The Bell Beneath the Briars
The Bell Beneath the Briars
Read aloud
A bronze bell rings somewhere in the Wyrd Wood, though the village bell tower has no bell. By dawn, three woodcutters are missing, and the forest path they took has vanished. Reeve Mara Venn offers a purse of silver to anyone who can bring them home before the next toll.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Find the vanished path into the Wyrd Wood.
- 2Recover the missing woodcutters.
- 3Stop the bell from calling the forest's attention to Briar Glen.
- 4Discover and address the broken bargain.Optional
The clock
The bell tolls again at midnight. Use the d6 complications when the party loses time, makes a conspicuous disturbance, or needs a fresh pressure beat. At midnight, the paths shift sharply and the party must face the shrine scene before they can safely return.
Scenes
- 0:00The Reeve's Bargain
- 0:25A Path That Forgets
- 1:10The Hollow of the Lost
- 1:45The Bell Beneath the Briars
Cast
- Mara VennQuestgiver
- Sella ReedAlly
- The Antlered KeeperAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
Read aloud: A bell tolls from beyond the last cottages, low and bronze-deep. The dogs fall silent. At the edge of Briar Glen, Reeve Mara Venn holds out a small purse and points to a trail that ends abruptly among the trees. Three woodcutters went in yesterday. None came back.
How Mara Venn asks
Mara asks the party to meet her at the tree line before sunset.
She offers a modest purse, the woodcutters' last known route, and a promise of additional help from Sella Reed. She does not volunteer the village's history with the shrine unless directly questioned or confronted with evidence.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3 hours0:00
25 min
socialThe table is here
1. The Reeve's Bargain
Briar Glen's muddy tree line at dusk
Mara gives the party the last known route and introduces Sella, who can guide them to the first trail sign. A careful conversation or examination of the village's logging records may reveal that trees near the old boundary were recently cut.
NextSella leads the party to the stump of a freshly cut boundary tree, where the woodcutter trail begins to twist.
0:25
45 min
exploration
2. A Path That Forgets
A shadowed trail of birch, thorn, and tangled roots
The party follows fading tracks through a loop of familiar trees. They can use Sella's local knowledge, investigate the woodsman's tools, or mark and compare landmarks. The Root-Crossing encounter occurs if they rush through or disturb the hounds' den.
The Root-CrossingNextA loose clapper caught in a briar leads to a hollow where the missing woodcutters are being kept.
1:10
35 min
social
3. The Hollow of the Lost
A sheltered hollow under an enormous fallen oak
The woodcutters are frightened but unharmed. They explain that a figure with antlers took them after accusing them of stealing from the shrine. One has hidden the bronze bell clapper, afraid the Keeper will use it to call the forest against the village.
NextWith the clapper and the woodcutters' account, the party can approach the shrine and choose whether to bargain, repair it, or fight.
1:45
60 min
combat
4. The Bell Beneath the Briars
A moonlit stone shrine surrounded by roots and a still pool
The party reaches the stone circle as the next toll approaches. The Keeper confronts them. They may return the clapper, offer a binding promise, attempt a repair, or fight. Resolving the matter peacefully requires acknowledging the forest's boundary and offering a credible change in the village's behavior.
The Bell at the BoundaryNextThe forest paths settle or grow more hostile according to the party's choice, leading back to Briar Glen and the final reckoning with Mara.
Behind it
What people believe
Three woodcutters have vanished in the Wyrd Wood after a mysterious bell began ringing from within it.
The trail has disappeared, the forest paths are shifting, and Reeve Mara Venn seeks capable help to find the missing workers and stop whatever is drawing them deeper into the trees.
Background
The Wyrd Wood grows around the remains of an old boundary shrine.
Its paths shift whenever the shrine's bell rings, and locals leave iron nails at the tree line to mark the way home. The bell has been silent for generations, until three nights ago.
The stakes
If the party does nothing, the next bell toll will draw the remaining woodcutters deeper into the forest and bring the shifting paths to Briar Glen's edge.
The village risks losing its workers, access to the wood, and eventually the safety of its own homes.
Encounters
2The Root-Crossing
Combat or negotiation
A narrow deer trail crossing a shallow ravine. Thorny roots form unstable ridges, and a fallen log spans the gap.
Foes
2 Briarbound Hounds
ComplicationWhen the bell rings, the roots shift. Characters standing on the central mound must move to stable ground or risk being knocked prone. Treat this as a simple hazard, not a canonical Shadowdark rule.
ScalingFor a smaller or less capable party, use 1 hound. For a larger or more experienced party, use 3 hounds. These are custom creatures; use suitable low-threat creature statistics for the table's system.
The Bell at the Boundary
Combat or social
A moss-covered stone circle around a cracked bronze bell. Roots divide the ground into narrow lanes, and a still pool reflects a starless sky.
Foes
The Antlered Keeper
ComplicationThe Keeper's antler charms draw toward the bell. If the party damages the shrine, it attacks immediately; if they first explain their purpose or offer a genuine token of repair, it pauses long enough to speak.
ScalingThe Keeper is a custom adversary. For a level 1 party, make it a brief confrontation that can be ended by repairing the shrine or bargaining. For a stronger party, add 2 Briarbound Hounds or have the Keeper use the shifting roots as a hazard.
Cast
3Mara Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver, Briar Glen reeve
WantsWants the missing woodcutters returned and the village protected, but fears that revealing the shrine's history will make the villagers panic.
“The bell rang three times, and every dog in Briar Glen tried to flee. Find the shrine before it rings again.”
Sella Reed
Ally, woodwise herbalist
WantsA cautious guide who wants to recover her brother, one of the missing woodcutters, without disturbing the wood's old bargains.
“The trees remember every name spoken beneath them. Tell me yours, and I will show you the safe path.”
The Antlered Keeper
Antagonist, spirit bound to the old shrine
WantsWants the village to restore the shrine's offerings and leave the forest boundary untouched. Will use fear and force if the party threatens the shrine.
“I kept the promise. The village broke it first.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
Sella gives the party a pouch of bitterleaf salve, a custom consumable that can soothe minor wounds or irritation at the GM's discretion.
The Keeper may grant a carved antler charm. This custom token can help the bearer recognize a safe trail in the Wyrd Wood once, then cracks.
On a win
The woodcutters return alive and the bell no longer calls them deeper into the forest.
If the party repairs the shrine or secures a sincere agreement with the Keeper, the paths settle and the village avoids immediate danger. If they solve the crisis by force alone, Briar Glen is safe for now, but the boundary remains fragile.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party fails to follow the trail or loses too much time to hazards.
- If the party cannot find the shrine before the next toll, the forest path to Briar Glen closes for a day. The missing woodcutters remain trapped, and the party must make camp in the wood or seek another route.
- The party destroys the Keeper instead of discovering or addressing the broken pact.
- If the party kills the Keeper without repairing the shrine, the bell falls silent but the wood's boundary becomes unstable. Strange creatures begin appearing near the village in the following weeks.
- The party returns to the village without locating or freeing the missing woodcutters.
- If the party abandons the missing woodcutters, Mara pays only half the promised gold and Briar Glen's families remember the choice. Sella may still guide the party out if they have treated her well.
Complications (d6)
- 1A pale moth lands on one character and repeats a private phrase spoken by that character earlier. For the next hour, it flutters toward the shrine, but vanishes if captured.
- 2A familiar trail loops back to the same leaning birch. Each character who marks the trail finds their mark on a different tree nearby.
- 3The wood suddenly goes silent. A distant bell tolls once, and all open flames gutter out until relit.
- 4A woodcutter's pack hangs from a branch above a patch of sucking mud. It contains a useful map fragment, but retrieving it risks dropping equipment into the mud.
- 5A thorned briar closes across the path behind the party. Cutting through it takes time and leaves a clear trail that may attract the Keeper's attention.
- 6A lost woodcutter steps from the trees, dazed and convinced that only a few minutes have passed. He can describe the shrine, but a second bell toll sends him running.
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