The Beast of Highfield

Untamed Nature
The village of Highfield sits at the edge of the Elderwood, the massive forest that dominates most of western Imera. It's from here that the animal attacks plagueing the town originate, and where most of the adventure takes place. Over the course of the adventure, the party will have to contend with wild beasts, rough and overgrown terrain, and other nature-aligned threats and obstacles.

Fae Magic
Over the course of the adventure, the party will discover that the threat plagueing the town has it's origins in the Fae Realm. As the party ventures deeper into the affected region of the Elderwood, the effects of Fae Magic bleeding into the Mortal Realm from the Fae Realm become more pronounced and dangerous, providing a more fantastical challenge for the party to overcome.

The party arrives at the town of Highfield just in time to help the locals fend off an attack by predatory beasts attempting to steal the towns livestock. Once the threat has been dealt with, the party learns from the locals that this was only the most recent of a long series of attacks by the animals from the nearby Elderwood, both predator and prey, that had been plaguing the town for the last two and a half weeks, which have damaged the towns livestock, crops, and some of their infrastructure. Additionally, the townspeople who were brave enough to venture into the Elderwood to try and put a stop to the attacks claim to have seen glimpses of a terrible beast stalking the deeper parts of the forest, and believe that they might have something to do with the sudden increase in aggression among the local wildlife. All of this information will be given to the party by the townsfolk, though their understanding of the true scope of the threat will be limited.

Over the course of the adventure, the party will have to contend with the oddly aggressive wildlife, as well as navigating the overgrown depths of the Elderwood, in order to find the source of Highfields troubles.

The party ventures into the Elderwood, contending with both the aggressive wildlife and the rough terrain, both of which become stranger the deeper they go into the forest. At some point, the party makes contact with a group of Cernai, who've established an outpost in the area. From them, the party learns that the magical anomalies found in the area, and the troubles being faced by the town of Highfield, are the result of a planar rift leading into the Fae Realm that had appeared nearby, and which the Cernai had ventured out to try and seal. However, before they could do so, a Bramblebeast (a Fae creature made from wood & plant matter that embodies the untamed savagery of nature) crossed through the rift and attacked them, forcing them to retreat. By the time they recovered, the Bramblebeast had already managed to establish a den in the area of the rift, and has managed to dominate the local wildlife to serve as its "pack", forcing the remaining Cernai to shift their efforts towards containing the beast, as well as the magic bleeding through the rift. However, the Beasts influence is is still being felt among the local animals (explaining the source of the attacks), and the wards keeping the Beast and Fae magic at bay are weakening.

The party ventures into the Bramblebeasts lair, possibly accompanied by an ally or two from the Cernai if they managed to convince them to join them. The Fae magic coming through the rift is especially strong here, resulting in the terrain becoming more hazardous, and even a few plant creatures to appear to menace the party. Eventually, the party reaches the heart of the lair, and upon encountering the Beast (resembling a large wolf made from wood and thorny vines), combat begins.

With the beast slain, the Cernai scouts and their accompanying Druid are able to safely close the Fae rift, preventing any more creatures or magic from coming through. With the matter resolved, the two groups head their separate ways, with the Cernai returning to their home tribe, and the party returning to Highfield. If the party was able to save enough of the Cernai during the conflict, they may even provide them with a reward, including the promise of future assistance from their home tribe if they are ever in the area again.

The party returns to Highfield, where the townspeople welcome them as local heroes. The town will need to recover from the attacks they've suffered, though many can now rest easy knowing that the Beast no longer haunts the woods. Following the events of the adventure, the party may be contacted by a larger nearby settlement for further work, though they may also stay a while longer to help repair the town and clean up the effects of the Fae magic in the area. If they are feeling especially adventurous, the party might even try to investigate the Fae rift and what might have caused it to appear in the first place, possibly creating an opportunity for further adventures into the Fae Realm itself.

Bad End: The party fails to slay the Bramblebeast, allowing it to eventually escape its containment into the wider woods. Though the kingdom of Myrell would send a large military detachment to slay the beast, the damage it would have caused by then to Highfield, as well as any other settlements near the Elderwood, would be significant, and the area affected by the Fae magic coming through the rift would be much larger, requiring considerably more effort to fix.

The party must find what's causing the sudden increase in aggression among the local wildlife, and, if possible, put a stop to it before it gets worse.

Local Citizen: One or more members of the party are citizens of the town of Highfield, who've joined with the rest of the party to try and save their home.

Hired Adventurers: One or more members of the party are mercenaries/adventurers hired by the town to deal with it's current string of problems.

Wandering Hunters: One or more members of the party are hunters drawn to the town of Highfield by rumours of the animal attacks plaguing the town, hoping to earn personal glory from slaying the fabled "Beast of Highfield".

The wildlife attacks plaguing the town are damaging their crops and livestock, and if they are not stopped, the town might be damaged beyond recovery. Additionally, if the Bramblebeast escapes its containment, it will wreak havoc on the nearby communities, and the Fae magic coming in through the rift will cause severe alterations in the surrounding environment.

As the party progresses deeper into the Elderwood, they will begin encountering magical anomalies of Fae origin, which would normally only be seen in the deepest-most parts of the Elderwood. Additionally, the Beast responsible for the towns troubles would turn out to be a monster of Fae origin as well, making the threat more dire than might have been assumed at the start. There would have been very little indication of these twists beforehand, with only keen eyed members of the party being able to pick up on the few clues available in the beginning stage of the adventure.

The party may be initially lead to believe that the Beast is a mortal creature, and/or that the Cernai group seen in the area may have had a hand in the events that have affected the town.

Cernai scouts: A group of Cernai who've ventured into the region to seal the Fae riftthat had appeared there. Following a sudden attack from the Bramblebeast while trying to seal the rift, these Cernai were forced to withdraw and focus on containing the Beast, as well as tending to their wounded. The party may talk to them in order to learn more about the Beast prior to their confrontation, to resupply, and maybe even convince a few of them to aid them in the fight.

The townspeople of Highfield: The residents of Highfield, who've enlisted the party to help them deal with the string of animal attacks that have plagued their town. The party can interact with these people to get clues on what might be causing the attacks, as well as to resupply before venturing into the woods.

Local Wildlife: The animals of this region of the Elderwood are much more aggressive than they should be. Even otherwise harmless creatures like rabbits and deer aren't immune to this strange phenomenon.

Fae-enchanted Plants: Within the deeper regions of the Elderwood, the Fae magic leaking through the rift has caused a number of magical anomalies to appear within the area. The most apparent of these is the appearance of enchanted plants in the region, which become aggressive towards any intruders that they sense.

The Beast of Highfield: The Bramblebeast that haunts the woods near Highfield, a terrible creature of wood and thorny vines in the shape of a large wolf. The Beast is able to influence the surrounding wildlife to serve it, and even has some control over the surrounding plantlife, both of which it uses during their fight with the party.

Highfield
A Myrian town located near the edge of the Elderwood. Life here is normally uneventful, though this peaceful state has recently been disrupted by a series of animal attacks that have been occouring for the last two and a half weeks. Lacking the means to uncover the cause of this sudden shift, and fearing that they not be able to withstand these raids for much longer, the townspeople turn to the party for aid.

The Elderwood
The section of the Elderwood bordering the town of Highfield. It's here where the majority of the adventure takes place, and where the threats plaguing the town are coming from.

Cernai Outpost
A small camp belonging to a group of Cernai scouts. It was from here where they launched their initial, failed attempt at closing the Fae rift, and where they are currently keeping watch over the area affected by it's presence. The party may rest and resupply here, as well as converse with the Cernai (possibly even gaining temporary allies in the process).

The Bramblebeasts Den
The section of the Elderwood where the Bramblebeast has taken up residence, and where the Fae rift that's the source of all of Highfields troubles is located. This section is considerably more dangerous than the rest of the Elderwood, with enchanted animals and plants being the most common threats, as well as the most difficult section to navigate, due to the influence of Fae magic in the area. While the Bramblebeast is the major threat faced here, they will periodically call in other animals under its influence to aid it, as well as influence the nearby plants to act as environmental hazards.

Wild Beasts: The party will be menaced by a variety of forest creatures, all made unnaturally aggressive by the influence of the Bramblebeast. Once the beast is slain, these animals will revert back to their original behaviour.

Enchanted Plants: Within the lair of the Bramblebeast, the Fae magic affecting the area has caused some of the plantlife to become hostile towards intruders. These threats take the form of both creatures and stationary traps.

The Bramblebeast: The final enemy the party must overcome to finish the adventure, the Bramblebeast is the source of animal attacks on the town of Highfield. Besides it's claws and fangs, the Bramblebeast is also able to attack using the vines that make up its body, and can compel the nearby plants and animals to aid it in its fight.

The Fae Rift: The rift the Bramblebeast used to cross over from the Fae Realm, and the source of the magical anomalies occuring within the forest. Acting as an environmental hazard, the magic leaking out of the rift will trigger a number of environmental effects over the course of the fight.

Combat

Wild Beasts
Throughout the adventure, the party will encounter various wild beasts that have been influenced by the Bramblebeast into being more aggressive than usual. Despite their enchantments, these beasts will still act on primal instinct.

Enchanted Plants
In the region of the Elderwood affected by the presence of the Fae rifts, even some of the plantlife will become more dangerous. While some of them will behave like stationary traps, some will fight as enemies alongside the beasts.

The Bramblebeast
The "Final Boss" of the adventure, and the source of the problems affecting Highfield and the surrounding area. While their claws and fangs are formidable weapons in their own right, the Bramblebeast can also use the thorny vines covering its body to attack at a distance, and can call on nearby beasts to aid it.

Negotiation

Prior to the final encounter with the Bramblebeast, the party will have a chance to convince the Cernai scouting party they've encountered to lend them their direct aid. If they're successful, they will be accompanied by a Cernai hunter and/or Druid, who could potentially turn the tide of the encounter.

Interaction/Investigation

At the start of the adventure, the party will have a chance to interview the townspeople of Highfield for more information on the incidents affecting the surrounding region, which could help them better prepare for the later stages of the adventure. Additionally, once they've encountered the Cernai scouting party around the end of the second act, the party will be able to recieve more information about the threat they're facing, and have a chance to rest and recover before advancing.

Travel/Exploration

The bulk of the adventure will take place within the Elderwood, requiring that the party traverse densely forested terrain. Since the Elderwood has a reputation for it's strong connection to the Fae Realm, various magical anomalies can appear during their travels, either helpful or harmful, and will only become more frequent the closer they get to the rift.