Gespenwald

Background On Narren Night, my love and me

At the centre of the land stands the Gespen Tree. A pine, We met beside the Gespen tree
not strong and straight, but gnarled and ragged, twisted We kissed and counted, one, two, three,
in outrageous knots. Sparse needles feather its bark like
hairs from the ears of an old, old man. And turned, and touched the Gespen tree
On Narren Night, the night of the longest full moon of
the year, from dusk (4pm) until dawn (8am), touching
this tree and closing your eyes transports you to the The Gespen Tree, the Gespen Tree
Gespenwald. Her elbows wrapped around her knee
An ancient forest, older than the coasts and hills, the As old as bone and stone is she
Gespenwald overlies the land with extinct trees. These
ghost trees are translucent, waxing in opacity ‘til The Gespen Tree, the Gespen Tree
midnight, then waning until dawn. The full moon cloaks
the Gespenwald in eerie light.
Deep below the Gespenwald the ghost mycelium thrives, In Gespenwald, around the tree
the fungus that keeps the forest alive; keeps the forest We spent the night, my love and me
undead. In the air everywhere are fungal spores. Stay too
long and they’ll grow on you, to root you in the forest. Until the sun returned and he
At dawn the Gespenwald fades, returning the land to Left me alone, beside the tree
normal. But anyone stuck with more than 100 spores on
them remains in the forest, unable to escape for at least a
year.
Oh Gespen Tree, oh Gespen Tree
Spores are accumulated while in the forest: Return my stolen love to me
▷ d6 for every hour spent not moving Next Narren night, please set him free
▷ d6 for every half-hour spent walking
Oh Gespen Tree, oh Gespen Tree
▷ d6 for every 10 minutes spent running/riding
▷ d6 when sitting or lying down Traditional children’s rhyme
▷ d6 when eating / drinking ☜⁂☞
▷ d6 for each flower or fruit picked An adventure for Cairn and Into the Odd,
part of the Cairn, forests of anther name game jam
10 minutes scrubbing in clean water removes d6 spores.
Published by Peakrill Press - peakrill.com
Text licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0.

Created by Daniel Sumption 2022

Cover: Hish, Lord of Silence by Sidney H Sime
Encounters Terrains One-off Encounters
1: Lost Soul 1: Antediluvian Battleground 1: The Stolen Lover
# d20 / HP 6, WIL 8, Chill (d6 + fear) ▷ Mud thick with rusted weaponry and rended mail HP 6, WIL 18, Unarmed (d4)
▷ Each drifting, glowing spirit whispers chilling tales ▷ The chill wind carries battle-cries and rattling yells ▷ A living human, lost inside these woods for years
▷ Its touch engenders fear, despair and hopelessness ▷ Gusts of fear range back and forth across the earth ▷ Quilted in spores, engulfing all who try to help
▷ Roll traits for each distinct soul, as an NPC ▷ He simply wants to leave the forest and go home
2: Gelid Pool
2: Tenebrous Squirrel ▷ Gold and rubies glitter from its distant depths 2: The Timberwitch
# 3d6 / HP 10, STR 3 DEX 18, Special attack (fruit & nuts) ▷ d4 ice-water damage for each round immersed Armour 1, HP 8, STR 8 WIL 16, Claw (d6), Spells: d4 +
▷ d12 Lost Souls will submerge and drown newcomers 1random spells
▷ Muffled in a bushy matt-black ambience
▷ Defend their territory but never leave its bounds ▷ She seeks a friend, a lover, or a meal
▷ Attack by raining down torrents of fruit and nuts: 3: Vaulted Clearing ▷ Her blackthorn-boarded hut patrols on raven legs
1. Cankerous cobnnut: blast of d12 spores ▷ Bowed trunks rise higher than the naked eye can see ▷ Inside are potions, trinkets and iced currant buns
2. Bletted medlar: persistent stink ▷ Cloaked in an umbra darker than the woods around
▷ Fairies dance here, but disperse if they’re disturbed: 3: The Extinct Angel
3. Vorpal pinecone: d4 damage
4. Sour crabapple:: -d4 Charisma # 6d6 / HP 4, STR 3 WIL 14, Bonk (d2), Spells: babble, Armour 3, HP 10, DEX 12 WIL 14, Chill (d6), Spells:
befuddle, leap, pacify auditory illusion, deafen, illuminate, snuff, spectacle
5. Dead sloe: halves movement
6. Phosphor mistletoe: unholy glow ▷ Flies silent just outside of our perceptual field
4: Moss Thicket ▷ A whiff of burning amber is its only spoor
▷ Soft and accommodating fronds above head high ▷ Bestows recondite visions and nostalgic dreams
3: Rabid Boar ▷ Such an inviting place to pause, to stop, to sleep
# d8 / Armour 1, HP 8, STR 14, Gore (d6 + disease) ▷ Spores cover you at twice the rate they do elsewhere 4: The Elm King
▷ Wild-eyed, wire-maned drooling fell monstrosities HP 14, STR 14, WIL 14, Branches (d8 + d8), Spells:
▷ Attack relentlessly with fetid drooling tusks 5: Crystal Mine earthquake, fog cloud, phobia, swarm, thicket
▷ On striking, cause disease and scatter d6 spores ▷ d4 chambers thick with white mycelium ropes ▷ A huge dyspeptic, crabby, wrathful walking tree
▷ Crystals cluster in the walls, mostly worthless ▷ Its branches discharge biting insects by the score
4: Incubal Wolf ▷ Crusty blind formorians call this place a home: ▷ Its fearful visage roots onlookers to the earth
# 2d6 / HP 8, STR 12, Bite (d6) # d12 / HP 6, STR 12, Claw (d6)
▷ Accompanied by d6 scampering human kids 5: The Hart of the Wood
▷ Speak many languages, in ancient dialects 6: Darkthorn Spinney HP 10, DEX 13 WIL 18, Gore (d10), Spells: charm, haste,
▷ Their dripping teats secrete a fortifying milk ▷ Brambles thick as rope and thorn trees broad as oak mirror image
▷ Spines grow on everything, impossible to dodge ▷ Between its antlers sprouts a golden glowing cross
5: Fungal Sloth ▷ Vines trip and entwine as though imbued with life: ▷ Keeps its distance, luring fools further astray
# d2 / Armour 2, HP 12, STR 17 DEX 6, Claw (d10 + d10) # 3d12 / HP 2, Thorn (d6) ▷ Its blood invigorates and can restore one’s youth
▷ Colossal, ancient, lichen-draped, with yawning eyes
▷ Distorting time, so all slow down to slothly-speed 6: The Saprophytic Mind
▷ Blast out d20 spores whenever they are hit HP 20, STR 20 DEX 2, Threads (d6 + d6 + immobilise),
Spells: control plants
3: Woodcutter
▷ A huge immobile writhing fungoid fried-egg brain
# 1 / Armour 1, HP 12, STR 16, huge axe (d10) ▷ Root threads erupt around it to attack and bind
▷ A violet-skinned lard-coiffured oily troll-like beast ▷ If defeated then the forest slowly dies
▷ Its axe will slice a limb off when it rolls a 10
▷ It carries packs of magic butter in its pouch