Creature Compendium Test Drive: Widow's Grove

A trio of Elf Druids has broken away from the See of Trees and built a hideout in a mesa overlooking Hogman's Plain. To the sorceresses of Widow's Grove, the scalphunters and sandbusters and shipping magnates and self righteous Clerics sent by industrialized civilization are nothing more than prey animals to be devoured.

WIDOW'S GROVE

Widow's Grove is a coven of Druids, led by three Elves from the See of Trees. They worship Three Face, sometimes known as Thousand Face Moon. Though not an Elven God she is popular with the Free Folk for her individualist doctrine of self sufficiency and power through magic. Like Cybele and Attis she is sometimes paired with Mirror Man, two faced God of Doors worshiped by adventurers, as his lover/wife/killer.

 

THE MAIDEN

Empathetic and sensitive, a little creepy. Might show mercy at the last second or attack in a blind rage. Equal parts disgusted and intrigued by sex.

Druid 4. Spells are Animal Friendship, Locate Plant or Animal, Produce Flame, Heat Metal. Wears a Cloak of Flight, a gold necklace set with a carnelian worth 1,000 SP, a fire opal earling worth 1,100 SP and a pearl diadem worth 1,700 SP. Carries a Potion of Clairaudience for snooping on enemies and allies.

THE MOTHER 

Cheerful, radiant, lively. Loves striking terror in enemies through sadistic displays of power. Spermjacks promising men, leaves the babies to be raised by animals or fairies.

Druid 5. Spells are Animal Friendship, Speak With Animals, Warp Wood, Slow Poison, Water Breathing, Dispel Magic. Carries a Spear +1. Wears a jade girdle worth 700 SP and two bangles worth 1,300 SP each.

THE CRONE

Impatient, low tolerance for frustration. Never forgets kindness or a favor. Aged her body superficially with magic to better take on the role.

Druid 6. Spells are Locate Plant or Animal, Animal Friendship, Entangle, Slow Poison, Growth of Nature, Growth of Nature, Protection From Fire and Lightning, Transmute Rock to Mud. Wears a Ring of Spell Turning and a 900 SP coral comb.

 

The three Druids remember the ancient times when Elves were masters of all they surveyed and everyone else was prey. They don't want to wipe out the colonists swarming over Hogman's Plain, just cull them to a manageable level that they can continue to exploit. They raid frontier settlements and adopt the most promising candidates into the Coven, using the rest for pet food and sacrifices.

 

Blake

 

INITIATES

There are 11 Initiates in Widow's Grove, a mix of Orcs and Humans, all Level 1 Druids. Some love their newfound power, others accepted the Druidic lifestyle to survive. They all know Animal Friendship and can pool their power to master animals that they don't individually have enough hit dice to control.

 

The Druids milk Jelly Deaths, Russet Puddings and Crimson Death Worms for their secretions. The Jelly Death slime goes on the tip of their wooden spears, the first hit inflicts 5D4 rounds of Paralysis on a failed Save. The Russet Pudding acid is thrown in ceramic pots that deal 2D6 damage and dissolve metal equipment. The Death Worm poison is useless in combat due to the slow onset but great for clandestine assassinations and booby trapping cleared settlements.

 

The Trinity are jealous and paranoid about their roles being taken, which manifests as repression directed at female disciples.

• The Maiden won't allow other maidens in the cult. She demands they discard their virginity as a condition of membership.
  
• The Mother won't allow pregnant women in the cult. She slips contraceptives into female disciples' food.
  
• The Crone won't allow women who look old, and kills any woman who gets old if the Grove lasts long enough for that to happen.  

The Trinity can command a total of 20 HD of animals, with another 22 HD from their initiates. They use this to control the Abysmals, the other animals are befriended/domesticated/broken to their will by non magical means. Their remaining 10 HD could be used to control more bests as needed.

On a raid, Widows Grove use the Abysmals and Qiqirn to terrify foes, then rush in with the Dragonboars to literally melt any remaining resistance with their powerful breath weapons. Survivors are rounded up and dragged back to the stronghold, stragglers are fed to the beasts. The Druids carry poisoned spears but use personal weapons and spells sparingly, if the target still puts up a fight after the animals weigh in they might be too strong to be worth bothering. 

PUKIS

The Pukis is the familiar of the Crone, though he rarely accompanies her on raids. He loves to eat scorpions and lizards and to play games with the other animals, startling them with his transformations and chasing each other around the fortress. Though loyal to his mistress he is playful, and won't raise the alarm on intruders if a more interesting opportunity for tricks and traps presents itself.

ZAGH

The Grove captured the curious Zagh when he came to investigate the smoke coming from the mesa. They stuck him in a cage and use him as a magic item identifier - his love of dispensing advice overrides his distaste for the murderous Druids who imprisoned him.

If asked to take sides in the conflict between the sadistic egoist torturers of Widow's Grove and the genocidal colonists from industrial civilization, the Zagh would have had to think about it. Now the decision is easy. He believes strongly in reciprocity and will tell anyone who rescues him everything he knows about the Druids' plans. His spells (Resist Cold, Detect Magic (C), Find Traps) aren't exactly helpful but he'll assist them however he can.

 

THE MESA

Widow's Grove hides out in a fortress cut into a mesa, source of a small tributary that feeds the river Hog. The Grove did not build the hideout, but have made modifications by dissolving rooms using Stone to Mud or commanding the burrowing Death Worms to dig. If the original owners left any art or writing it was long effaced by the time the Elves found it. Sometimes a thin wisp of smoke is visible over the mesa (emanating from the sinkhole).

 

 

Each of the dungeon's three levels is 20 feet above the one below.

The entrance to the dungeon is through a canyon on the north side of the mesa, which slopes upward from the rocky malpais at the base. It leads into 2B.

 

A waterfall cascades down the eastern face of the mesa from a cleft in the rock (to 1J). Exploration of the steep eastern slope turns up another cave entrance leading into the rockface (to 1H).

 

The top of the mesa is sparsely forested with a mixture of cacti and xeric shrub trees, along with the occasional stone hoodoo. This plateau is home to three TAERGAs. The beasts detect intruders with their keen senses and emerge from the rock formations to run them down. A sinkhole in the mesa leads down to a grotto where the source of the stream splashes into a sheltered pool (1I and 2M). A nearby rock formation holds a staircase which descends into the fortress inside, while another rock formation holds a secret escape tunnel.

Scouting the mesa risks drawing the defenders' attention. For each hour of scouting there is a 25% chance that a wild animal (birds, jerboas, tuco tucos, etc) reports adventurers' presence to the Druids in exchange for food. If the Grove spots adventurers they may sally forth to attack them. They use dirty tricks like casting Stone to Mud on the cliff face while the party is climbing, sending a team around to cut off their retreat as they approach through the canyon, or just rushing them down in open terrain if they look weak.

 

The Grove's big weakness is in their numbers. While the bulk of their force is out raiding the Mesa is lightly defended, with only a few lower level druids and a handful of beasts. If robbed while they're out of the house, the Trinity track and hunt the thieves using Druidic magic and their animal allies.

LEVEL 1

The bottom floor of the hideout has an oasis open to the sky, a couple natural caves full of monsters, and some tunnels leading out of the hideout to the rock face of the mesa. If there are captives in 1F then occasional shouts and screams of fear can be heard.

 

All square rooms are lit with glowing lichen smeared by the druids, slowly devouring the stone.

1A: Natural cave used by the ABYSMALS. 4 of the awful beasts roam here, 1E and 1D if the Grove is not using them on a raid.

 

1B: High chamber with ceiling obscured by storm clouds. Stairs on north wall lead up to 2D, door to 1F barred from this side along with lever controlling shutter.

 

If anyone wearing metal armor or carrying metal weapons approaches the staircase the cloud above rumbles ominously. Those who ignore the warning are zapped by a lightning bolt, dealing 8D6 damage. The cloud takes one turn to recharge after firing.

 

1C: Storage room. Shelves with D6 vials of Jelly Death slime (contact poison, a dose paralyzes for 5D4 rounds on failed save) and a couple well-tipped wooden spears. One jar holds antidote to Jelly Death paralysis. One holds a steel anklet set with a bloodstone worth 800 SP, coated in ooze.

 

1D: Natural cave used by Abysmals. 4 of the awful beasts roam here, 1A and 1E if the Grove is not using them on a raid. Amid the heaps of guano and bones are an azurite medallion with an image of snakes worth 900 SP and a pewter chain set with a tiny diamond worth 1,000 SP.

 

1E: Natural cave used by Abysmals. 4 of the awful beasts roam here, 1A and 1D if the Grove is not using them on a raid. When the shutter to 1F is opened the beasts congregate here and terrify any chained prisoners, growing larger and more powerful as a result of their fear.

 

1F: Torture room with mounting brackets for binding ropes. Western wall has metal bars and a wooden shutter. The lever in room 1B controls the shutter. While open, the Abysmals congregate in the cave to the west and use their fear powers on any captives in this room. The Druids use this to interrogate/punish captives, and to identify strong willed prisoners who would make good initiates. D10-4 of the CAPTIVES are here, the rest are upstairs.

 

1G: Containers of salt and tubs of sour fruit, long wooden poles with notched cylinders on the end like enormous honey dippers. The door to the south is close set with the wall and smeared with a mix of citrus and salt.

This room is used for harvesting slime from the Jelly Deaths in 1H. Druidic initiates smear salt and lime juice on the doorframe to keep the monsters from coming through, and prod them with the honey dippers to collect paralytic ooze for storage in the room to the north. D4-2 Druid initiates harvesting slime from 1H.

1H: Slime filled natural cave. 5 JELLY DEATHS glow in the dark.  Sealed and salted door north. Stone hatch in the ceiling leads up to 2J. Passages east and west filled with piled stone and gravel to contain the oozing beasts. East passage leads out of the mesa, anyone entering here must clear out the rocks, attracting the monsters' attention. The deaths have 1,108 SP in coins floating in their bodies.

 

1I: Natural grotto with waterfall cascading into pond, island with palm trees. A ledge is visible up above (2M), above that the open sky (3C). A BURU lurks in the water, waiting to ambush intruders entering from 1J. The beast will not pursue prey onto land, but the Abysmals from the caves to the north will emerge from their cave to do so. A silver scepter worth 400 SP and a platinum mask worth 1,300 SP lie abandoned beneath the water's surface.

 

1J: Flooded tunnel through rockface, swift flowing water spills out of cliff face to the east.

LEVEL 2

Level 2 is the primary living and work space for the Grove. Space has been repurposed as animal pens. The main entrance to the base is on the north side of this floor.

 

There is a 10% chance every exploration turn that the PUKIS enters the room the group is exploring, 50% chance flying in dragon form or walking around in cat form. The chance increases 10% for each room explored. Normal surprise rules apply and the adventurers may successfully hide from the patrolling beast, at which point the counter resets.

Rooms with no windows to the outside world are lit by luminescent lichen slowly digesting the stone, except the prison cells, Russet Pudding and Death Worm rooms which are kept dark.

 

2A: Animal pens. Water troughs and moss, racks for saddles and brushes. Surfaces pitted from acid breath, varnished wooden door resists acid. Unless Widow's Grove is out raiding, their 3 DRAGONBOARS are here along with D4-2 Druid Initiates caring for the beasts.

 

The beasts have weak eyes but good hearing and sense of smell. They start bellowing if they detect intruders in 2B.

2B: Entry hall lit by glowing red chandelier. Benches and low tables are pushed against the walls leaving the center of the room clear for movement and assembly. Desert birds fly in and out of the opening to the south, nesting in alcoves at ceiling level. Fire pit near south exit for cooking, allowing smoke to billow out into the sinkhole.

 

D4-1 Druid Initiates cook food, make handicrafts or loiter here. Unstealthy adventurers trigger a godawful bellowing from room 2A to the west. The noise attracts the Qiqirn from 2H and unless silenced quickly draws the rest of the Grove, who call the Abysmals to climb the wall from the bottom level. The light fixture is a coral orb set with carnelians worth 1,500 SP.

 

 

2C: Pantry. Onions, cactus fruit, atole mush, meat from rustled sheep and mules. No oven. Secret door into entry hall behind shelf. No treasure except aluminum plates worth 1,000 SP stolen from a stately home. 

 

2D: Stairs down to 1B. Lightning trap does not strike descending characters.

 

2E: Locked storeroom. Shelves hold 10,000 SP, Dagger +2 (Biter), scroll of (clairvoyance, hold portal, protection from evil (mu), charm person, protection from evil 10’ radius (mu)). The treasure is coated with Death Worm poison, causing death in D6 turns unless an antidote is administered.

 

2F: Ready room. D4-1 Druid initiates. Rack of wood spears coated with Jelly Death slime. Two luxuriant soft rugs worth 800 SP each.

2G: Holding cells, each barred from outside. Captives held here before transfer to punishment room downstairs. Any prisoners not in 1F are here.

  

2H: Cool chamber filled with clumps of earth and grass. If not out on a raid the QIQIRN is here. The beast is cowardly but curious, peeking out into 2B, startling intruders and then hiding in its burrow.

 

2I: Druidical bedrooms. D4-1 initiates are asleep here.A thorough search of all chambers turns up 510 SP, a Sling +1 and a spell scroll of (call lightning, protection from fire and lightning, growth of nature, speak with animals, wall of thorns)

2J: Smooth floored chamber with wall mounted lever. Shelf with D6 jugs of acid (2d6 damage and destroy metal items), torches and long wooden honey dipper. Lacquered wooden door to the east. Switch opens floor hatch down to Jelly Death room at 1H, dropping food or prisoners. D4-2 Initiates harvesting slime from 1H.

 

2K: Natural caves with scoured walls. A RUSSET PUDDING lurks amid the rock formations. Druids use the honey dipper from 2J to harvest acidic slime from the pudding, keeping it away with the torches.

 

2L: Stairs up to surface of mesa (3B). Rune of Heat Metal concealed under sand catching rug casts spell on anyone who steps on it.

 

2M: Ledge around the north side of a sinkhole, looking down into the grotto at 1I and up to the sky at 3C. A waterfall cascades out of a stone aqueduct on the west wall into a pool below. A rope ladder is tied to a pair of swollen wood pitons driven into the rock, it stays bundled up unless the Grove needs to descend into the hole.

 

2N: Damp garden lit by dimly glowing red flowers. 3 CRIMSON DEATH WORMS lurk beneath the soil. They attack anyone besides the Grove leaders who pass through the chamber. A glazed funeral urn from the Ancient Empire worth 1,300 SP lies discarded in the muck.

 

 

2O: The Maiden's bedroom. Though her Elven meditation rites substitute the need for sleep, she often finds herself lying in her bed of soft furs and not thinking about anything at all. Thin windows on the west wall allow birds to fly into the room and nest among the old furniture. The vanity set holds a gold comb worth 400 SP and a sapphire earring worth 1,000 SP.

2P: Stone aqueduct collects water from a spring in the rock face to the west and sends it spouting down into the pool below. A stone doorway on the north wall of the enclosed tube allows access.

2Q: Maid's room. Lovingly tended plants grow under a Daylight orb suspended from the ceiling, shielded from other rooms by heavy curtains.

 

2R: The Mother's curtained annex. Small chairs, table and tea set worth 50 SP.

 

2S: Triangular chamber with tiled floors and heavy curtains at each point. A Sphere of Annihilation floats in the center of the room over a plinth shaped like three cupped hands. Death Worm antidote and 5,000 SP in cashbox hidden under triangular floor tile, trapped with Jelly Death acid that dissolves wealth if carelessly opened.

 

Each curtain is worth a further 1,000 SP and depicts the owner of the room beyond: Maiden, Mother and Crone.

2T: The Mother's bedroom. Enormous featherbed draped with furs. Eclectic furniture stolen from outlying villages. Jewlery box with 1,300 SP diamond bracelet. Pillow of Sleep lets her dispose of troublesome lovers.

 

2U: The Crone's room. The ZAGH is kept in a large birdcage here. A silver locket worth 100 SP is lost under the heaps of discarded parchment and bottles. An escape tunnel leads to a hidden hatch in the sinkhole. Rather than sleep she meditates standing up.

LEVEL 3

This level is the top of the mesa, open to the sky. A series of protruding rock formations hold caves. A big hole leads down into the dungeon. The Druidic Initiates are loath to venture up here because of the savage beasts guarding the top of the base.

  

3A: Three rock formations with small caves, which serve as TAERGA dens. The beasts serve as an alarm system for the mesa, with infravision out to 120 feet. The middle den holds a rusty bracelet with a diamond worth 1,300 SP. The monsters won't attack Elves or other demihumans, their taste is for human flesh. The Trinity don't know this, they assume the monsters respect their arcane power.

 

3B: Barred door with stairs down to 2L. Exterior coated with Jelly Death slime inflicting 5D4 rounds paralysis on contact.

 

3C: Arched stone roof of aqueduct pouring water into sinkhole, leads down to 2M and 1I.

 

3D: Rafters above 2T lead to hidden tunnel in rock face.

 

CAPTIVES

Among the current crop of prisoners held in the Druidic hideout:

1. Wang Wan, livestock trader. Sold new breeds of "salt sheep" capable of surviving in the harsh conditions of the plain.
2. Orga the Orc, diplomat and linguist recruiting "rangers" from the local Hogmen to protect shipping in the region.
3. Sabrina, laundry worker from a frontier mining town. Strong willed and suspicious, the most likely candidate for Druidic conversion.
4. Ottelmar the nude barbarian, clad only in hair. Thinks Druids are sexy. Saving his fear causing scream ability for a special occasion.
5. Aka Mereniu, seller of indentured servants and transported criminals. Looking for a way to turn the situation to her advantage, feeding victims to the Grove in exchange for a payoff.
   
6. Nog the Noose, Goblin rogue. Chubby, naked except for a length of rope, can digest anything. Will gnaw out of the cell if not sacrificed soon.

Add more after a successful raid, subtract after a mass sacrifice, animal feeding or initiation of new members.

THE MAKING OF

When I rolled nine dangerous wild animals and a friendly bird-man, I decided to add a bunch of Druids masterminding the whole operation. The result is similar to Mogart's Creek, with nature aligned magic users leading an army of vicious animals. If you included them both in the same game you could make the Tiddy Mun an ally of the Elves. 

 

The dungeon full of kidnapped victims we've also seen before, in the Palace of the Naga Raja and in Kidnapper's Keep. I used the Monster Overhaul to generate them, again.

This might be the last Creature Compendium test drive. If I do another entry in this series maybe it'll be one of these frontier settlements that keeps getting attacked by Nagas, Druids, flying woodchips, etc.