Whispering Woods

Forest Encounters

1. Meet the Wild life

Explore the mystical fauna that inhabit the illusion-laced forest. These creatures are not just passive observers—they interact with the environment and the emotions of those who pass through.

• Melodist Deer — Slender, graceful deer that communicate through melodic whistles. They are rarely aggressive and seem to navigate the forest’s illusions with ease, often leading travelers away from danger.

  • Encounter Hook: May appear when a character is lost or emotionally distressed, guiding them toward safety.

• Echo Serpents — Slender snakes with iridescent scales that shimmer in response to sound. They are harmless and often found near whispering trees, believed to absorb and echo spiritual messages.

  • Encounter Hook: Can be used to relay messages across distances or reveal hidden truths when spoken to.

• Glowback Frogs — Tiny amphibians that emit faint pulses of light when threatened. Their presence is said to calm nearby spirits, and they are considered good omens by the villagers.

  • Encounter Hook: May appear before or after a spiritual trial, offering a moment of peace or foreshadowing a shift in the mist.

2. Trial of Light

Bioluminescent wildlife guides the way through a pitch-black glade. The party must follow the Glowfeather Owls and Glowback Frogs while avoiding Whispermoth swarms that feed on fear.

• Setup: The party enters a pitch-black glade. Their only guides are bioluminescent creatures—Glowfeather Owls and Glowback Frogs. Whispermoth swarms lurk in the mist, feeding on fear and disorientation.

• Goal: After 3 successful Navigation rolls (not necessarily consecutive), the party exits the glade safely. If they suffer 3 failed rolls, they become lost and must face a secondary encounter (e.g., Hollow Ones drawn by fear).

• Mechanic: Each round, one character leads the group with a Survival or Notice roll (player’s choice).

  • Success: The party follows the correct path.

  • Raise: They spot a hidden Glowback Frog and gain a +1 bonus to future rolls this trial.

  • Failure: The party veers off course—roll on the Whispermoth table below.

  • Critical Failure: Immediate psychic assault from a Whispermoth swarm.

Whispermoth Swarm Table

3. Trial of Thorns and Bloom

The party enters a corrupted thicket where razorvine and parasitic flora intertwine. As they push forward, they are ambushed by Rootlings and Marionette Flesh-Puppets while tendrils lash out and spore clouds distort perception. The party must destroy the central Bloomheart to cleanse the area and escape its hallucinatory grip, all while adapting to terrain hazards and maintaining combat coordination.

• Setup: The thicket pulses with unnatural life. Razorvine lashes out at movement, and spore clouds hang heavy in the air. Rootlings emerge from the underbrush, and Marionette Flesh-Puppets lurch forward, animated by parasitic tendrils.

• Goal: Destroy the Bloomheart before the party succumbs to hallucinogenic spores and is overwhelmed by the corrupted guardians.

• Mechanic:

  • In 1d6 rounds, if the Bloomheart is not destroyed, the party automatically succumbs to the hallucinogenic spores.

  • Each round of combat, all characters must make a Vigor roll.

    • Success: Not infected yet.

    • Failure: Infected—hallucinations persist for the remainder of their time in the woods.

  • The Bloomheart is vulnerable to fire. If destroyed, all Rootlings and razorvine die instantly.

  • When a Marionette Flesh-Puppet is first seen, each character must make a Spirit roll.

    • Failure: They recognize the puppet as a former pet or loved one—suffer –2 to attack rolls against it.

  • Rootlings resemble the sacrificial root-babies offered by the village, triggering emotional distress in some characters.

4. Trial of the Hollow

A spectral encounter where Hollow Ones rise from the mist, mimicking the voices of the party’s loved ones in loving and desperate tones. If a character engages emotionally—speaks to them, reaches out, or responds—the Hollow One flips into a violent frenzy and attacks with brutal force.

• Setup: The mist thickens and the Hollow Ones emerge, each flickering with memories of the dead. They do not attack immediately, instead calling out with familiar voices.

• Mechanic:

  • When a player chooses not to interact, they must make a Spirit roll to resist.

    • Failure: They interact in some way with the Hollow version of their loved one.

    • Critical Failure: They interact in some way and are overwhelmed, unable to act that round.

  • If a character engages emotionally, the Hollow One lashes out with increased ferocity—teleporting them into a vivid memory of their loved one.

  • The moment feels real for a second, then distorts violently as the Hollow One attacks.

  • Defeating the Hollow One ends the trial, clears the mist, and returns the character to reality.

5. Trial of Grief

The party enters a twisted maze deep within the forest, where the Hollow Ones perform grotesque pantomimes of grief. Each performance reenacts a moment of profound sorrow, twisted into cruel mockery.

• Setup: The maze is segmented into 4 or 5 stages, each featuring a theatrical play that reflects a moment of grief from a player’s life. Hollow Ones portray distorted versions of loved ones and display three distinct emotional states. At the end of each performance, three doors open—each marked with one of the emotions. Next to each door stands the Hollow One who embodied that emotion.

• Goal: Navigate the maze by selecting the correct emotional progression that aligns with the five stages of grief: Denial → Anger → Bargaining → Depression → Acceptance.

• Mechanic:

  • If the play is related to a player, they must make a Spirit check. On a failure, they are overcome with grief and cannot communicate with the party during that stage.

  • Players interpret the play and choose the door corresponding to the correct next stage of grief.

  • Each correct choice allows the party to advance.

  • Incorrect choices trigger a Spirit roll:

    • Failure: The character suffers –2 to all rolls for 1 round.

    • Critical Failure: A Hollow One emerges and attacks.

  • Upon completing the sequence, the party reaches the heart of the maze and uncovers a memory fragment tied to the forest’s origin.

6. Trial of the Maw

Near the heart of the forest, the Maw Beneath stirs. The party must resist its psychic pull, navigate warped terrain, and survive tendril attacks while maintaining their grip on reality.

• Setup: The terrain twists and pulses with unnatural energy. Tendrils erupt from the ground, and the air hums with psychic pressure.

• Goal: Reach the Maw’s edge without succumbing to its influence.

• Mechanic:

  • Each round, all characters must make a Spirit roll to resist the Maw’s psychic pull.

    • Failure: The character gains a temporary Hindrance (e.g., Phobia, Delusion, or Vow) for the remainder of the trial.

  • Characters must also make Agility rolls to avoid tendril strikes.

    • Failure: Suffer 1 level of Fatigue or be entangled (player’s choice).

  • If more than half the party succumbs to psychic influence, the Maw awakens and combat begins.

• Completion: If the party reaches the Maw’s edge intact, they glimpse its true form—an ancient hunger bound to the forest’s roots—and may learn a secret about its origin.

7. Sacrifice/Exit

It will let them leave if they offer a sacrifice. The forest presents a choice: a memory, a possession, or a secret. The party must decide what to give up to proceed.

It will let them leave if they offer a sacrifice. The forest presents a choice:

The party must decide what to give up to proceed.

OLD SHIT

✅ Puzzle Rules

• Start at top-left (shock) and end at bottom-right (acceptance)
• Move orthogonally only (no diagonals)
• Must pass through the 5 stages in order
• All other glyphs are traps
  🔍 Solution Path

1. Start at shock → Denial
2. ↓ Down → anger
3. ↓ Down ** ← ** Left to bargaining
4. ↓ Down to Hope ← Left to depression
5. ↓ Down to Closure → to acceptance