0612 The Staring Stones

Rugged, tussocky grasses and prodigious thistle patches. Rabbits roam in great numbers.

• Terrain: Meadow (2), High Wold
• Lost/encounters: 1-in-6
• Foraging: Successful foraging yields 1d3 portions of Moonhaw (DPB), in addition to the normal results. The berries only have their magical effect if harvested at night, under the light of the moon.

Stony Faces

The sloping expanses of wild grassland in this hex are dotted with hundreds of boulders, ranging from 10′ to 50′ tall.

Approaching: Viewed up close, many of the boulders bear a vague resemblance to humanoid faces, some staring at travellers, proudly upright, others toppled and reclining in the grass, their eyes gazing at the heavens.

Examining: The boulders appear to be natural formations, showing no signs of having been carved or worked.

The Staring Stones (Hidden)

Concealed in an overgrown dell in the gentle slope of the meadows is a ring of six oblong stones, standing 8′ high, each formed into the visage of a specific animal: a spider, a bird, a cat, a dog, a goat, a cow.

Staring: Standing before one of the animal statues and gazing into its eyes, a character must Save Versus Hold or be transformed into an animal of that type, along with all clothing and equipment, until the following dawn. (A character who knows the effects of the stones may willingly fail the Saving Throw.)

Transformed characters: Retain their own wits, but cannot speak or use any Class skills or magical capabilities. To all intents and purposes they are normal animals.

After-effects: Upon returning to their normal form, there is a 2-in-6 chance of a transformed character taking on some behavioural trait of the animal for the following week. For example, a propensity for eating flies, a desire to build nests, or a mewling tone of voice.