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Brokenbough Meadow

Palakar Forest · An injured dryad · Rescue and intelligence

GM — The Wounded Witness

Ilyra Mossveil, a Cedar Court dryad scout, lies pinned beside a broken cedar whose roots were her resting refuge. Her barklike skin has split at the shoulder, one ankle is trapped beneath a branch, and thin black-gold filaments creep along a wound. She is alive and lucid in moments, but frightened, feverish, and wary of anyone who might be connected to the blight. She was observing movement along the eastern corridor between Goldfen Mere and the inner node when a sudden shudder in the roots destabilized the deadfall. She did not see who caused it.

She can offer valuable information, but the party must stabilize her, earn her trust, and help reconstruct her scattered observations. Use the attached Ilyra Mossveil — Rescue & Intelligence challenge; do not make the player-facing answer depend on a single successful roll. She is not a hostile monster or a second trap.

Environmental Threat — Swaying Cedar Deadfall

The existing Swaying Cedar Deadfall (Simple Hazard 2) hangs over the direct route to Ilyra. Its creaking support and shifting debris are obvious warning signs. The trap's DC 18 detection/disable options and DC 18 basic Reflex versus 2d8 bludgeoning apply if the unstable trunk is disturbed. It drops once, then becomes difficult terrain and cover. The PCs can secure it first, use an alternate crawlway, or approach her from the side without triggering it. No blight patrol automatically arrives.

The Dryad's Condition

Ilyra needs clean water, a safe extraction, and help with the crushed ankle and spreading root-wound. Medicine DC 18 stabilizes her injuries; Nature DC 18 identifies how to free her without tearing living roots; Athletics DC 18 can carefully lift or brace the branch once supported. If a player proposes a credible alternative, use the closest appropriate skill at DC 18. These checks are described with degrees of success in the challenge artifact. Healing magic or good roleplay can substitute for or assist checks where sensible. Never require the party to spend the limited Blightseed Antidote on her wound; it was prepared for exposed blightseed cores, not proven treatment for afflicted fey.

What Ilyra Knows

• Immediate warning (freely given when reassured): Something moves repeatedly along the eastern patrol corridor, and the seemingly open fallen-log passage is unstable. There is a route through the rooted shelter on the meadow's southern side.
• After initial care or trust: She watched patrols travel between Goldfen Mere and the approaches toward the central blight. The patrols favor shade and root-covered ground; the eastern deadfalls can be used to hide or bypass them.
• After careful questioning: The root network pulses in waves, and the more active roots seem to answer something nearer the center. She saw black-gold filaments propagate beneath the eastern trail even while the surrounding trees appeared healthy.
• On an especially successful rescue or reconstruction: She identifies a relatively intact southern skirt around the deadfall and describes a brief lull in local patrol movement that can help the party choose its approach. She cannot identify the ultimate source of the blight, its makers, or a guaranteed way to destroy the central node.

Resolution

Escorting Ilyra toward Thornwatch or establishing a safe pickup route is a meaningful success. If the group cannot move her yet, supplies, a stabilized shelter, and clear directions for Cedar Court rescuers preserve a viable option. A failed check adds urgency, noise, or additional work, not instant death or permanent loss of her information. She may speak through pain but will not provide a complete tactical briefing while trapped and untreated.