1. 0:00

   45 min

   socialThe table is here

   1. An Invitation with Thorns

   The Citadel of Dawn, followed by a shaded forest road into Sylvros.

   At the Citadel of Dawn, Cindreth introduces Lathiras and explains the Court's conditions. On the road, repeated owl calls offer an early, optional sign that someone may be watching. Let the journey carry into the first sight of Aethelwynd rather than cutting directly to the gate.

   NextLathiras follows the sound of the owls with a guarded glance, then guides the party beneath the first living archway.

2. 0:45

   40 min

   social

   2. The Living Archway

   Aethelwynd's outer gate, framed by grown wood and hanging lanternfruit.

   Master Ranger Thalion Swiftleaf inspects the party's weapons and asks what they intend to do if the Court's trials seem unfair. A DC 12 Wisdom (Religion or Nature) check recalls the proper greeting for the Living Archway. On a failure, the boughs close and require a formal apology before entry. The archway opens when the party demonstrates respect.

   NextWith the gate's branches lifting overhead, Thalion escorts the party toward a clearing washed in moonlight.

3. 1:25

   60 min

   skill

   3. The Moonlight Riddle

   A stone-ringed glade where silver light passes through the canopy and changes shape across carved figures.

   The Moonlit Adjudicator presents a riddle whose answer depends on interpreting its wording and the shadows cast by the standing stones. Run a group challenge: the party needs 2 successes before 2 failures, using DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence (History) checks. Reward a persuasive answer, relevant spell, or careful experiment. The statue's subtly false clue is a tell that the rite has been tampered with.

   NextThe Adjudicator's verdict carries through the trees, leading the party toward the Sentinel's trial glade.

4. 2:25

   75 min

   combat

   4. The Guardian's Measure

   Heartwood Bastion's root-bound trial glade, bordered by standing stones and old growth.

   The Arcane Sentinel attacks when the party enters its circle. It is a custom construct, with animated armor as a simple mechanical base. The challenge is to subdue it without destroying its core. Once it yields, a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check notices a dark mark under its bark. The Moonlit Adjudicator confirms that the mark violates the trial's intended design, but cannot name its source.

   The Guardian's Measure

   NextAs the Sentinel's limbs settle into the earth, a runner arrives from the infirmary with word that a courtier has taken a sudden turn.

5. 3:40

   75 min

   exploration

   5. Beneath the Bed of Roots

   A quiet, herb-scented infirmary grown around a central bed of living roots.

   In the infirmary, the courtier lies pale and feverish beside a root-bed that has darkened at its center. A DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check or a healing spell of 1st level or higher stabilizes the courtier fully. Investigation reveals that the same mark is worked into the roots. Elenara hears the party's findings and decides whether to commit the Court's support. If the party connects both marks and follows their trace, they discover a route leading toward a concealed Tribunal court near a future shard site.

   The Courtier's Root-Bed

   NextElenara carries the party's evidence toward the Court's council chamber, where the final pledge waits to be spoken.

6. 4:55

   45 min

   social

   6. A Pledge in Green Light

   The Evergreen Court's council grove, where lanternfruit glow above a circle of living seats.

   Elenara, speaking with High Queen Valerene Starwhisper's authority, weighs the party's conduct and the evidence they have gathered. On success she pledges scouts and living guardians; if the sabotage is exposed, she shares the route map and offers an informed alliance. If the party failed a rite or concealed evidence, she may still offer a path to repair the relationship, but no immediate standard pledge.

   NextAs the Court's decision passes from voice to voice, a sealed letter from Kharbal is carried through the archway.

• The Guardian's Measure

  Combat

  A circular trial glade enclosed by waist-high roots, with three waist-high standing stones. The ground is uneven but clear enough to move around the Sentinel.

  Foes

  • Arcane Sentinel (custom construct, use animated armor as a simple base and describe its attacks as wooden limbs and arcs of green light)

  ComplicationThe Sentinel's corrupted mark pulses when it is struck. Its core is exposed only when it is incapacitated or restrained, giving the party a chance to disable it without destroying it. Destroying the core fails the restraint trial.

  ScalingFor a smaller or less experienced party, use the animated armor statistics without additional abilities. For a larger or stronger party, add one awakened shrub that tries to shove characters away from the Sentinel. The Sentinel yields when reduced to 0 hit points; its core survives unless the party deliberately damages it after it falls.

• The Courtier's Root-Bed

  Exploration

  A quiet infirmary chamber grown around a central root-bed. The air smells of wet soil and bitter herbs, and thin roots cross the floor between sleeping alcoves.

  Foes

  • Shadow-stricken root-bed (custom environmental hazard, not a creature)

  ComplicationThe shadow-mark has infected the root-bed. Treating symptoms alone gives temporary relief; exposing and cleansing or cutting away the marked root ends the source. A careless attempt to burn the bed risks spreading the infection through connected roots.

  ScalingFor a low-resource party, the root-bed causes no damage and only complicates checks. For a party with strong healing or nature magic, have the mark resist until someone identifies its location with a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Medicine) check.

• Lathiras Starsong

  QuestgiverQuestgiver and druidic envoy

  WantsSecure aid for the wider defense of Sylvros without letting the Court's traditions become a tool for outsiders.

  “The Court offers a path, not a guarantee. Walk it with care.”

• Thalion Swiftleaf

  Gatekeeper and witness

  WantsProtect Aethelwynd and judge whether the party can be trusted to enter the Court's sanctuary.

  “A blade tells me little. Tell me what you would do after drawing it.”

• Elenara Sylvanbark

  Ally, Grand Druid of the Emerald Circle

  WantsKeep the Court's people safe and expose the cause of the courtier's illness before it becomes a political crisis.

  “The roots remember what hands conceal. Ask them gently, and they may answer.”

• The Moonlit Adjudicator

  Supernatural judge and wildcard

  WantsPreserve the integrity of the rites while finding a lawful way to alert the visitors to the sabotage.

  “I know the shape of the wound. The law of my making forbids me to name the hand that dealt it.”

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