Witch in the woods

This is a D&D adventure set in the world of Tremanac. It is intended for 4-6 level 8 characters. If you are a player, don’t read any further.

Summary

The party are hired to remove a witch and her minions who are terrorising a village. The request can be completed as stated but if the party spend anytime questioning what is going on they will find out there may be another threat which needs dealing with.
The adventure contains several potential combat encounters, a maze, and some opportunities for role-playing while gathering information.

The region

This adventure starts in the town of Lakewatch, which unsurprisingly sits beside a large lake. The following map can be shared with the players. Lakewatch is the only large settlement in the area, and is the only place that has weapons, armour, and potions for sale. Clerical services such as healing are available from the Church of Tarin and the Church of Merial. The ruler of the town, Baron Retlim, claims lordship over all of the settlements in the area, and is therefore responsible for their protection.

Lakewatch

Open full size

A mountain range to the south of Lakewatch blocks easy access to the southern settlements apart from through a pass which is tightly controlled by the Lakewatch guard. The southern settlements are small isolated villages with access being via roads which are little more than dirt tracks. While people in these villages tend to value a certain degree of independence they are not adverse to outsiders as many travel to Lakewatch for festivals. They are also not shy about asking for aid when faced with a threat beyond their own limited capabilities.
Most of the adventure is based in the area around the hamlet of Hubin to the south. Hubin is a small place though it does boast a smith. The centre of the hamlet is the Couatil Inn which doubles as a general store. There are only a few other buildings (potter's and thatcher's).

Introducing the adventure

Depending on if you are running this as part of a campaign or as a one off there are a few ways to introduce this adventure to your players.

The Request
The lord of the region has put out a call for mercenaries to help deal with a threat that would be problematic for a large group of soldiers.

The Job Board
Like many towns there is a tavern frequented by mercenaries that has a note board on which people place job requests. Unusually this one comes from the local lord.

The Adventure

Being Hired

Whichever way the party receive the quest they will be directed to a functionary in the Baron's castle named Bruno. Bruno is a human male in his mid thirties with short black hair, wide-set brown eyes and bulbous nose. He stands about five and half foot tall and is missing his right arm. He is dressed in the plain brown tunic typical of the clerks who work in the castle. After greeting the party he will launch into an explanation about what is happening.

I'm glad you are here as we need a group to investigate some trouble around a hamlet called Hubin. A witch lives in the area, frequently terrorising the nearby settlements, and recently she has taken to sending a band of goblins out to raid farms. What's more there have also been strange goings on in Hubin, with a murder for the first time in memory. Soldiers can't deal with a witch, so I'm hoping you will take on the job

Bruno will answer questions as needed.
The reward

• Get rid of the witch (100gp).
• Bring proof that the goblin chief Taltak is dead (50gp).
• Bring back word from Perdil that he is convinced there will be no further trouble (50gp).

The Witch

• Is called Moira and is said to be the spawn of a fiend.
• Lives in the woods and cannot be found unless she wants to be.
• Has a tribe of goblins under her command.
• Wiped out the fishing village of Gillen.
• Turned a farmer named Felipe into a horse and used him as a mount for several months when he went to get aid for his sick daughter.
• Is feared by the villagers outside of Hubin.

Hubin

• Hamlet to the south.
• Contact will be the innkeeper, Perdil.
• In addition to the murder, Perdil has sent word that there has been other trouble but wasn't specific.

Exploring Hubin

Hubin is never busy but depending on when the party arrive they may see no-one around. Most people will be working indoors during the day or out in the fields. In the evening a few people may be found on the green infront of the inn.
Similarly the Couatil will be deserted apart from Perdil during the day, and will fill up in the evening. Even when it does fill up a successful DC 10 Wisdom (insight) check will allow the group to notice that there is none of the usual noise of an inn, with most just staring morosely at their drinks. As soon as the group enter the inn Perdil will hurry over to them with a slightly forced smile.

Hello. Hello. Welcome to the Couatil. I don't think I've seen you before. I'm Perdil the innkeepr here. What can I get for you? A drink? Beds for the night? Or are you here from town? I only ask as you look a bit out of place and I'm waiting for.. . Sorry. What can I get for you.

As long as the group aren't overly hostile Perdil will freely answer most questions.

The Witch

• Called Moira.
• Has dark blue skin, a tail, and horns but isn't bad.
• She helps out the villagers at times, but not for free.
• She did destroy Gillen, but only after warning them about overfishing the lake, and gave the people time to flee.
• The other villages are jealous of Hubin's witch.
• Moira helps keep the goblins from bothering them.

Doesn't even Seyr teach that help freely given is soon forgotten

The Murder

• A man (Braca) killed his brother (Zoly).
• Braca just walked up to Zoly and stabbed him.
• Braca was restrained by the other villagers and locked up in the Couatil's cellar.
• Perdil found Braca dead several days later. He had been eating and drinking normally.
• He doesn't know why Braca killed Zoly.
• Perdil will allow them to inspect the cellar but there is nothing unusual in there.
• Passing a DC 15 Charisma (Persuade/Intimidate) check will encourage Perdil to reveal that the brothers had only ever had a serious disagreement over Talula, the village smith, when she took a long time to choose between them. She evenutally chose Braca.

Strange Goings on

• The people of Hubin are suffering from nightmares. They started several weeks ago, just after th murder.
• People aren't sleeping well and getting more and more irritable.
• In the nightmares people see confirmation of the evils they have suspected others of commiting against them.
• Arran, a travelling Guide from the Church of Seyr, thinks it is just a reaction to the shock of the murder.

Speaking to the widow
The party may wish to speak to Talula, the village smith and recent widow. While still clearly upset by the loss of her husband (Braca) she will be willing to answer a few questions.

• She is sure the witch is behind everything including the death of her husband.
• She woke one night to see Moira leaning over her husband. A successful DC 20 Charisma (persuade/intimidate) check will get her to reveal that she didn't see Moira's face, just blue skin and horns.
• A DC 10 Charisma (persuade/intimidate) is required to get her to reveal that Moira had threatened the brothers if they didn't stop visiting a set of ruins. Zoly hadn't wanted to stop as he was keen to uphold the light and defy the evil witch. Braca had gone along with him.
• The two brothers went back to the ruins but she will claim they didn't bring anything back. A DC 13 Wisdom (insight) check will reveal this to be a lie. A DC 15 Charisma (persuade) check will convince her to reveal that Zoly brought back a golden amulet.
• She isn't sure exactly where the ruins are, but thinks they are to the north-west of Hubin.

Zoly's House
If the group haven't offended Perdil then he will agree to allow them to search Zoly's home and will give them the key. Apart from regular furnishings the party will also see a book - Defending the Light. This book sets out the principles for a breakaway militant sect of the Church of Seyr. A DC 12 Intelligence (investigate) check will allow them to find a loose floorboard beneath which is a small pouch. Inside the pouch is a golden amulet. A DC 14 Intelligence (Religion) check will reveal it has th emblem of the Radiant Sword, an order of fiend hunters from the Church of Tarin. If a character belongs to this church then the DC is 10.
Resting over night
If the gropu decide to rest overnight in Hubin there is a chance for another encounter. Imogene will attempt to visit a member of the group using Nightmare Haunting. If another member of the group is keeping watch they may notice this with a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check. If they pass they check they will see a figure with dark blue skin, horns and indistinct features leaning over their comrade. If the person on watch makes any move they will disrupt the haunting and the figure will disappear.
Moving on
Once the party are done with exploring Hubin, Perdil can set them on the path to find Moira if they want to locate her. With no clear directions for where to find the goblins or the ruins these will be difficult (DC 15 Wisdom (survival) to find some trace of the goblins) but not impossible to find if the group want to spend time exploring the forests. Any night the group take a long rest there is another chance for another visit from Imogene.

The forest maze.

The forest has been enchanted by Moira to help hide her home. Moira and her home are under the effects of a non-detection spell preventing scrying or a locate spell from finding her. The forest has many twisting paths and trails which create a natural maze. This is further enhanced with spells to confuse intruders’ sense of direction.

There are 30 clearings in the forest maze each of which has 4 potential exits. Each clearing looks similar to the others with the exception of a few noted below which have something that indicates the correct direction to head. The clearings are about 10 minutes walk away from each other.

I used Tabletop simulator for this and just copied a 3x3 forest grid 30 times

The adjacent map shows the 30 zones of the wood maze. They are layed out like this to make it easier to the number them, this should not betaken as where they relative to each other. The number in the centre is that zone's numbers. The numbers on the outside indicate which zone you will end up in if you leave in that direction. The numbers marked in yellow represent the correct path and there is some marker in that zone pointing in the yellow direction. Players start at the bottom on the OUT square and succeed in finding the path to the witch's home if they reach 31 at the top.

Woods Maze by Tanai Cuinsear

There is no deliberate pattern to the way the zones match up and there are numerous potential paths through as it is possible to rejoin the main route from a wrong turn. Some locations in the main route has an indicator of where to go.

• Statue facing in the direction to go (zone 22).
• A rusted sword lying on the ground (zone 4)
• A swarm of wasps that when killed will form an arrow in the appropriate direction (zone 10).
• Trail sign indicating the path to follow (zone 16).
• A dead tree in the middle of the area with a branch pointing in the right direction (zone 18).

Players may try a few tricks to get around the maze through things like flying or using a class ability which means they always know which way is north. If they try flying then the canopy of trees will block the view of anyone left down below. If they try attaching a rope to the person flying then it will get caught between overlapping branches. The real counter to their attempts to bypass the maze is that they don’t know the destination. Flying or heading in one direction won’t let them find the witch.
If the party struggle too much with getting through the maze then Moira may take pity on them if they haven’t gone out of their way to harm the forest.

Beyond the Maze

On the far side of the maze the party will trails heading off to the west, north, and east. A successful DC 15 wisdom (survival) check wil reveal that there are different tracks on each trail.

• The trail to the east shows signs of the passage of goblins.
• The trail to the north has animal tracks including bear and boar tracks.
• The trail to the west has tracks that look like they were made by humans.

The Goblin Camp

The goblins have set up a camp in the forest. A wide path winds through the treesup to the camp. The path is blocked part way along by a wooden barrier behind which stand two goblins armed with bows. A further 12 goblins, a goblin boss (Taltak), and a goblin priest (use the stats for a priest from the Monster Manual) are within the camp.
A DC 15 Wisdom (Survival/Perception) check will reveal an animal trail which provides another entry route into the camp. A DC14 Dexterity (stealth) check is required to move along this unnoticed.

Witch's woods goblin camp by Tanai Cuinsear using Talespire

The goblins are not inclined to talk to those not of their kind but if the party do find a way to get Taltak to talk them they may learn that:

• The goblins have tried to abide by Moira's wishes that they not attack the villages.
• The villagers attacked them first. They then responded with their own raids on the villages.
• Taltak can be intimidated (DC18) into taking his group away from the area.
• If Taltak is killed Yerin (the goblin priest) will take over the band and can also be intimidated (DC14) into taking the remaining goblins away.

If the party loot the goblin camp, in addition to the gear carried by the goblins they will find:

• 10 quivers of arrows.
• Barrels of water.
• Barrels of grain.
• Crates containing cloth and leather.
• 12 flasks of oil.
• Pouch containing 3 silver, 78 copper.
• 14 days of rations in dried meat, dried fruit, and nuts.
• A two wheeled cart.

Moira's Hut

Moira lives in a hut in a clearing beside a pond. The area is warded against scrying magic and Moira is careful about who she lets reach her. Moira is a druid and much concerned with the balance of the world. She has no patience for those who abuse nature, but she sees a place for most things in the world.

I leaned heavily on the balance of nature bit to let the group know Moira is druid since they had approached peacefully

You emerge from the trees into a clearing with a thatched cottage in the centre and a pond on one side. What you at first take to be dragonflies skimming over the pond are infact fairies that seem to be playing a game of tag. A blue-skinned woman with horns and a tail, and dressed in brown leather is leaning on a staff and watching you approach.

Moira by her hut by Tanai Cuinsear using Talespire

Depending on how the party approach her she may be willing to talk to them and answer questions, but if they arrive in a hostile manner or have been needlessly killing animals or damaging the forest she will likely be more aggressive.
If Moira is in a talking mood then she may reveal that:

• She did have an agreement with the goblins to limit the number of attacks on the settlements looking to lakewatch.
• The villagers provoked the goblins by attacking them first. The goblins have just as much right to be in the forest as the villagers.
• Most of the villagers are idiots.
• She warned Zoly and Braca not to approach the ruins or a dire fate would befall them.
• The ruins were a prison for a night hag called Imogene and an oni known as Jagart. The two fiends are responsible for the nightmares with the aim being to bring misery to the area.
• She did her part in warning the brothers not to go to the ruins. Whatever happens next is none of her concern.

She will allow the party to rest in her grove. If they rest here they will not be bothered bt Imogene.
If the group arrive as hostlles or the conversation breaks down then a fight may ensue. Moira's stats are at the bottom of the page.
Moira isn't keen on fighting and will avoid close combat if at all possible. She has several awakened plants and trees dotted around the clearing and a water weird in the pool. She typically starts combat by casting plant growth to delay attackers before retreating close to the pool. If attackers press through the plants she will use darkness to further hinder them before resorting to call lightning while retreating around the pool. If things start to poorly she will use Tree Stride to try to escape.

Moira's Hut by Tanai Cuinsear using Talespire

While Moira stays out of range her 3 Awakened Trees will attempt to stop the attackers. If the attackers approach the pool, then Moira's Water Weird will enter the fight as well.

The ruins

The ruins stand in a large clearing and consist of a few decaying stone walls and a single intact structure at the centre. A group of 3 ogres are cooking something over a fire and there is a faint buzzing sound coming from the area to the north of where the party enter. This is intended as a combat area as the ogres have been ordered to attack intruders on sight and Imogene and Jagart aren't inclined to talk.

Forest Ruins by Tanai Cuinsear using Talespire

On sighting the party one of the ogres will run over to the intact structure to call out a warning while the other two move to attack. At the same time the stirges lurking to the north will also move to attack.

The difficulty of this encounter for the party will depend on how long they take to kill the ogres. If they take care of them quickly before Imogene and Jagart emerge then it shouldn't be too hard, but if they take too long and let the two boss characters join up with the ogres it gets much more difficult.

After the third ogre has delivered it's warning it will move to help the other two. The ogres are scared enough of Imogene and Jagart that they will fight to the death.

Imogene and Jagart will emerge a few rounds after the warning. Imogene is a night hag and Jagart is an oni. Imogene will stand back and fire magic missiles at any threats while Jagart will turn invisible and attempt to target any spellcasters hiding in the rear. After launching an ambush Jagart will cast fly and use his glaive to attack enemies from the air.

In my session Jagart stole and broke the party's only bow to make himself harder to hit

. If any of the party get too close to Imogene (who will keep retreating as necessary) then Jagart will move over to hold them back while Imogene continues to hurl magic missiles. If things start to go badly for them they may retreat inside the structure.

Basement Ruins by Tanai Cuinsear using Talespire

The underground area consists of 5 chambers. Starting at bottom left and going clockwise:

• Work area with a desk.
• Sleeping chamber.
• The chamber where the pair where imprisoned.
• Sleeping chamber.
• Room used for storage.

While underground Jagart will try to hold back attackers while Imogene blasts them with spells. Neither of them will attempt to surrender although they may try to flee if the other is killed.

If the party succeed in defeating the enemies they can search the bodies and area to find:

• Imogene's Heartstone and Soul bag.
• Jagart's glaive.
• 78 gold.
• 92 silver.
• 3 vials of poison.
• Several books in infernal.
• Shield with the crest of the Radiant Sword.
• Decaying remains of a human body with a symbol of Seyr around it's neck.

Return to Hubin and Conclusion

The party will need to return to Hubin to get Perdil's confirmation that everything is resolved if they want the full reward. No matter what their actions Perdil will insist that they remain for several nights so he can be sure the nightmares have stopped. If the group haven't dealt with imogene then the nightmares will continue and Perdil will kick them out. During this time members of the party may suffer from imogene's Nightmare haunting.
If the group have dealt with Imogene then the nightmares will stop and Perdil will happily write out a confirmation that the job has been completed. They party can then return to Lakewatch to collect their reward. If they didn't kill Moira then then they will need to succeed at DC16 Charisma (persuade) check with Bruno to persuade him that killing Imogene counts as dealing with the witch to collect that part of the reward. If they persuaded the goblins to leave they will need to pass a DC17 Charisma (persuade) check with Bruno to get paid for that part of the job.

Non-player Characters

Bruno

Bruno is a human male in his mid thirties with short black hair, wide-set brown eyes and bulbous nose. He stands about five and half foot tall and is missing his right arm. He is dressed in the plain brown tunic typical of the clerks who work in the castle.

Moira

Moira is a tiefling with blue skin and horns. She stands about 5 and a half foot tall and is dressed in simple robes. She usually carries a long oak staff which is carved with images of leaves and birds. While polite she doesn’t suffer fools and holds many of the local villagers in contempt.

Perdil

Owns the Couatil Inn in Hubin and serves as the leader of the community. He is a little over 5ft tall with narrow, pinched face and his remaining hair is grey. He usually makes an effort to be friendly and cheerful though recent events mean he map snap at someone if they keep asking him questions.

Arran

A travelling Guide of Seyr. He has been tending to the villagers south of Lakewatch for over a decade and is constantly on the move between the villages and hamlets.

Talula

Smith in Hubin. Was married to Braca. Blames Moira for her husband's death.

Imogene

A night hag who was imprisoned by the Radiant sword. She has escaped and is giving the people of Hubin nightmares.

Jagart

An oni who was imprisoned with imogene. The two have found they are more effective working together and spent centuries terrorising people before they were imprisoned.

lakewatch notice by Tanai Cuinsear

Colours of text

Notes from when I ran the adventure

Read this aloud

When I ran this adventure it took my group very little time to come to the conclusion that they might have been sent after the wrong witch. Another group might decide to just go after Moira. Either way there should be enough here to keep them occupied

Cost of adventuring

Prices of goods are typically ¹/₄ of those under standard rules so 200gp as a reward is more generous than it may at first appear.

Getting to Hubin

It doesn't make much difference to the adventure but, for those who like to know where the party are stauing each night, there is an inn about halfway between Lakewatch and Hubin known as the Anthill. It is run by a human named Syril.

Death rites

Following several wars where necromancers raised vast undead hordes the people of Tremanax have taken to cremating their dead. Even in places which didn't experience the wars the practice has spread through the various churches.

False Cleric

If the group remain in Hubin for at least 4 days without resolving matters in the ruins then they may meet Arran who appears to be a Guide of Seyr. The real Arran had been travelling between the villages for years but he has been killed. This person is the oni Jagart who has transformed himself to help convince the locals that there is nothing unusual about the nightmares.

Combat maps

The combat maps shown here were created in Talespire. A copy of the Talespire board can be found at https://talesbazaar.com/board/837 The different parts of the adventure are hidden, as are most of the monsters to provide a bit of flexibility when moving the players' minatures around.

Related Organizations

• Church of Seyr

Related Session Reports

• Which Witch

Moira

Medium Tiefling, Druid, Neutral

Armor Class 13

Hit Points 63

Speed: 30 ft

STR

10
( +0 )

DEX

14
( +2 )

CON

11
( +0 )

INT

14
( +2 )

WIS

19
( +4 )

CHA

10
( +0 )

Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +8

Skills Animal Handling (+8), Medicine (+8), Nature (+6), Survival (+8)

Damage Resistances Fire

Damage Immunities Poison

Condition Immunities Charmed, Disease, Frightened, Poisoned

Senses Darkvision 60ft

Languages Common, Sylvan, Goblin, Infernal, Druidic

Proficiency Bonus +4

Description

A blue skinned Tiefling with horns and a tail. Moira watches over the woods and waters south of Lakewatch and will challenge any who harm her domain.

1st level 4 slots Beast Bond, Cure wounds, Detect poison and disease, Speak with animals
2nd level 3 slots Animal Messenger, Barkskin, Lesser Restorartion, Locate animal or plant, spider climb
3rd level 3 slots Call lightning, Conjure animals, Plant growth, Speak with plants
4th level 3 slots Conjure Woodland Beings, Divination, Freedom of Movement, Locate Creature
5th level 2 slots Awaken, Commune with nature, Greater Restoration, scrying, Tree Stride

At will: Control Flames, Druidcraft, Mending, Shape Water, Shillelagh, Thaumaturgy

1/day: Hellish Rebuke. Darkness

Land's Stride Moving through none magical difficult terrain within a forest costs no extra movement.

Actions

Quarterstaff: 1d20+4 to attack, 5ft range, 1d6 bludgeoning damage.