The Shadow That Sings
The Shadow That Sings
“A forest of spirits, a portal beneath the roots, and a shadow that may know your name.”
— Hook · Mystery and supernatural wilderness expedition
“The Animal Lords have gone silent, and the forest spirits now lead travelers toward danger instead of safety. As the newest Herald of those spirits, you must leave the Deepwood, follow the lights that no one else can see, and discover what is disturbing the woods. Along the way, you may finally learn whether the shadow that follows you is a curse or a voice from your bloodline.”
— Hook · Mystery and supernatural wilderness expedition
At moonrise, the party gathers beneath the Starbough Oak while the forest holds its breath. No crickets sing. No owls call. A ring of pale will-o-wisps appears between the trees, followed by a second ring of darker lights that move like shadows cast by invisible flames. Maelis Starbough places a silverwood tuning fork in Lethira's hand and tells her that the Animal Lords have sent their final warning: something is trying to open the gate from the wrong side.
Maelis Starbough
Maelis summons the party to the Starbough Oak during a silent moonrise. She asks them to escort Lethira, protect her from both physical and spiritual threats, and return before the third moonset. She warns that the shadow lights may speak with familiar voices.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The moon elves abandoned an entire village after every villager began speaking with the voice of a dead ancestor.
- 02Bright will-o-wisps guide travelers home, but the dark ones guide them toward things that remember their names.
- 03A banshee once guarded the Silverroot Gate before the elves erased her name from their songs.
- 04The Animal Lord of the Stag has been seen kneeling before an empty grave.
- 05The oldest trees in the Deepwood grow silver leaves whenever the Feywild is near.
If the Silverroot Gate opens under Veyr's influence, a hostile fey presence will enter the Deepwood, corrupting the Animal Lords' spirits and turning the forest into a hunting ground for shadow creatures. If the party fails to understand the Herald's bloodline, she may become the next vessel for a banshee echo. If they succeed, the Deepwood gains a new guardian and the boundary between the mortal forest and the Feywild becomes more stable.
Background Lore
For generations, the moon elves of the Deepwood have guarded the Silverroot Gate, a fey portal hidden beneath an ancient tree. Their duty is supported by the forest spirits, including the Animal Lords, benevolent embodiments of instinct, memory, and wild authority. Recently, the spirits have become agitated. Herds migrate in impossible patterns, predatory beasts gather near elven paths, and both luminous and shadowy will-o-wisps have appeared in places where neither should be able to exist. A young moon elf spellsinger and Herald of the Animal Lords is commanded to leave her woodland home, investigate the disturbance, and learn whether her shadow touched nature is a curse, a calling, or a warning.
The Deepwood's guardian spirits have become erratic and dangerous. A young moon elf spellsinger, newly named Herald of the Animal Lords, must journey beyond her protected woodland home, track the unnatural lights, and stop whatever is disturbing the forest before it reaches the fey portal. The expedition may also reveal why a strange shadow follows her and why she can perceive both benevolent and malicious will-o-wisps.
