The Sickness Beneath the Boughs
The Sickness Beneath the Boughs
Read aloud
Outside Candosville, a towering cottonwood shimmers in the wind though the air is still. A gentle voice rises from its roots: "I am Grandmother Cottonwood. The forest is sick, and something at its heart is poisoning the trees. Go into the woods, find what is doing this, and end it before the sickness reaches the village."
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Find the source of the forest's sickness.
- 2Stop the creatures protecting the blighted heart.
- 3Cleanse the heart of the forest.
- 4Discover what happened to the dryads and reassure Candosville.Optional
The clock
After each major delay or failed expedition beat, the blight advances toward Candosville. After three such delays, the village creek becomes unsafe to drink from until the heart is cleansed.
Scenes
- 0:00A Voice in the Leaves
- 0:20The Bitter Creek
- 0:55Hunters in the Canopy
- 1:40The Three Root-Markers
- 2:20The Rootbound Dead
Cast
- Grandmother CottonwoodQuestgiver and ancient forest spirit
- Tamsin ReedWitness and Candosville herbalist
- Elder VeyraAntagonist and undead dryad
- MossbackWildcard and old woodland guardian
The hook
Set the scene
Read the hook aloud outside Candosville. Grandmother Cottonwood's bark parts like a face, and a single dark leaf falls from her crown despite the calm weather. She points toward the forest road, where a thin stream runs black between the roots.
How Grandmother Cottonwood asks
Grandmother Cottonwood manifests beside the road outside Candosville.
Her branches lower to form a sheltered alcove, and her voice speaks directly into the characters' minds. If the party hesitates, she offers a map of the first trail markers and explains that the sickness is moving toward the village creek.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3.5 hours0:00
20 min
socialThe table is here
1. A Voice in the Leaves
The forest road just outside Candosville, beneath the broad crown of Grandmother Cottonwood.
Meet Grandmother Cottonwood, learn the stakes, and receive a trail marker pointing toward the sickened creek.
NextTamsin Reed can point out the first signs of blight and lead the party to the creek trail.
0:20
35 min
exploration
2. The Bitter Creek
A damp woodland trail beside a creek with darkened water, dead ferns, and unusually quiet animal life.
Track the sickness through the forest. Characters can inspect the creek, follow disturbed earth, and identify that the damage grows stronger toward the old grove.
NextA set of heavy tracks leads into a ravine where the Grimstalkers have made a hunting ground.
0:55
45 min
combat
3. Hunters in the Canopy
A narrow ravine under dense boughs, with fallen logs and slick stones.
Survive an ambush by two Grimstalkers and learn that the predators are drawn to the blight rather than its source.
Hunters in the CanopyNextBeyond the ravine, the party finds a line of exposed roots leading to the old grove.
1:40
40 min
skill
4. The Three Root-Markers
A circular grove around a dark spring, where three ancient stone markers are tangled in exposed roots.
At the old grove, investigate the three root-markers and solve the cleansing puzzle. Each marker bears a distinct carving: a leaf, a stream, or a sun. The party must turn them so their carved lines point inward in the order leaf, stream, sun, matching the clues found on the trail. If they test the mechanism, explain that the wrong order makes the roots recoil but does not permanently lock the puzzle.
NextCompleting the alignment exposes the blighted knot and draws the undead dryads out of the trees.
2:20
60 min
combat
5. The Rootbound Dead
The corrupted clearing around the spring and the exposed roots of the ancient heart tree.
Defeat or release the three Undead Dryads, then cleanse the exposed heartwood by pouring clean water over the knot while the root-markers remain aligned.
The Rootbound DeadNextWhen the spring clears, return to Grandmother Cottonwood to report what happened and receive her thanks.
Behind it
What people believe
Grandmother Cottonwood has asked the adventurers to investigate a spreading sickness in the forest outside Candosville.
The water is turning bitter, the trees are blackening, and hostile creatures have been seen near the oldest grove. The party must find the source, overcome its guardians, and give the forest a chance to recover.
Background
Beyond Candosville, the old forest is tended by Grandmother Cottonwood, a spirit bound to a vast, ancient tree.
For generations, the nearby villagers left offerings at its roots and took only fallen wood. Recently, the forest's streams have turned bitter, animals have fled, and the oldest trees have begun to blacken from within. This adventure uses Grimstalkers and Undead Dryads as requested creatures; their exact abilities are custom and should be adjusted to the group's Pathfinder 2E rules and level.
The stakes
If the party fails, the blight reaches Candosville's creek, the forest's oldest grove may die, and the dryads remain trapped in undeath.
If they succeed, they stop the spread and give the forest a chance to heal.
Encounters
2Hunters in the Canopy
Combat
A steep-sided ravine under dense boughs, with slick stones, fallen logs, and several climbable trees. The ravine floor is difficult to cross at speed.
Foes
Grimstalker 1, custom forest predator
Grimstalker 2, custom forest predator
ComplicationThe Grimstalkers use the tangled terrain to separate characters and strike from cover. A character who spends an action observing the canopy or tracking the creatures can identify a likely approach lane.
ScalingFor a smaller or lower-level party, use one Grimstalker or have the second flee when badly hurt. For a larger or higher-level party, add a hazard such as a collapsing branch or give the Grimstalkers a coordinated ambush. Use level-appropriate Pathfinder 2E statistics or custom creature statistics for the supplied foes.
The Rootbound Dead
Combat
A clearing around exposed roots and a dark spring. Roots create narrow lanes and low barriers; the spring's edge is slick. The corrupted heartwood is visible at the center.
Foes
Undead Dryad 1, custom corrupted spirit
Undead Dryad 2, custom corrupted spirit
Undead Dryad 3, custom corrupted spirit
ComplicationThe dryads fight to defend the corrupted roots, but the party can disrupt their coordination by damaging or cleansing visible blight nodes. A dryad that is isolated from the node hesitates and may be reached through conversation.
ScalingFor a smaller or lower-level party, begin with two dryads and have the third arrive only if the party is doing well. For a larger or higher-level party, strengthen the root hazard or let the dryads use the terrain more effectively. Use level-appropriate Pathfinder 2E statistics or custom creature statistics for the supplied foes.
Cast
4Grandmother Cottonwood
QuestgiverQuestgiver and ancient forest spirit
WantsRestore the forest's health while preventing the adventurers from harming innocent woodland creatures.
“The roots are crying beneath our feet. Find what is poisoning them, and let the heart breathe again.”
Tamsin Reed
Witness and Candosville herbalist
WantsProtect Candosville and prove that the forest's sickness is not a natural blight.
“I followed the creek upstream. The water tastes like a handful of old coins, and the birds won't cross it.”
Elder Veyra
Antagonist and undead dryad
WantsThe undead dryad is compelled to defend the corruption, but a remnant of her former self wants release.
“We were bound to these roots in life. Now we guard the wound that keeps us from resting.”
Mossback
Wildcard and old woodland guardian
WantsA wary, territorial forest guardian wants to drive intruders away, though it can be persuaded to help if the party shows care for the woods.
“It is not too late to turn back. The forest has already chosen what it will keep.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A vial of clear spring water, a custom consumable that can serve as a useful clue or ingredient in a later nature-themed adventure.
A carved cottonwood charm, a custom token that allows its bearer to recognize the forest's safe trails when Grandmother Cottonwood's influence reaches them.
On a win
With the guardians stopped and the heartwood cleansed, clear water returns to the spring.
Grandmother Cottonwood's leaves brighten over the following days, and birds cautiously return to the grove. The forest is not instantly healed, but its decline has ended; the people of Candosville can help it recover.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party does not find the source of the blight before the forest's corruption reaches the creek.
- The sickness spreads into the outer groves. Candosville loses access to clean water from the forest, and Grandmother Cottonwood can offer only limited guidance until the party returns.
- The party leaves the root clearing without defeating or otherwise stopping the dryads.
- The undead dryads remain bound to the roots. They retreat into the woods and may threaten travelers again, while the heart of the forest continues to weaken.
- The party destroys the corrupted heartwood without completing the cleansing puzzle or taking precautions.
- The heartwood is damaged further, making restoration slower and causing a lasting scar in the clearing. Grandmother Cottonwood survives, but her reach and influence diminish.
Complications (d6)
- 1A windfall tree blocks the trail. Moving it takes time, and its hollow trunk contains a nest of biting insects that swarm anyone who disturbs it.
- 2A patch of blackened leaves releases choking spores. Characters who rush through lose time coughing and must clean or replace exposed food and water.
- 3A frightened deer bolts across the party's path with a length of thorny vine tangled around one leg. Freeing it earns a safer route, while ignoring it draws the attention of nearby woodland creatures.
- 4The creek rises suddenly after a distant collapse. The party must find a crossing or spend time following the bank to a ford.
- 5A dryad's whisper imitates Tamsin Reed's voice from deeper in the woods, offering false directions toward a sinkhole.
- 6The blight pulses through the ground. The next clue or puzzle symbol is briefly obscured by falling leaves, forcing the party to recheck their evidence before proceeding.
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