Page 72 - Waterdeep - Dungeon of the Mad Mage_Neat

EXPLORING THIS LEVEL FO REST F EATURES
Wyllowwood's forest contains both deciduous and conif-
All location descriptions for Wyllowwood are erous trees, as well as berry bushes and other shrubs. All
keyed to map S. kinds of flowers grow here, but no roses, because Wyllow
doesn't like them.
1. RIVER OF THE DEPTHS Most of the trees are mature, with heights of 30 to 50
feet. Foot trails meander between them, and any character
Large blind fish swim up and down this dark, sluggish who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check to
river that flows from level 4 and meanders down to the search for tracks can see the slender footprints of a solitary
Underdark, plunging over waterfalls every mile or so. humanoid- a female elf -among the tracks left by various
The river's depth varies from a few feet to as much other forest inhabitants.
as 30 feet in spots. Characters who trawl the depths Running through the forest are crumbling, 20-foot·high
for treasure might find the odd bauble here and walkways atop ivy-covered, white marble archways sup·
there, or possibly something more dangerous like a ported by thick white marble columns. Some sections of
sleeping hydra. the walkways have collapsed due to age or seismic activity.
At various points along the river are crude wooden The characters are free to pick berries, gather fallen
signs, each one carved with the word "Underdark" in branches, collect acorns and pinecones, and rest on
moss-covered logs. Chopping down a tree, starting a fire,
Goblin and an arrow pointing downriver.
killing an animal, or any similar act of destruction will
not be tolerated. Wyllow has many spies in the forest,
2. FOREST which speed to her tower to communicate the party's mis·
Between the forest and the underground river are nar- deeds. If so informed, she moves swiftly to eradicate the
row, pebbled beaches upon which Wyllow has planted trespassers.
carved wooden signs that bear the following warning in
Common, Draconic, and Elvish: BEHOLD WYLLOW'S The will-o'-wisp is Crissann's disembodied spirit.
WOOD. HARM NOT, LEST YE BE HARM'D. During the day, it hovers invisibly over the grave. With
General features of the forest are summarized in a whispery voice, it says, in Common, "Take my wand.
the "Forest Features" sidebar. Specific regions are de- Use it to destroy Wyllow, the elf witch!" If the characters
scribed in the sections that follow. obtain the wand from the grave, the will-o'-wisp tries to
lead them to Wyllow's tower and a showdown with the
2A. RIVERSIDE FOREST archdruid. If the characters refuse to avenge Crissann,
The trees growing alongside the river are some of the the will-o'-wisp attacks them. Otherwise, it considers
biggest in Wyllowwood. Their gnarled boughs form a the characters its allies. IfWyllow is defeated, the will-
tangled canopy that overhangs the pebbled beaches. o'-wisp is overcome with despair and turns against the
Bears come to the river's edge to fish, and deer and elk party, fighting until destroyed.
come to drink and bathe. Treasure. Characters who dig up the grave find a hu-
man skeleton clad in tattered clothes and a fully charged
2B. ETTERCAP FOREST
wand of fireballs.
The trees in this part of the forest are shrouded with
thick webs, and dead animals wrapped in silken co- 2E. WESTERN FOREST
coons hang from the boughs. Five ettercaps and ten The forest continues off the map and follows the under-
giant spiders live in the trees and attack interlopers. ground river for several hundred feet. The forest floor is
Wyllow considers these creatures to be part of Wyllow- littered with statues of birds and mammals, creatures
wood's natural ecosystem but keeps them from spread- petrified by a basilisk that wanders these woods.
ing beyond the marble walkways to the west and south.
3. GUARDHOUSES
2C. MOANING FOREST
Characters passing through this part of the forest can Two windowless stone guardhouses with peaked, slate-
see Wyllow's tower (area 6) through the trees and hear tiled rooftops stand in the middle of the forest where
an eerie moan coming from the northwest. (The source several elevated walkways converge. The buildings were
of the incessant moaning is the cloaker in area 4e.) built on higher ground than the surrounding forest, and
their stone doors are unlocked.
2o. OLD GRAVE
Thin rays of sunlight or moonlight penetrate the dense 3A. NORTH GUARDHOUSE
canopy of this old forest, whose trees are covered A rusty lantern hanging from a rafter has a continua/
flame spell cast on it, brightly illuminating a musty room
with moss. that contains four wooden beds with moldy mattresses.
At night, a will-o'-wisp lures adventurers to a grave in
the middle of this cavern. The grave stands amid a grove At the foot of each bed is an empty, overturned chest.
of dead, burned trees. It is marked with a headstone that 3B. SOUTH GUARDHOUSE
reads in Common, "Here lies Crissann, human friend Each door of this guardhouse is barricaded shut from
and companion." The top of the gravestone is carved within and requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Ath-
in the shape of a rose. A detect magic spell cast in the letics) check to force open. Piled behind the doors are
vicinity reveals a source of evocation magic buried in broken chairs, shattered benches, and empty chests.
the earth (see "Treasure" below).
Inside the building, characters find the following:

I E\'EL 5 WYLLOW\1001>
ii