0209 The Lethean Well

Tree trunks and boughs twist, sway, and writhe, creating weirdly silhouetted forms.

• Terrain: Craggy forest (4), High Wold
• Lost/encounters: 3-in-6
• Foraging: Successful foraging yields 1d2 portions of Woodpurse (p430), in addition to the normal results.
• ### The Grasping Corridor
• A trail branches off of the High Road in hex 0208 to the

north of here; crossing into this hex, it soon becomes a long, tree-lined, bough-vaulted path that travels gently uphill. Inhabitants of this region call the path the Grasping Corridor, and it is known to be the sole route to the Lethean Well, a fabled lake in the hills.

Perpetual dark: Beneath the dense canopy, it is like night, even during the brightest hours of daylight.

Drifting mist: A thin, pale mist drifts in the brooding blackness of the woods on either side of the trail.

Grasping hands: Anyone getting too close to the inky darkness of the forest beyond the trail is grasped by cold, pale hands that form out of the mist. They must Save Versus Spell or vanish into the blackness of the woods, reappearing back on the trail 1d6 hours later, stripped of valuables they carried and with no memory of where they have been.

Effects of flame: If any open flame is brought into the corridor, the things among the trees begin to shriek and wail in increasing and maddening volume unless it is extinguished. Characters who persist in carrying fire here for more than 1 Turn must Save Versus Hold or lose 1d3 points of Wisdom. (Lost Wisdom is recovered after a week.)

The Lethean Well

The lake known as the Lethean Well sits nestled in a hilly region, surrounded by treacherous 60′ crags and pitch- dark woods. It is nearly two miles across, and its banks are overgrown and lined with dreamy weeping willows in abundance.

Reaching the lake: For those who do not wish to scale the rock faces, the lake is reachable only via the Grasping Corridor, which opens outwards at its terminus on the lake’s northern shore.

Boggin clan: A malign clan of 12 boggins (DMB) inhabits the lake. Should characters bathe in the lake (see below), there is a 3-in-6 chance of 1d3 of the boggins attacking them, attempting to drag them to their lair below.

Trading with the boggins: PCs who remain on the lake- shore for at least an hour attract the attention of 1d3 boggins, who swim to the water’s edge to converse. In return for gems or jewellery (20gp value or greater) or magic items, they allow characters to bathe in peace. They may also trade for such items with a dose of the psychedelic compound Lethe (p426), which they extract from the brains of their victims.

Bathing: Entering the dark, slumbrous waters, one feels a slowly pulsing vibration. Bathing in the lake for more than an hour cures a magical disease or curse and places an enchantment upon the bather (see Lake Enchantments).

Lake Enchantments (d6)

Bathing in the Lethean Well cures a magical disease or curse, as well as causing one of the following effects:

d6 Enchantment 1 Brain becomes increasingly sharp, permanently increasing Intelligence by 1. 2 Gain a sense of serenity and contentment, permanently increasing Wisdom by 1. 3 Visage becomes radiant and beautiful, permanently increasing Charisma by 1. 4 Become convinced they are half-pig. 5 Insatiable hunger for raw root vegetables. 6 Believe they are one of the Lords of the High Wold.

Each character can only be affected by the enchanted waters once per year.

The Lethean Door (Hidden)

High in the rocky peaks that surround the lake is a 10′ tall craggy portal of utter blackness that even magic cannot illuminate. Adventurers with an invitation from Duke Mai-Fleur may step into the portal and be transported to the wild forests of Diuthurnia (p30). Without an invitation, the door is impassable.

Journeys Into Fairy (Optional)

Referees wishing to expand play into the realm of Diuthurnia may allow adventurers to enter the Lethean Door without an invitation. This requires the Referee to develop adventure locales of their own in Diuthurnia.