Whispering Woods Chapter 1 Part 2

A little confused and unsure what to take from the Mayor, the party leaves the Mayor's office. Now back on the street, they may visit all kinds of places in the City. The general market, the local Inn, the local Smith and Fisher right next to each other, the town's square and the free merchant guild house.

The Herb Shop - Harwin's Remedies

Atmosphere

• Quiet, earthy, with a strong herbal scent
• Shelves lined with rare plants from the Whispering Woods

Harwin (Herbalist)

• Warm but wary, hands calloused from years of work
• Brags about rare herbs that bloom under the "whispering moons"
• Shows concern over tainted plants - black-veined, clearly corrupted
• Admits the woods feel "sick" lately - asks party for help

Red-Hooded Stranger

• Enters silently during convo
• Places a velvet pouch on counter, whispers to Harwin
• Harwin looks shocked, hides pouch, avoids eye contact
• Stranger vanishes without a word

If the party investigates (either sneaky or confrontational):

• The pouch contains seeds — small, black, and oddly warm to the touch.
• If a player holds them close, faint whispering can be heard in their mind — too quiet to understand, but deeply unsettling.
• Through clever questioning or insight, the party can learn that Harwin is in debt to a powerful criminal syndicate operating out of Insert Nearby Town Name, e.g., Greyhaven. The debt has forced him into shady deals... some of which are likely connected to the corruption seeping into the woods.

DM Notes & Hooks

• Harwin speaks about valuable whisper seeds that grow at the more corrupted parts of the river. If they manage to gather some, the herbalists in town will pay good money.
• Holding the seed for too long causes the carrier to hear voices. "Come ... the river ... come". And a loathing child that dies out after some time.

The Local Inn - The Resting Spirit

Atmosphere

• Cozy, fire lit Inn with spiced ale, roasted meats, and lively chatter
• Patrons share stories of fortune - and danger - from the Whispering Woods

Grinna (Innkeeper)

• Stout, loud, observant
• Warns: "Folk go missing near the Willow... forest takes them."

Mira Stonefist (In the Corner)

• Red-eyed, wringing cloth in her lap
• Barely holding it together
• Pleads with party to find her son - says "the woods feel different now"

Optional Flavor Additions:

• Perception Check DC 12
• Players notice a crumpled, muddy toy wooden sword tucked into Mira’s apron — a sign of how young her boy really is.
• Insight Check DC 14
• Mira is hiding something — guilt. She warned him not to go too far... but he didn't listen, and she’s blaming herself.
• Grinna’s Warning
• Before they leave, Grinna pulls them aside: "If you go after 'im... stay away from the Willow after dark. That’s when it sings."

The Local Smith - Stonefist Forge

• Mira Stonefist(NPC)
• Retired adventurer turned blacksmith
• Arms like tree trunks, sharp and focused gaze
• Seen hammering metal with tense, anxious energy
• Keeps a brave face but is clearly worried
• Sound of her forge is loud, rhythmic - like the town's heartbeat

Missing Child - Mira's Son (Elric)

• 5 yours old, last seen near the edge of the Whispering Woods
• Known to sneak off and play there
• Disappearance coincides with rising tales of forest dangers
• Mira is too proud to cry - but desperate enough to beg the party for help
• Pleas: "Find my boy... before the forest swallows him whole."

Whispering Woods Rumors

• Shadows that move with no source
• Whispers carried on the wind
• Trees that seem to watch intruders
• Locals growing afraid to venture far inside

DM Notes & Hooks

• Mira can forge gear or offer basic supplies once trust is built
• Possible emotional tension if players delay or fail
• Clues about the boy's last path may be found by tracking near the woods' edge
• Potential link to Young Tomlin's disappearance from Nedrick's scene

The Fisher's Shop

Nerick (NPC)

• Grizzled, wiry fisherman with a hunched frame
• Covered in scars and faded tattoos
• Smokes a pipe, mends nets by his rocking boat
• Distrustful at first; warms up with casual talk or a mug of ale

Dialogue & Lore Hooks

• On the Forest (especially "the Willow")
• "Cursed since before my grandsire's time"
• "It don't just stand there - it drags folk in."
• "Whispering, tempting. Once it calls your name, you're halfway lost."
• On Elric (Missing Child)
• Used to play at the town square fountain
• Last seen staring across the river toward the woods
• "Like he was... listening to something."
• On the Apothecary
• Disapproves of them sending youths into the forest
• Claims they seek forbidden plants
• "Only fools or the desperate tread there now."

Optional Flavor Hooks:

• Insight Check DC 13
• Nedrick is genuinely afraid. He's seen something he doesn’t dare speak aloud.
• Perception Check DC 15
• If players glance around, they notice a small child’s toy boat, half-sunken in the shallows nearby — maybe a clue.
• Nedrick’s Tip:
• He knows a few safer paths into the woods... but warns: "Safe’s a lie 'round these parts."
• He can tell them of some fisher routes along the Riven, they are safer most of the time.

The Town's Square

General Atmosphere

• Bustling market full of life, color, and shouting merchants
• Adventurers likely here to shop, trade, or relax
• A strange, magical disturbance hides beneath the surface

The Hooded Figure (Mysterious NPC)

• Moves oddly through the crowd - sooth, precise, almost too fluid
• Buys exotic herbs like:
• Wolfsbane
• Dusk flower
• Whisper weed
• Speaks rarely, pays in exact coin every time
• Occasionally retreats to shadowy corners to:
• Whisper in an unknown language
• Trace invisible sigils in the air
• Momentarily shimmer with faint protective magic

Arcana Check DC 17

• Success reveals
• Magic = Cleansing Sigil
• Purpose = Ward against spiritual corruption or taint

If Followed & Confronted

• The figure stays one step ahead at all times
• Seems to anticipate pursuit
• If cornered:
• Vanishes in a flicker of shadow
• Leaves behind only a metallic whisper on the wind.

The Free Merchant Guild House

Atmosphere

• Bustling with trade chatter, profit counts, and road gossip
• Smells of ink, coin, and spices

Rumors & Hooks

• Potion sellers in Askarot pay "a king's ransom" for rare herbs from near the Whispering Willow
• Mira's son was known to sneak in for sweets - no one's seen him recently
• Merchants whisper that some gatherers never return from the forest

After learning of Elric's disappearance and hearing the haunting tales surrounding the Whispering Woods, the party begins tracking signs of the child. Following a trail of tiny footprints, torn cloth, and a half-sunken toy boat, they paddle upriver against the current. The forest grows darker, stranger — trees bend subtly toward them, and the water thickens with rot and black-veined algae.

As they travel, signs of corruption worsen: shreds of clothing, a teddy bear snagged in brambles, and a bloodstained patch of moss hint at danger. Suddenly, a corrupted fish leaps from the water, thrashing wildly with bulbous eyes and rotting flesh, followed by the twisting roots of a fallen tree — animated, aggressive, and hungry. A short but harrowing combat encounter ensues.

Exhausted, the party discovers an abandoned riverside camp and takes a much-needed rest. But sleep brings no peace. Nightmares plague each member — distorted visions of the future, flickers of ruin, whispers of vines wrapping their limbs. As they stir, they realize they are surrounded.

Combat Encounter – Rootlings Ambush:

Small wooden creatures, shaped like twisted forest spirits, encircle the camp. Some players are already ensnared by roots or under a hypnotic trance. One creature steps forward and speaks with a voice like creaking wood:

“The child is chosen… you should not be here.”

After a tense fight, the party triumphs, leaving the clearing strewn with splinters and sap. But then... a new sound stirs — soft, distant humming. A child’s lullaby, floating on the night breeze.

They follow it deeper into the woods until they come to a small moonlit clearing. Rays of moonlight pierce through a heavy canopy, bathing the space in silvery gloom. In the center stands an ancient willow — twisted, massive, wrong. At its roots sits Elric, eyes shut, slowly rocking, humming the lullaby in a voice not quite his own.

Attempts to wake or move him fail — he’s trapped in a trance. As the party approaches, the willow awakens.

Boss Encounter – The Whispering Willow:

The tree lashes out with heavy branches. Each hit requires a DC 13 Dexterity Save or the target takes 1d10+3 bludgeoning damage. Each round, small Rootlings emerge to harass the party. As the fight escalates, the tree grows more desperate, striking twice per round.

The party must:

• Defend against the willow's onslaught,
• Manage the growing rootling swarm,
• Safely retrieve Elric without letting him be harmed.

After a fierce and chaotic struggle, they manage to pull Elric from the roots. The moment they do, his body goes limp — the trance breaks. He begins to cry, confused and frightened.

The party escapes with Elric, the willow’s distant wails fading behind them.

Returning to Rivenbrook:

As the cursed woods disappear behind them, and they cross the river’s edge, a palpable weight lifts from the party’s shoulders. Clean air rushes in. The haunting whispers cease.

Lanterns flicker to life as they enter town. Mira Stonefist — strong as stone, always composed — drops her hammer and rushes through the crowd. With trembling arms, she wraps Elric in a crushing hug, breaking down for the first time in years.

Grinna, the innkeeper, watches from the doorway, nodding solemnly. Nerick glances up from his boat and mutters, “Told you the woods drag folk in…”

But not everyone is celebrating.

Hidden in the shadow of his shop, Harwin the herbalist watches the group return, face pale, lips tight. One hand clutches something beneath his cloak — something that pulses faintly. He turns away and vanishes into the back room without a word...

Quest Rewards & Follow-Up Hooks:

• XP for encounters: Rootlings, corrupted fish/tree, Whispering Willow
• Emotional payoff: Trust with Mira = access to blacksmithing gear, free repair or custom item after rest
• Hook unlocked: Harwin's connection to the criminal syndicate in Rivenbrook
• Ominous epilogue: The forest is wounded… but not dead.