THE PORTAL STONE GIANT

» Huge oaks with runes of » Huge moss-covered boulder.

warning form a portal leading into Actually sleeping Stone Giant
forest
» Stone Giant has RELIC in
» Entangled canopy forms a heavy silver chain around neck
shadowy archway south
» Stone Giant likes smashing
things, but can be bargained with

SPIDER SWAMP
» Treacherous, gnarly, deep water
» Giant Spiders sit in webs
» RELIC stuck in spider webs
PLAYFUL HARE
» Wooden hare sculpture in grass
field. Box with RELIC behind
THE NEXUS » Hare turns around and plays
PIT OF THE LOST » North exit blocked by vines and
melody. Melody stops every d10
seconds and hare turns back
branches after entering around
» Deep, dark, maggot-riddled pit.
Smells like a grave, groaning » Magic spring (heals d6 HP once » If character moves when melody
sounds per day) stops, they are shot with iron spike
» Horde of lost adventurers » Runestone inscribed with "Six » Pattern repeats until everyone
(Flesh-Eating Zombies) below treasures. One guardian. Conquer all to are dead or went past the hare. It
enter the Prismatic Grove". Need takes 3 rounds of running to reach
» RELIC lies discarded in the pit knowledge or magic to read

SPIRIT STUMP GNOME CAMP

» Stump illuminated by sunlight
» Go near stump to reveal
Mischievous Pixies who wants
to “play a game” (with knives)
» Captured adventurer tied to
tree. Pinecone on head. Hit the
pinecone with a knife in 3 tries to
win RELIC
» Nasty Gnomes getting high on
mushrooms. Singing and dancing
» Gnomes are arguing over who
gets to keep RELIC
» Lost adventurers in cage, ready
to be cooked in huge cauldron
INTRODUCTION
The eccentric sorcerer Forkun has enchanted a
forest to become his personal playground. He has
awakened the ancient forest spirits, turned them
into his minions, and spread six magical relics
throughout the forest in order to attract treasure-
seeking adventurers. The reason for going through
all this trouble? Forkun is bored. He has no more
spells to master, no more cosmic entities to ensnare,
and all he wants is some good old fun. He sits in his
rainbow tower in his pocket realm, watching
generations of adventurers get lost in the forest.
Perhaps one day he will release them all. Perhaps
not. To him it doesn’t make much of a difference in
the context of the infinite cosmos.
This is a forestcrawl written by Robin Fjärem for
the Cairn: Forests of Another Name Itch jam. It is
made for Cairn, but can just as easily be run using
any tabletop roleplaying game of your choice.
STARTING THE ADVENTURE
This adventure can be played as a one-shot or
slotted into an existing campaign. I suggest putting
it near a remote hamlet where frightened villagers
relay tales and rumors of the forest (see the Rumors
table to the right). This will set the mood and
hopefully entice the party to enter the forest.
Once the party has decided to enter, they will begin
at The Portal (see map). They will find themselves
trapped in the forest until they can break its spell.
What begins as a fairly pleasant stroll in the forest is
about to take an unpleasant turn as the forest comes
alive and torments them more the closer they get to
breaking the spell.
TRAVEL
The process for traveling between areas is simple:
1. It takes d4 hours to travel between connected
areas
2. Check the threat meter for the current status
of the forest
3. Check for a random encounter (next page)
4. Roll d100 to see if The Shadow shows up
5. If there is an encounter: Resolve it. Otherwise
describe the scene vividly as the party travels
through the forest. Use the threat meter
atmosphere as inspiration
THREAT METER
No. of relics found 0 1
Atmosphere Normal
Forest creatures Normal
% to meet Shadow 5%
RUMORS
d6 True (T), False (F)
The tales of a shadow taking folks at night is
1 just a bedtime story to scare kids (F)
Whoever breaks the spell of the forest shall be
2 rewarded like a king or queen (T)
3 A fair prince is locked in a tower in the forest,
his lament heard every night (F)
The forest is alive. and the more powerful its
4 invaders are, the angrier it gets (T)
The rivers and lakes of the forest are filled
5 with gold and gemstones (F)
Many dangerous creatures inhabit the forest,
6 but some can be bargained with (T)
BREAKING THE SPELL
Forkun likes toying with adventurers and giving
them slivers of hope before snatching it all away.
Therefore he has placed six magical relics in the
forest that will give them a sense of growing more
powerful as their certain demise approaches. If all
else fails, he will have his greatest minion, The
Shadow (see next page), show up to defeat them
and add them to his collection of lost adventurers.
To break the spell, two conditions must be fulfilled:
1. All six relics that Forkun has hidden around
the forest must be in the party’s possession.
For a shorter adventure, change the required
number to four relics
2. The Shadow must be defeated
Once the spell has been broken, a portal opens at
the southern end of The Nexus (see map). It leads
to The Prismatic Grove (described on the next
page), where the sorcerer Forkun awaits.
THE THREAT METER
The threat meter below is used to emulate the forest
becoming more dangerous as the party finds more
relics. Results are cumulative, so describe the forest
becoming creepier each time the meter goes up.
When the last relic is found, The Shadow attacks,
fighting to death. If encountered before that, it will
retreat at 50% HP or after scaring the party enough
to satisfy its dark desires.
2 3
Shadows are darker Creepy noises
+2 DEX Look creepier
10% 15%
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
d8 1 in 6 chance when traveling
A rotten tree falls across the path. Inside its
1 hollow is the corpse of a lost adventurer
A lost adventurer asks to join the party. Later
2 turns into Flesh-Eating Zombie
3 Nasty Gnomes have set a snare trap on the
path. Captives taken to Gnome Camp
The party is lost and appears at a random
4 location d4 hours later
A Mischievous Pixie tries to steal a
5 valuable item from a character
The party sees river glimmering with gold.
6 It’s fake. Nasty Gnomes on other side
A Giant Spider tries to ensnare a straggling
7 party member for dinner
A young man’s cry for help is heard. Dead
8 lost adventurer found at source of sound
THE RELICS
d6 Roll for each RELIC found in the forest
Rod of Fire, 2 charges. Shoot fireball (d8,
1 magic, blast). Recharge: Burn for 1 hour
Spirit Trap, 3 charges. Trap any creature
2 inside it for 1 hour (WIL save to avoid)
Prismatic Sword, Infinite charges. Deal
3 magic damage and emit prismatic light
Hood of Null, 2 charges. Nullify all magic
4 within 30ft for 1 round
Arrow of Finality, 1 charge. Enhanced magic
5 arrow. Arrowhead shattered on use
Whip of Mystery Glue, Infinite charges.
6 Deal magic damage. Cling to anything
THE PRISMATIC GROVE
As soon as the spell of the enchanted forest is
broken, a sparkling portal appears. On the other
side is a grove so vivid with color that it feels like all
the colors of the forest were drained into this place.
From a rainbow tower comes Forkun, amused that
someone broke his spell. He converses briefly with
the party, then packs up his tower in a trunk. The
relics vanish into thin air. “It was fun while it lasted”,
he sighs and jumps into a portal, leaving a gaudy treasure
chest behind. It contains 400gp, 2 random magic
scrolls, 2 random magic potions, and one forest relic
of the party’s choice.
4 5
Sense of dread Thick mist
+2 WIL Act more aggressive
20% 25%
FORKUN THE SORCERER
Wearing robes in shifting colors, this eccentric
planes-hopping sorcerer has mastered most spells in
the universe. Carries his magic tower in a trunk.
THE SHADOW
14 HP, 10 STR 16 DEX, 16 WIL, touch (d6,
ignores armor), six Spells (Auditory Illusion,
Hatred, Phobia, Raise Dead, Snuff, Vision)
• Haunts from out of sight, always lurking nearby
• Aims to scare over killing unless desperate
• Unharmed by mundane attacks or mind control
NASTY GNOME
4 HP, 8 STR, 12 DEX, 14 WIL, rusty knife (d6) or
bow (d6, bulky)
• Short and ugly. Intelligent but evil. Darkvision
GIANT SPIDER
3 HP, 12 DEX, 14 WIL, bite (d6), web
• Creatures entangled in web are entangled and
can’t move, STR save to break free
MISCHIEVOUS PIXIE
2 HP, 6 STR, 15 DEX, 15 WIL, tiny knife (1 STR
damage, ignores armor)
• Tiny flying creatures. Invisible at will. Pranksters
FLESH-EATING ZOMBIE
2 HP, 14 STR, 6 DEX, 3 WIL, weapon (d8)
• Slow, mindless, undead, corpses. Attacks on sight.
Immune to mind altering effects
STONE GIANT
12 HP, 2 Armor, 16 STR, 14 DEX, stone club
(d10+d10)
• Camouflage like stone. Likes to smash and throw
6
Eyes in the shadows Forest comes to life
+2 STR +2 HP
30% 100%