The Children of Ashenmere
The Children of Ashenmere
“Some children lose their way. These children lost their time.”
— Hook · Investigation
“Five children stand barefoot in the mist beside the forest road, their clothes damp but strangely untouched by mud. They say they are lost and beg you to take them home, yet none can name their village or explain why every path behind them leads back to the same dead tree. One small boy looks toward the fog and whispers, “Please hurry. It is almost time for the fire.””
— Hook · Investigation
The children introduce themselves as Mara, Tomas, Pell, Nessa, and little Orin. They insist their home lies only a short walk away, but they cannot agree on the direction. Mara remembers a stone bridge, Tomas remembers a bell, Pell remembers a field of white flowers, Nessa remembers a river, and Orin only remembers fire. As the party follows, each correct act of kindness or careful questioning causes the mist to thin. Each careless choice causes the forest to resemble a different part of the children's final night.
Mara Venn
The children approach openly, asking for food, warmth, and an escort through the mist. Mara speaks for the group, while Tomas watches the characters closely and occasionally corrects her memories.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01There is a road through the forest that only appears when the fog comes down.
- 02Old hunters claim to have heard children singing near the northern bog, though no settlement has ever stood there.
- 03A ruined bell sometimes rings beneath the trees during clear weather.
- 04The forest floor around the supposed village is covered in pale ash even after heavy rain.
- 05Some travelers who follow ghostly lights return with burns shaped like tiny handprints.
If the truth remains hidden, the children will continue reliving the fire and the haunting will spread along the forest road. If Sister Halva's false account prevails, the Ember Seed may awaken again, threatening nearby settlements with supernatural heat, illness, and restless dead.
Background Lore
The village of Ashenmere once stood deep within the forest, concealed by ancient warding stones and known only to its inhabitants. Eighty-seven years ago, a fire consumed the settlement in a single night. The official story blamed an accident in the communal smokehouse, but the truth was buried with the dead. The children encountered by the party are the spirits of villagers who died in the blaze. Because the village's final moments were obscured by fear, betrayal, and a deliberate falsehood, the children cannot pass on. They have unconsciously recreated their journey along the forest road, appearing whenever travelers enter the mist.
Travelers on a forest road encounter several lost children who claim to come from a village hidden somewhere within the mist. The village is absent from every map and appears to have been destroyed by a massive fire long ago. The party must investigate the ruins, identify what happened, and help the children understand the fate of their home.
