L2-27. Feywater Egress — The Verdant Spill

Getting Out / Getting In

• Clamber to the Forest: From the veil, Athletics DC 10 to scramble roots to the upper pool’s shore. Heavily burdened creatures roll at disadvantage.
• Return to Dungeon: The root-veil can be pushed aside; Survival DC 12 to find the cave mouth again once you step away from the shore.
• Lower Pool Rim: A goat-path descends the ridge to the lower basin (no check if unhurried; Acrobatics DC 10 if hustling or in armor).

Waterfall Mechanics

• Going Over (willing): Athletics DC 12 to keep feet; arrive in lower pool prone but unhurt. Fail = 1d6 bludgeoning.
• Swept Over (unwilling): Athletics DC 13 to grab moss/roots at the lip; fail = 2d6 bludgeoning and prone in lower pool; drop anything not strapped.
• Climbing Back Up: Spray-slick face; Athletics DC 15 (with pitons/rope DC 12). Falling mid-climb deals 2d6.

The Feywater (nature & etiquette)

This is a watering-hole for nearby fey (Sprites, Mosslings, Dryad attendants, blink-foxes). They are shy but territorial about quiet and courtesy.

• Etiquette—3 Simple Laws:
• No iron in the water. Douse lanterns before washing metal; do not oil or bleed in the pool.
• Leave a tithe. A berry, a ribbon, a verse hummed softly—Performance DC 10; on success, fey regard is friendly; on fail, merely tolerant.
• Do no chase. Predators (PCs included) who chase frogs, dragonflies, or deer suffer −1 to all Charisma checks with fey here until dawn.
• Boon (once/day per party): If the etiquette is kept, the pool grants a Feywater Sip: one creature who drinks gains 1d4 temp HP and advantage on one saving throw vs. charm or fear before next dawn.
• Bane (if profaned): If iron is scrubbed in the pool or blood clouds it, fey sour: encounter checks double and a sprite band will harry with sleep arrows at dusk.

Encounters (roll 1d6 per hour, day; 1d6 per 30 min, dusk/dawn)

1: Nothing but birdsong and deer sign; next check at −1.
2: Sprite band (4–6) observes; if etiquette kept, they mend one torn strap or patch a cloak.
3: Dryad’s Marshal (1)—a stern sprite herald; demands a token verse or bow; grants safe passage if respected.
4: Blink-fox (1–2) drinking; playful thief—may steal a ribbon, return it for jerky.
5: Knotted Bough (Awakened tree) dozing near lower pool; grumbles at loud violence; will block pursuit with roots if pleased by a tithe.
6: River Otter Spirit (lesser) surfaces; will guide one swimmer safely over the falls if offered a shiny button or coin.

(Night: replace one sprite result with Will-o’-wisps (1–2) haunting the mist only if the pool was profaned earlier.)

Foraging & Rest

• Short Rest: Safe if etiquette observed; no random check the first hour.
• Fresh Water: Abundant; filling skins takes 10 minutes.
• Herbs: Survival DC 12 finds watermint (advantage on one Smell-based Perception) and king’s-fern (component worth 10 gp to druids/wise folk).

Links & Campaign Use

• Dungeon Egress: A clean way out for low-level parties who fell to Level 2 and lived—reward caution with a breath of mercy.
• Forest Hooks:
• A The Gnarley Rangers Knight leaves carved sigils near the lower pool (Owain’s ward). History DC 11 to read “Road to Penwick —two hours east.”
• Fey Errand: A sprite asks for a red-glass shard “to calm the pool’s dream,” nudging PCs back toward the Suel node.

Signs of the Node

• On quiet afternoons, the upper pool makes concentric rings in still air—Perception DC 10 to see they beat the same six-count cadence as the obelisk below.
• Speaking Beltar’s name hardens the surface for a heartbeat; frogs go silent.

Treasure Seeds (light, story-first)

• River-Smoothed Ruby Chip (25 gp) lodged in moss at the lip (Investigation DC 13).
• Sprite Tithe: If the party leaves food or verse two days in a row, a parcel appears—1 potion of Healing wrapped in birch with a tiny blue feather.
• Otter’s Cache: With a shiny offering, the spirit noses up a lost signet (local noble crest) worth 50 gp or one favor in the nearest thorp.

Designer Intent

This node-fed exit gives 1st-level parties a graceful escape valve without trivializing the dungeon: the journey out still has choices, footing checks, and social stakes. It also anchors your Gnarley Forest above the crypts—tying the lawful hum below to the living law of the fey wood.