e urbling Ford 46

A steady flow of water writhes and wreathes between the boulders and over slick stone bedrock, burnished over the ages

The water here is... However, crossing the rocks may prove treacherous...
1 ...pure, fragrant, and slightly chilled run-off from a distant mountain ...because they are deceptively slick, a clear grimy film clings to them
1
wherever the water has flowed
...quite clear in places, you can even make out several large scaly fishes
2
and sparkling showers of silver minnows where the water pools ...due to the fact that one promising area of large, flat rocks conceals a
2
massive Alligator Snapping Turtle, perfectly blending with the boulders
3 ...shallow, but wide, barely coming up to the knee in the deepest areas
3 ...for the silty mud here is hungry for shoes and boots
...surprisingly warm and smells faintly of minerals, it’s source must be
4
some sort of nearby Hot Spring ...or at least they did prove so for the plate armored Tem plar, unhorsed,
4
unconscious, and bleeding from a head wound on the other bank
...because this is a busy breeding ground for the descriptively named
5 Exploding Acid Toads. Startling one generally just results in stings and
scars, but spooking an entire colony could take down a Fir Troll
6 ...to the comely or austere, as this tiny brooklet is home to a dozen Nixies

Linger along the edge of the rill and...

1 ...you may be lulled into slumber by its sibilant and soothing sounds
2 ...a family of Deer, drinking
3 ...several Satyrs, swimming
4 ...one could catch sight of... ...a Kingfisher’s coronation
5 ...gliding Griffons, gallivanting
6 ...a parade of Pixies, playing
...one could feast from the bushes of sun-ripe blackberries until faces
7 and fingers are stained purple. Their dark drupelets are magical, and
you won’t be hungry for a week.
...within a few minutes an understandably skittish chestnut Pegasus
8
Mare and her curious fledgling foal will alight and briefly bathe

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 e oss Green Grotto 47
Breaking through the bracken, you come across a waterfall fed basin, bordered by natural limestone embankments

__________ call this idyllic locale home Trespassers washing/bathing in the pellucid pool here...
...A firework of female Fernfolk, distant, but equally ancient cousins of 1 …find it pleasant, if a bit peaty. Almost restorative for the aches of travel
1
Myconids, spore-laden and lonely,
2 ...note that it turns their irises a piercing shade of emerald for a few days
2 ...The Pikefolk Priestess, Missa with her useful aquatic charms, likes to
3 ...may be surprised as the water rinses away all scars on the skin
3 ...The Moss Troll, Mourgoulena and her three unruly daughters,
4 ...will inevitably become biologically female
The Nymph Mother, Liathanna, whose mere gaze can induce pregnancy,
4 5 ...can potentially discover that the water instantly Rusts cursed weapons
is spell-bound by a puritanical curate’s Curse to
6 ...might not spot the verdigris coated Copper Living Statue of a hoplite

Behind the waterfall... ...may wash away their cares, literally: Some of the seaweed-colored
7
moss is a surface dwelling subspecies of Obliviax
1 ...Create Sum ptuous Food, 3/day
...will discover that the water here is actually breathable due to its high-
...Anim ate Dead, it’s hard to notice all the 8
...is a slick, wet wall embel- oxygen content: the submerged caves below the cenote beckon
2 bones, covered in mossy accretions, at the
lished with Glyphs that,
pool bottom
when deciphered cast ...
...an ancient incantation that can undo an
3
errant Wish (once)
...waits a humid but homey cave, with vibrant viridian and velvety moss
4
mattresses and some crude but comfortable stone furniture
...lurks the yawning entrance to a wondrous cavern where the surface of
every stalagmite flashes as female Firefly Sprites futilely beckon to their
5
mysteriously missing males. There are incredibly jealous of the tawdry
Everburning Torch mislaid here by a forgone spelunker
...is the entrance to a long forgotten Elf Catacomb. The treasures they
crafted in the ancient times before cremation became the norm must
6
first be wrestled from the bony fingers of their Skeletal Sentries, while
many a forgotten incantation is muttered by the Guardian Ghosts

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 Treant urser 48
Even game-trails seem to give this place a wide-berth, nevertheless you’ve found yourself surrounded by garrulous greenery

Fortunate for you, the Parents are...
...nowhere to be found, when questioned the children sob, and murmur
1
“Jezek” (Hex 032)
2 ...far afield, having been mustered for a Holy War against Termitefolk
3 ...surprisingly hands-off, hoping for survival of the fittest really
...still sleeping, as the act of planning and planting their procreations
4 4
does tend to tire them so
The Sapling-Ents seem to be...
1 ...fond of humor/jokes, but their punchlines are seldom worth the wait
...roughly teenage (in their third decade or so) and rebellious, one has
2
even fashioned a Stone Axe that she hides beneath her shed leaves
3 …very cautious, but may speak to any Elfs, Druids, or Rangers present
...all utterly smitten with and chalantly vying for the attentions of a local
Quake Flower Mimosa Dryad with gorgeous amaranthine tresses
...completely unfamiliar with non-plant-based sentient life, and have oh-
5
so-m any questions and concerns for the party’s defoliated well-being
...suffering from a wicked, Devil-Weevil-driven disease. They can gladly
6 direct you to the location of a nearby Forgotten Wyrmhoard in exchange
for some assistance vis-à-vis Extraplanar Extermination

An unseen threat imperils this cultivated cradle...

1 ...in the form of a stalk of Shadows, envious of the Treant’s sun-lit lives
2 ...an inconvenience of Kobolds, digging
3 ...a hibernating Purple Worm
...for beneath the rich soil lies...
...a motherload of gold, one can even
4
see it glimmer in their leaves
5 ...for sapient woods make fine Spell Staves
…and it’s a lack of genetic diversity. New pollen from far off forests is
6
needed to forestall the negative effects of inbreeding
...in the form of nutrient poor soil, after a doe bled out at the base of one
7
of the saplings, they’ve tasted blood and believe they now have a solution
8 ...one of their number, gifted in Prophecy, has foreseen a Pyre (Hex 036)

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 e Genius Loci 49
The way the Legends tell it, every Forest has one. You just never thought you’d find yourself at the foot of one...

It is...
1 ...made Manifest from the ceaseless worship of all woodland creatures
2 ...an Adaptation, plants gradually evolved a defense as they were nibbled
3 ...the potent, co-located Soul of the first Druid to take to the woods
4 ...more powerful than a Godling, but less mighty than a Deity

It wants...
1 ...to go back to Sleep, it’s so tiresome to be roused and have to speak
2 ...thrive despite the ludicrous ways of Men
...for It’s Forest
3 ...be left alone by all who use two legs (save birds)
(i.e.: It) to...
4 ...one more cover all arable land on the planet
5 ...Strength from the Strongest, Wisdom from the Wisest, etc.
6 ...the True Nam e one of It’s nemeses: Fire, Folk, or Frost

It knows...
1 ...the location of anything you may seek within it’s Woods
2 ...how to overthrow Old Honey Paws (Hex 044)
3 ...the secret True Names for all the species of trees within it’s wood
4 ...who killed The King (Hex XXX), not that it matters greatly to It
5 ...the name and location of every Elf who ever lived or died
6 ...how to grant Druidical Magics to anyone, but is loathe to do so
7 ...spells of Reincarnation, unbound by time, for any brought before It
8 ...a powerful, permanent aegis against all Dragon Breath

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 Spray-Soaked Span 50
Over the roar of the falls ahead, you hear your heart beat faster. This winding footbridge is not for the faint of heart
By all best estimations, crossing will take...
1 ...no more than hour... ...and leaving any mounts behind
2 ...a full four hours... ...moving at a prudent pace
3 ...the remainder of a day... ...and a rest before would be wise
4 ...considerable concentration... ...at the very least

A notable hazard, when nearly half the way there...

1 ...is a steep, curving corner, slick with spume from the waterfalls below
2 ...the once handy hand-rail suddenly gives way under weight
3 ...a section of planks is missing, wide as a horse is long
4 ...the heart stopping SNAP as spindly supports split and separate
5 ...Cataract Harpies. Their song is drowned, but you may well be too.
6 ...As the saying goes: A Troll and his bridge are seldom far apart

Steel yourself and steal a shaky glance below to notice...

1 ...the party of Spiderfolk, traversing the bridge from the underside
2 ...of the prior bridge, dashed on the boulders
3 …s of the last party that failed to cross here, loot-laden
...the skeleton...
4 ...of the big-bounty bandit: Leswin Lightfinger
5 ...s of antediluvian behemoths, frozen in the wet rocks
6 ...a Waterfall Naiad combing her flowing coiffure. Bad luck
7 ...a thriving Jerm aline metropolis, perched on a crag above cacophony
...a Kwalish Subm ersible, marooned precariously on a promontory. It’s
8
operator, the Wonder-Worker Carym gesticulating wildly
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