The Twisted Forest

The Drachensgrabs have always been a peculiar land, an anomaly among the more settled regions of the Flanaess. Legends Persist that Some Powerful being Sleepsthere, and that some unclean air is about certain of the hills. The retaking of the Pomarj by humanoid forces is just such an event as might be expected of this region- Rumors aside, there is at least one sleeping and dangerous power in these superficially Pleasant lands: the mkmmed ‘‘Twisted Forest.”

The Twisted Forest is no forest at all, but rather a collection of Stony Pillars; these Pitted Pay Shapeshave as much the aspect Of humanoid Shapes as of trees. They are Scattered over the hillside meadows like so many leafless olives, but it would be difficult to mistake them for vegetation. They range in size from that Of a very small goblin to that Of a VerY large ogre, but their twisted upper extensions are as suggestive of upraised arms as of branches. They have overall an UnWholesome and unnerving aspect. One has the feeling of being watched- The Patterns on the trunks are suggestive of tormented faces, and it is notable that despite their great age they do not bear the abundant mosses, lichens, and birds’ nests that the local outcroppings of native rock display in such abundance.

An examination of the ground between the “trees,” which is rich in flowers, shows a surprising number of bones and many weathered remains of weapons and equipment. One might at first suppose these to be the relics of a battle, but they are of varying ages-some old enough to have crumbled entirely and be evident only as strains in the soil, while others are much more recent. Where they have not been disarrayed by scavengers the bones and equipment are still whole. The source of this carnage is not any danger in the hills round about, but the forest itself. Those who touch the stone shapes often die, or go mad.

The goblins of the Pomarj are now well aware of the dangers of the Twisted Forest. Early during their influx a large company of goblins scouting for new lands ascertained from the local herdsmen that the Forest might contain treasures somehow locked within the stone shapes. Precisely what occurred on the day they entered the Forest is not known, but it seems to have been something beyond even the traditional danger (of which the goblins and their allies might have been aware had they not in their eagerness to push onward hastily slaughtered their informants). Later observers have since examined this field of stone shapes, and it seems that there are rather more of them than implied in earlier accounts. There is moreover something which was surely not present in past centuries-a contortedriver of stone among the pillars, more than thirty feet long, tapered at either end. Unfortunately, it is not possible to compare past and present eyewitness accounts directly, as former natives of the region are now dead or dispersed.

The Twisted Forest would be entirely mysterious were it not for records of the Keoish Court at Niole Dra. An ancient and much recopied manuscript there purports to be a history of the Suel peoples immediately after the last disaster of the Suelite empire, penned by one Uhas of Neheli. In this history is the tale of a particularly wicked band of Suloise who fled with all their treasures eastward along the northern coast of the Azure Sea, seeking a new land in which to build a powerful new nation. They were as learned and powerful as they were cruel, and met with success in all their evil ventures, until at last they slaughtered a band of innocent Flan tribesmen in a particularly vile manner in the Suenha Hills. By so doing they brought on themselves a most terrible curse from certain of the Flannish gods the tribe had worshiped: that neither they nor any of their kind should leave the valley in which the massacre occurred, and that they should be monuments to their own wicked behavior, “pillars of tortured stone for all the world to see.” This would seem to be a clear reference to the Twisted Forest, and it is commonly accepted among historians that the Suenha Hills were the Drachensgrab as known to early Suel colonists. The malevolent effect of the stone figures themselves remains to be explained, since it would surely not have been a part of the original curse, but perhaps the powerful Suel mages contrived somehow to see that their malice would continue to wound the world, at least within a limited area. As additional evidence that the stone figures are former Suelites, the flowers peculiar to the Twisted Forest are of types seen only in the far western parts of the Sea of Dust.

As for the treasures which some insist are buried in the stone figures, it is perhaps best not to seek them since the Twisted Forest has so dire an effect, but it is doubtless a great treasure indeed if these stone figures are in fact a host of transformed Suelites. What if anything could be gained from what may be the more recent additions to the collection of pillars is unknown, even in rumor.

Notes to the Dungeon Master

The pillars are largely the remains of evil creatures. Any being of evil alignment which enters the demesne of the Twisted Forest will be affected within ld4 to ld20 turns depending on the degree of evil involved. Thereafter such creatures must make a saving throw vs. spell each round or be converted with all their goods and equipment into twisted stony parodies of their original forms. They will thereafter be fully aware and able to hear and see and even feel their surroundings, but are immobile and practically indestructible. Fire, cold, and lightning, as well as acids and nonmagical weapons will cause no damage, but will cause excruciating pain. The rock is also immune to common spell effects such as rock to mud, stone to flesh, or dispel magic, though know alignment is effective. Only polymorph any object can release a trapped individual, and then the success if checked as if dispel magic were being used against a 20th-level spell. This restoration is permanent if the victim survives the system shock roll.

Trapped creatures typically have only one avenue of escape; they can attempt to take over the body of another creature that touches or strikes them, as if using a magic jar spell. One attempt to take over is allowed on each round in which there is contact. A takeover attempt may also be made against someone who attempts speak with stones. Once in its new body, the new tenant must survive a system shock check or die. Resurrection or raise dead on a body slain in this way will bring back the newer tenant, not the old. In any case the former owner of the body is trapped in the stone form of the aggressor. All creatures are susceptible to these effects, but natural animals are subject to an antipathy effect and will avoid the pillars.

Released creatures vary widely in origin. Some are the original Suel band, including some powerful spellcasters. Others (the smaller ones) are goblins or kobolds, while the larger ones are typically ogres. The large snakelike figure is a red dragon. Some will be other non-evil creatures trapped in new bodies. Reactions will vary according to alignment and length of imprisonment (some of the older ones are quite mad). Equipment will be likewise variable.