Panax Green-Song

Panax, Horned Prisoner of the Gnarley

Identity (at a glance)

• Creature: Satyr (fey) — use the Monster Manual satyr stat block.
• Alignment: Neutral Good (mischief-with-a-heart)
• Look: Sun-browned skin; tangled black curls; curved ram-horns (left horn bears an iron ring etched with Suloise glyphs bruised wrists/ankles from spiked chains; pipe-scars on callused fingers.
• Voice/RP hooks: Breathless wit despite exhaustion; calls everyone “traveler”; winces at iron; eyes track any mention of the Gnarley or the druid circle.

Why a satyr fits

You wanted a neutral/Good horned fey from the Gnarley—satyr is perfect: unmistakable horns for the anchor ring; native to deep woods; known for charm-magic (pipes) and path-lore; exactly the kind of prize the Howling Moon would cage for leverage.

A satyr warden of the deep groves, Panax keeps to the old paths between dryad pools and elven ley-bowers. He’s quick-witted, sly, and charming when it helps—but proudly stubborn when faced with bullies. He calls himself “Thorncall” because he can rouse the briars and thistles of the forest to snag foes like nets. The Rangers, elves, and druids all know him as a dependable—if mischievous—ally who prefers clever tricks to open bloodshed. The Gnarley itself is full of such fey and wardens, a wild mosaic where elves, rangers, and druidic circles cooperate to keep balance.

Appearance

Lean, leaf-browned skin; curling ram-horns (one bound with an iron ring—your dimensional anchor burr-caught cloak; reed panpipes; a thorn-carved staff. When he laughs, moths flutter from his hair.

Personality

Droll, needling humor; hates cages and cruelty; can’t resist testing a person’s intentions with a prank. Bonds fiercely to mortals who keep their word. Flaw: when friends are threatened, his temper overrides caution.

Background

Panax’s patch lies along old elven ley-lines and ranger game trails, halfway between a sylvan glade of Clan Fealefel and a Gnarley Ranger cache-tree. He has served as a messenger, guide, and sometimes decoy for both groups during raids by orcs and bandits. The Elves of the Gnarley and the Rangers maintain cautious-but-practical cooperation; fey like Panax often act as the grease in those gears.

How he was taken. Urzhag’s lieutenants baited a dryad’s pool with butchered stag to draw Panax out. They used wolf-nets dusted with cold-iron filings and a silver-spiked mancatcher; when he was down, the shaman slammed the iron ring onto his horn (the dimensional anchor). Dragged to the temple, he was given the derisive sobriquet “Swath”—orcish for “bleeder.”

Why the Howling Moon value him.

• Forest intel. He knows hidden paths, Ranger caches, and which glades are guarded by treants or worse. (The Rangers rely on informal territories and relationships—knowledge that Panax’s wanderings stitch together.)
• Leverage. He’s a known friend to local elves and druids; rumors of his capture shake morale. Druids and elves are long-standing partners in the Gnarley’s defense.
• Ritual use. The orc shaman believes satyr blood—mixed with powdered silver and onyx—will foul protective groves and power the audience-hall summoning circle. (Your ROOM 14 circle write-up + the black candles/silver bone powders here.)

How the Howling Moon got him

• Bait: A wine cart “gift” abandoned on a game trail (orcs were coached by the human cultist).
• Snare: Worg riders drove him into a net woven with cold-iron rings, then a mancatcher pole locked his neck long enough to slap on the iron ring (Dimensional Anchor).
• Drag: He was marched under burlap and beaten with green wood (no steel on the flesh—superstition from the shaman).

The anchor & freeing him

• The iron ring acts as a Dimensional Anchor focused on Panax: any spell or effect that would teleport, banish, plane shift, tree stride, or misty step him fails (also suppresses his panpipes’ Sleep melody while worn).
• Remove by: Dispel Magic (DC 15) or Remove Curse, or the folkloric “touch of a maiden”: any creature who sincerely claims maidenhood and touches the ring breaks it with a soft chime (your table’s role-play moment).
• If freed, he’s exhausted (give him 1 level of exhaustion) and HP 6; speed 25 ft until he gets food/water and 1 hour’s rest.

Why the orcs keep him (value)

• Bargaining chip against the Gnarley rangers/druids and Verbobonc envoys.
• Path-lore: He knows quiet deer runs and sylvan markers that bypass patrols.
• Music: His panpipes can charm/coerce slaves—Krak wants him alive for that (pipes are confiscated; see Loot).
• Ritual blood: The cultist wanted a living fey for Syrul/Pyremius circle experiments (tie to Room 14’s summoning).

What Panax knows (give freely once safe)

• Throne button in Room 14 raises this floor portcullis; the counterweight is in the wall; there’s a release pin in the judge’s crawl behind the throne.
• The orc shaman fears the Wee Jas circle and tells warriors not to “complete the nick” (gas vents lash them—he’s seen it).
• The human cultist met Krak in Room 14 twice; speaks Old Suloise badly, wears a ruby seal on a thong.
• There’s a stash of druidic simples (Aeglos root, willowbark) cached in a crack two bends west of the temple (use as a side-hook).

Roleplaying Panax

• Grateful but proud. He’ll joke to mask pain; asks for water, then food, then his pipes.
• Motivations: Get out alive; warn the Gnarley Circle; repay a kindness.
• Oath: If freed honorably, he swears a satyr boon: once before dawn, he’ll play a melody that grants the party advantage on one group Stealth check (or Charm DCs vs. beasts/fey for 1 hour—pick one).

If the party doesn’t free him

• He pleads softly; if left, the next horn event brings bodyguards who move him to Room 18. Elite Bodyguard Bedchamber 'The Hag & the Owl-Bear' for “the mask rite.” You can time this to keep pressure on.

Relationships

Drey Garson, Retired Ranger Knight (Tor Badlands)

Status: Cranky respect.
Panax has twice guided Drey through briar-maze country when the old knight’s curse stiffened his limbs. Drey calls him “the goat with a map,” and Panax calls Drey “Stone-Brow.” If word of Panax’s capture reaches Drey, the old hunter will grind his teeth, mutter about “damn fool kids,” and come anyway—with whatever young Rangers he can bully into a rescue. Drey’s legend and current predicament make him a natural catalyst here.

How to play Drey in this beat. Gruff, laconic, merciless toward orcs; he’ll trade barbs with Panax but listens when the satyr talks forest-sense. (If you want mechanics, lean on his Favored Enemies and home-turf mastery when the rescue turns to a running fight in the trees.)

The Gnarley Rangers Of the Gnarley Forest

Panax shares news, scent-marks trails with herbs, and caches panpipe signals for patrols. Rangers reciprocate with arrowheads and poultices. Their order is steered by Ranger Knights rather than a single commander, so allies like Panax help weave the patchwork from region to region.

Elves of the Gnarley Forest

He’s a frequent guest of Clan Fealefel artisans and a sometime messenger for Enlanefel diplomats. Elves guard their groves but exchange favors with those who protect the forest’s spirit; Panax is one such friend—especially when tensions with human borderers spike.

Druids of the Gnarley Forest

Mutual respect: the druids trust Panax to carry warnings faster than ravens. Many sacred groves include nymph pools or dryad trees—fey places Panax reveres—and the druids coordinate with Rangers and elves to preserve them.

How Hrudek fits

• Who he is (tone): a weathered, iron-calm archdruid whose patience breaks only for cruelty to the forest. He’s the hinge between elves, Rangers, and the Old Faith in the western Gnarley—stern with mortals, gentle with groves.
• Why he cares: a living fey prisoner inside a desecrated Suel temple is a triple affront (to the forest, to the balance, and to the Old Faith). If Hrudek learns FPanaxs captive, he will move pieces immediately—quietly if there’s time, violently if not.

Using Panax in play

Roleplaying cues.

• Opens with a jab: “Took you long enough. I was about to chew the ring off.”
• Teases courage: “You’ve got hunter’s eyes. Try using them before stepping on another trap.”
• Blessing gift: after rescue he teaches a briar-charm (one-use: difficult terrain vs. pursuers for 1 minute as thorns grasp).

What he knows right now.

• Urzhag’s bodyguards pass shifts with oil-stink on their armor—cooking replaced a forge in the west rooms (he smelled Jascar’s anvil rune under the soot).
• The audience-hall circle is active but flawed; gas nozzles prime it. (He heard a “sweet almond” hiss before guards fell coughing.)
• A were-howl command phrase (“Grey-Howl takes the debt!”) riles orcs outside Room 19.

Quests he prompts.

1. The Iron Ring. Break the anchor with dispel magic or a maiden’s touch; either wins his permanent camaraderie and a fey contact in future sessions.
2. The Red Corridor Run. He’ll guide a stealth sprint past twin portcullises, calling “lantern dark” at each murder-slot.
3. Warband Distrust. He can mimic Urzhag’s lieutenants to sow orc panic; a successful deception can split their response.

Hooks his rescue unlocks

• Forest Guide: Fast route to your next arc (saves a day of travel; avoid a random encounter).
• Rivalry: A dryad owes Panax a favor; if you want, she appears later to pay the party back.
• Proof of the cultist: Panax describes the ruby seal—the party recognizes it from Area 6 Wee Jas motifs.