Bitterleaf and Blood
Bitterleaf and Blood
Read aloud
Hesta Venn, Brackenford's butcher, sets an empty basket on the counter. "I need bitterleaf for the curing racks and fresh game before market day. The marsh paths are flooded, and something in the alderwood has chased off my hunters. Bring back what you can, and find out what has made the woods unsafe."
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Collect bitterleaf for Hesta's curing mixture.
- 2Secure fresh hunting supplies for the butchery.
- 3Find out what is making the usual hunting grounds dangerous.
- 4Resolve the danger without destroying the pack or its den.Optional
The clock
The next market day is two days away. At the end of each substantial delay, Hesta has fewer fresh supplies to sell and the village grows more anxious about the alderwood.
Scenes
- 0:00An Empty Counter
- 0:25The Bitterleaf Beds
- 1:10A Charge in the Brush
- 1:55The Pack's Boundary
- 2:55Market-Day Measure
Cast
- Hesta VennQuestgiver and local butcher
- Mara FenHerbwise ally
- Tovin ReedWitness and local trapper
- Sella ThornWild card and poacher
The hook
Set the scene
At Hesta's shop, shelves are bare except for jars of salt and a few small cuts of meat. Rain taps the shutters. Hesta lays out a crude map of the marsh and alderwood, while Mara Fen warns that the flood has shifted the safe paths. Tovin Reed, still muddy from the woods, insists that something has been following hunters near the old game trail.
How Hesta Venn asks
Hesta approaches the party directly at her shop, offering a clear payment for usable supplies and an additional bonus if they identify the danger in the alderwood.
She is practical rather than desperate, but makes clear that the next market day is important to the village.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3.5 hours0:00
25 min
socialThe table is here
1. An Empty Counter
Hesta Venn's butcher shop in Brackenford
Hesta explains the supplies she needs and the deadline. Mara gives practical guidance about bitterleaf and the flooded paths. Tovin describes the last place he saw the hunters and the warning bell.
NextThe party follows Mara's directions to the marsh edge, where floodwater has covered the old footpath.
0:25
45 min
exploration
2. The Bitterleaf Beds
The flooded marsh beyond Brackenford
The party locates bitterleaf among flooded beds, identifies safe plants, and chooses how to cross the marsh. They can use careful observation, makeshift tools, or Mara's local knowledge to avoid losing the harvest.
NextA trail of disturbed mud and broken brush leads from the marsh edge toward the old game trail.
1:10
45 min
combat
3. A Charge in the Brush
A bramble-choked game trail beside a muddy hollow
The party follows signs of game and encounters a dangerous animal in the thicket. The scene provides a source of meat and a chance to demonstrate the risks of the altered hunting grounds.
The Tuskback in the ThicketNextNear the trail, the party finds a snapped snare and tracks leading toward the alderwood clearing.
1:55
60 min
combat
4. The Pack's Boundary
An alderwood clearing near a concealed den
The party reaches the clearing, where the pack defends its territory. Tovin may be found nearby, and signs of snare injuries reveal that the animals have been provoked. The party can fight, retreat with supplies, or attempt a nonviolent solution.
The Alderwood PackNextWith supplies in hand and the danger understood, the party returns to Hesta to report what happened and settle the errand.
2:55
25 min
social
5. Market-Day Measure
Hesta's shop, with rain clearing outside
Hesta inspects the herbs and hunting supplies, then pays the party. The characters decide whether to disclose the den's location, speak up for Sella, or help the village avoid provoking the pack again.
NextThe errand closes with payment, local consequences, and any new leads the party chooses to pursue.
Behind it
What people believe
Hesta Venn, Brackenford's butcher, needs bitterleaf for curing and fresh game for her shop before market day.
Recent flooding has made the marsh difficult to cross, and a dangerous presence in the alderwood has disrupted local hunting. The party must gather herbs and hunting supplies, then return safely with enough information to help Hesta keep her business running.
Background
The village of Brackenford sits between a marshy herb-gathering ground and the alder woods.
Its butcher, Hesta Venn, normally buys game from local hunters and medicinal herbs from gatherers who prepare meat for curing. A week of heavy rain has flooded the usual herb beds, while a pack of unusually bold predators has driven deer away from the safe trails. The village's winter stores are not yet in danger, but Hesta needs fresh supplies before the next market day.
The stakes
If the errand fails, Hesta loses an important market day and must ration fresh meat.
If the party mistakes defensive behavior for a deliberate attack, they may turn a manageable supply problem into a lasting conflict between the village, local hunters, and the pack.
Encounters
2The Alderwood Pack
Combat, with a possible nonlethal or avoidant resolution
Alderwood clearing with fallen logs, thorny brush, and a narrow stream. Logs provide cover, brush is difficult terrain, and the stream is a potential obstacle.
Foes
Aldermaw, an unusually large wolf
2 to 4 wolves
ComplicationThe predators try to separate the party from the carcass and drive them away from their territory. If the characters retreat or make a convincing show of leaving, the pack need not fight to the death.
ScalingFor a smaller or less experienced party, use Aldermaw and 1 wolf, or have the pack break off after taking a hit. For a stronger party, add 1 or 2 wolves. Use the standard D&D 5E wolf statistics for wolves. Aldermaw is a custom large wolf using the wolf stat block with increased hit points and a modest damage increase appropriate to the party.
The Tuskback in the Thicket
Combat or skill encounter
A bramble-choked game trail beside a muddy hollow, with fallen branches and a low stone boundary. Brambles slow movement, while the hollow is difficult footing.
Foes
Tuskback boar, a custom oversized wild boar
ComplicationThe tuskback charges at the nearest moving target and may crash through brush or a crude snare line. A character who spends an action to redirect it, calm it, or use the terrain can avoid a direct fight or improve the chance of recovering the carcass intact.
ScalingFor a weaker party, use a standard boar and give it a clear escape route. For a stronger party, use the custom tuskback with increased hit points and a charge that can knock a target prone on a failed save. The tuskback is a custom creature, not an official D&D 5E monster.
Cast
4Hesta Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver and local butcher
WantsKeep her shop operating and provide reliable food for the village without sending inexperienced locals into danger.
“Bring me clean meat and the bitterleaf, if you can. My customers need food, not another tale about why the shelves are empty.”
Mara Fen
Herbwise ally
WantsProtect the marsh and make sure the party gathers herbs sustainably and without trampling the remaining beds.
“The marsh hasn't moved, but the safe paths have. Watch where the water runs clear, and don't pull up roots you can't identify.”
Tovin Reed
Witness and local trapper
WantsSurvive after being chased into a hunting blind by the predators; she is frightened but has useful knowledge of their den.
“I only wanted a meal. Then the pack came, and now every path smells like blood.”
Sella Thorn
Wild card and poacher
WantsDrive people away from the predators' den and preserve the pack, which she believes is defending its young rather than hunting villagers for sport.
“They took the easy prey first. We followed the blood and found a den full of cubs. I won't let anyone burn it out.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A butcher's field kit containing a sharp boning knife, salt packets, twine, and waxed wrapping
One small jar of Hesta's restorative broth, a custom consumable that restores a modest amount of hit points when consumed, as set by the GM
On a win
Hesta receives usable herbs and meat or other hunting supplies, and the party returns with a clear account of the alderwood danger.
If they learn the truth about the snares and choose a peaceful solution, Hesta can still obtain supplies without provoking further conflict, while Sella and Mara become grateful allies. If the party kills the pack, the immediate hunting route is safer, but Sella's trust is lost and the village may face a future problem with poachers or displaced predators.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party returns with neither usable herbs nor meat.
- Hesta's shop must close its fresh-meat counter for several days, and village morale suffers. She still pays a small fee for any usable supplies recovered.
- The party gathers herbs but cannot secure meat or other suitable hunting supplies.
- The butcher receives enough meat but not the correct herbs for her curing mixture. The food is sold fresh at a discount, and Hesta asks the party to make another gathering trip later.
- The party kills the pack or destroys its den without investigating the situation.
- The pack grows bolder around the woods, and Sella may begin setting traps to protect its den. Hesta's request is technically fulfilled if the party brings back supplies, but local tensions increase.
Complications (d6)
- 1A sudden downpour swells a shallow stream into a fast crossing. The party must find a safer ford, secure a rope, or risk losing gathered supplies to the current.
- 2A patch of lookalike marsh leaves resembles bitterleaf. Mara can identify it with a successful relevant nature or herbalism check; using the wrong leaves makes the butcher's curing mixture unpleasant and reduces the herb reward.
- 3A wounded deer bolts across the trail with a broken snare around one leg. Following it leads toward the predator territory, while stopping to free it costs time but earns Tovin's trust.
- 4Sella's warning bell rings from the woods. It alerts the pack to the party's approach, but also points toward the hunting blind where Tovin is sheltering.
- 5A boar carcass lies beside a narrow ravine, partly claimed by scavengers. Recovering usable meat requires careful work or a detour to avoid a dangerous scramble.
- 6A village runner arrives with word that Hesta's remaining salted meat spoiled in the damp cellar. The party can still finish the errand, but the urgency and stakes become clear.
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