0703 The Ruins of Midgewarrow

Trunks swollen and blistered, weeping orange sap. A drear quietude pervades.

• Terrain: Tangled forest (3), Nagwood
• Lost/encounters: 2-in-6. Encounters are 2-in-6 likely to be with 2d4 cannibals (see hex 0801), attempting to capture travellers and drag them back to their lair.
• Ley line Hoad (p18): Arcane spell-casters perceive the feeling of having just awoken from a dream.
• Foraging: Successful foraging yields 1d2 Shub Eggs (p430), in addition to the normal results.

The Old Road

A track that was once a road, now overgrown with bracken and slender birches.

Warning signs: Half a mile from the centre of the hex (in both directions) a series of boulders beside the trail are painted with crosses and skulls, now faded with age. These markings forewarn travellers of the vicinity of the plague town.

Midgewarrow

At the centre of the hex stand the remnants of the ghost town Midgewarrow, abandoned for two centuries after the plague struck and the place was shunned.

Ruins: The ruined town is now reclaimed by the forest: stone walls crumbling and clad with vines, moss, and rotting fungi. In this state, it is difficult to discern the purposes of any of the buildings.

The white tower: One structure, however, stands in its original form, unmarred by neglect and the passing of the centuries: a white tower in the centre of the ruined town. See The White Tower for more detail.

Searching the ruins: Characters may discover an arched tunnel, lined with candle sconces (now covered in moss), leading down to a pair of still-locked wooden doors. Behind lies the Chapel of St Eggort.

The Chapel of St Eggort

A vaulted crypt with hundreds of candle sconces carved from the stone of its walls.

Statue of St Eggort: A life-size rendering of the saint in simple grey sandstone. Eggort is depicted in a hooded robe, head bowed, holding a candle aloft.

Prayer: Characters praying may receive the blessing of St Eggort: the ability to cast Holy Light. See Shrines, p22.

The White Tower

A square tower of pristine white marble with a silver pennant fluttering at its summit.

Approaching: The tower emits a loud boom if anyone draws near.

Door: The black oak door is sealed with a Glyph of Locking (by a Level 7 caster).

Windows: Made of an enchanted glass, unbreakable by mundane means.

Interior floors: A procession of four storeys of utterly empty (but perfectly clean) chambers lead, via a winding stair, to a magically locked door (sealed with a Glyph of Locking by a Level 7 caster). The door prevents entry to the upper floor, which consists of a single room—a bedchamber in which a woman rests in enchanted sleep. (See The Bedchamber.)

History: Those versed in the history of Dolmenwood (e.g. the Lady Harrowmoor, p60) may be familiar with the tower and its former inhabitants (see Origins).

The Bedchamber

A beautifully furnished bedchamber at the summit of the tower. Not a speck of dust can be found on any of the carpets, tapestries, or furniture; it is as if the room had been meticulously cleaned only an hour ago.

Sleeping beauty: Sleeping in the bed is a young woman with long, black hair laid neatly in plaits upon her pillow. If she is examined, purple pustules may be noted on her skin.

Enchantment: An enchantment of temporal stasis is about her (and the whole tower). It may be broken by use of Dispel Magic (against a Level 7 caster) or with a kiss.

If the enchantment is broken: The woman—named Merwyth—awakens. This also awakens the plague which destroyed the town. Unless cured, Merwyth perishes within a month, and PCs who fail a Save Versus Doom also contract the disease. The Referee may elaborate the details of the plague as required.

Origins: Merwyth is the daughter of the magician Hodrych who lived in this tower long ago. Fleeing the plague, he placed his daughter under a protective spell, hoping to return with a cure for the illness. As fate would have it, he perished in Dolmenwood and never returned.