Encounter

E11 — Stagrest Clearing

Cedar Court · Blackgold Perimeter · Area 11

Stagrest Clearing

Palakar Forest · An uneasy refuge · Two changed revelers

Two cedar shelters have collapsed into a clearing strewn with mossy standing stones. A white-barked tree still grows between them, its branches hung with faded ribbons and little bells. Somebody has been arranging cups, pinecones, and wilted flowers in careful circles around a cold fire. From behind the shelters comes the sound of laughter—bright and musical at first, then halting, almost like a sob. Two figures emerge through the leaves. Their smiles linger a moment too long.

GM — What Has Happened Here

Stagrest was once a hospitable waystation for travelers under Cedar Court protection. Two fey revelers have taken refuge among the broken shelters. They are the attached two Infernal Blight Revelers (Creature 4 each), though their condition should be ambiguous to the players at first. They still perform familiar welcome rituals, set places for absent friends, and speak as if a celebration is about to begin. Something is profoundly wrong: they repeat phrases, confuse visitors with people they remember, laugh at inappropriate moments, and occasionally clutch their arms as if something beneath their skin hurts. Black-and-gold veins or thornlike protrusions appear only when their sleeves shift or they grow agitated.

They are not automatically murderous and should not be introduced by announcing their creature names, infernal traits, or cause of transformation. The GM knows the blight is changing them; the party has to interpret the clues. Avoid making it certain whether they retain control, are being compelled by the infection, or have accepted their condition. Their existing monster blocks govern combat and Recall Knowledge if violence breaks out.

The Two Revelers

The Host stands by the white-barked tree, insisting that guests accept a seat and join the feast. Their voice is warm, practiced, and strangely persuasive. They keep straightening ribbons that have already been tied and referring to missing companions as though they will return shortly.

The Dancer moves among the fallen stones, humming an old court melody and stepping around places where no one stands. They are more visibly distressed, sometimes staring at their own hands or warning a visitor not to step on the dark roots. When one begins to laugh, the other often echoes it a beat later.

The two are companions, not organized sentries. Neither necessarily understands the full nature of the transformation. They react defensively if called monsters, forcibly restrained, or attacked, but a calm departure or patient exchange need not lead to a fight.

Speaking with the Revelers

Allow ordinary conversation before any check. A respectful introduction or recognition of the old Cedar Court customs can hold their attention. Diplomacy DC 18 calms them when their behavior turns erratic; Nature or Society DC 18 recognizes that the welcome ritual is genuine but broken and that the fey are struggling to repeat older habits. A failed check creates suspicion or confusion, not an automatic combat trigger.

  • What they remember: They recall travelers, music, a warm gathering, and the shelters before the forest began to change. Their accounts conflict about when the other guests left.
  • Unsettling signs: One sets out cups for people who are absent; the other seems to hear distant music. A laugh ends abruptly in pain, and the pale tree's shadow falls across blackened leaves.
  • What they might reveal: Southern paths remain passable in places, but they warn against dark roots and water that tastes impossibly sweet. They cannot give a reliable explanation of the source.
  • Ambiguity: Their kindness sometimes seems sincere and sometimes rehearsed. Don't confirm an infernal cause solely through dialogue; reserve definite information for meaningful investigation or the creature's established Recall Knowledge mechanics.

Exploration, Withdrawal, and Combat

The collapsed shelters offer concealment and damaged caches of ordinary travel supplies, not a treasure hoard. Survival DC 18 identifies a route past the clearing that avoids crossing the dark root patches. The party can observe from the tree line, speak to the revelers, or withdraw. A careful scout may see the abnormal thorns or gold veining without drawing attention.

If threatened, the revelers use their printed Corrupted Revelry, thorn attacks, and movement through vegetation according to their existing monster blocks. Telegraph the danger through root movement, unnatural laughter, and the way one figure vanishes among the briars. They defend each other and the remembered ritual, but should not be required to pursue intruders beyond the clearing. For five level-2 PCs, both level-4 creatures together represent 160 XP, above the usual severe encounter budget; against five level-3 PCs they total 120 XP. A social resolution or withdrawal must be viable, especially for lower-level parties.

Compassion and Consequences

There is no mandatory antidote placement or seed to destroy here. A party that recognizes their distress can offer clean water, leave supplies, mark the site, or seek help from the Cedar Court. Do not promise that a dose of the root neutralizer will cure an affected person; whether these two can recover requires later investigation and GM adjudication. If fought, their transformed state may become clearer, but defeating them is not the objective.

Consequences / Return to Thornwatch

Report the two surviving fey, their fractured welcome ritual, visible black-and-gold growths, and their uncertain state of mind. Thornwatch may recognize a former traveler or request that the party avoid killing them if possible. Whether the pair remain alive, flee, or are slain should have consequences for Cedar Court efforts to understand what the blight is doing to its people.