenteeth.
- He expressed disappointment in his familiar who apparently was too scared to go into the forest.
- The last entry is just over a month old.
While Halvin isn't present, they do find Pipyap the Quasit's nest inside the barn, or a trail of blood leading back to the
farmer's dead cattle (If they came here first).
The snoring grows louder as you round a large pile of moldering hay; neatly baled and stacked in the rear of the barn.
Asleep on a pile of hay is a small, scaled creature with leathery wings and a grossly distended belly. Resting on his back,
his swollen belly heaves up and down in concert with his labored snoring. Suddenly, his snoring becomes loud and
ragged, and after a few choking coughs, the creature jerks awake and props himself up on an elbow; rubbing an eye with
a fist while errant strands of hay cling to the side of his face. "What time is it?!" he gasps
• Halvin is a really swell guy, but he makes pretty dumb decisions. The last one was a doozey. He went into the Bog.
"Even I thought that was stupid."
• If asked why, he says simply "Even fiends know better than to cross a hag."
• He's been killing cows in the fields, but only because they probably deserved it.
• He didn't say when he'd be back, but he promised me he would be. Pipyap sure does miss him.
______
Over the river and through the woods…
Travel through the swamp is arduous; At times it feels like the forest itself is holding you back. Throughout the journey
pixies take interest in the adventurers; At first their tricks are simple things like giving the adventurers presents.
- Their bags fill to bursting with berries
- Place garlands of unusual flowers on their heads
- Leave small forest gifts next to the adventurers while they rest.
- Eventually the pixies graduate to much more malicious pranks
- Characters find their boot laces tied together
- Possessions disappear, and are later found hanging on trees
- Possessions smeared with honey, attracting biting ants and flies
- Effigies created of the characters, made of sticks and smeared with blood
- A pixie casts fly on a sleeping character who begins to drift away for a minute. If they aren't grabbed or tied down,
they get caught in the trees, which causes no damage but is incredibly inconvenient.
Two displacer beasts jump the party as they inspect the bodies, but flee as soon as one hits 40 HP. They disappear into
the swamp, leaving a surprisingly easy to follow trail; 60 feet into the forest, they jump the party. PP of less than 15
=surprised. They then fight to the death.
Loot: The body has 4 days of trail rations, a dagger, 10 arrows (6 usable, 4 broken when pulling them out), and a messer
Notes 2 Page 2
Two displacer beasts jump the party as they inspect the bodies, but flee as soon as one hits 40 HP. They disappear into
the swamp, leaving a surprisingly easy to follow trail; 60 feet into the forest, they jump the party. PP of less than 15
=surprised. They then fight to the death.
Loot: The body has 4 days of trail rations, a dagger, 10 arrows (6 usable, 4 broken when pulling them out), and a messer
(Slashing shortsword).
The welcoming party is Five Scouts, and 2 Spies. DC 15 Persuasion check to explain why they're in the forest; 3 attempts,
on the third failure the elves say "Enough! We've wasted too long on your pointless banter!" and attack to drive the
adventurers out.
On a success the Elves bring water and hardtack to the party as a sign of peace, though it's a rather bland offering.
The elves freely admit to seeing, and attacking, the villagers that came into the forest; They were rambling about some
insane wood worker who "didn't mean the elves any harm." The elves hadn't seen any woodworkers; In fact, the
villagers were the first humans they'd seen in a century, and they liked it that way. Now we have Hell-Spawn and
Dragon-Men coming into the forest.
If they mention they're looking for Rickety Agnes the Elves laugh and call them, "Laughably naïve."
If they see Agnes' hairpin the Elves cry out in disgust and alarm, reeling back from it as they demand the party leave
immediately. The elves take back their food and water and attack the group if they do not leave or otherwise try to
persuade the elves to let them stay.
After poking around for a bit or knocking on the cottage door:
She wears a simple floral-print dressing gown with a flour-spackled apron over top. Her hair is tied
back into a neat bun held in place with a foot-long bone hairpin identical to that recovered from Rerk
in Kabel's Hill.
She insists that the group have stew, bread, and pudding; hobbling inside to fetch bowls and plates
for everyone, before ladling them full and distributing them throughout the group.
She answers questions about the pact, the villagers or whether or not she's actually a hag with
responses such as "let's not spoil the moment dearie, there will be time for those questions soon
enough." Over the course of the discussion, she reveals:
• Halvin came to visit a few weeks ago. Agnes was surprised to find out that he was a Drow cultist of
Lolth. "I hadn't the foggiest notion of what they'd want with dear old me."
• Halvin soon disclosed that he was sent to her to try to sway her to end the pact that binds the fey to
Kabel Hill's defense.
• Halvin was quite rude and unappreciative of her hospitality, so she killed him. The Luggage:
• Five villagers showed up a week ago. They were more receptive of her hospitality, having run out of Sentient Chest, functions as bag of holding with the stats of a
Notes 2 Page 3
• Halvin came to visit a few weeks ago. Agnes was surprised to find out that he was a Drow cultist of
Lolth. "I hadn't the foggiest notion of what they'd want with dear old me."
• Halvin soon disclosed that he was sent to her to try to sway her to end the pact that binds the fey to
Kabel Hill's defense.
• Halvin was quite rude and unappreciative of her hospitality, so she killed him. The Luggage:
• Five villagers showed up a week ago. They were more receptive of her hospitality, having run out of Sentient Chest, functions as bag of holding with the stats of a
food a few days prior. mimic.
• Of the five, she sent one home as a warning to Kabel's Hill that further incursions would not be
tolerated. "Apparently they didn't get the message, though." Little Red Riding Hood:
Disadvantage on Insight Checks
You are not affected by difficult terrain
If directly confronted about her identity the dynamic of the conversation shifts as she admits to her Cast Conjure Werewolf. Recharges at midnight, as long as the
true nature. She dismisses her illusory appearance; Her features melt away to reveal her true form. moon is visible.
She also speaks about the pact.
• She is aware of the pact between the fey and the town of Phlan. In fact, she was one of the fey that (As Conjure Shadow Demonn)
originally entered into the agreement with the town.
• The pact has only been violated many times over the years; Kabel's Hill is the last of what was once
many villages that payed homage to the Fey. Look where that got them.
• Talaric Hardlow was the first to break it, up in his keep. He wasn't so high and mighty after I turned
his Giant friends against him. A pact for a pact.
• The villagers were presumptuous indeed. They were foolish to think that they had permission to
come into the forest. The adventurers were more foolish to follow them --foolish indeed!
• If asked, she has her doubts about whether the pact has been worth the trouble.
The party can then convince her to keep the pact or not; If the whole party succeeds, the pact is
reinstated, she gives them The Luggage, and a Little Red Riding Hood
If more than half the party succeeds, she ponders giving them The Luggage, but refrains, only giving
them the cloak instead, "An old Pal found this while he was at work… He's gained a bit of weight on
the job though, and it didn't fit him. Maybe you'll find a way to put it to good use."
Notes 2 Page 4
