1805 The Willow Mouth

An airy wood of little brooks and bendy, old willow trees.

• Terrain: Tangled forest (3), Aldweald
• Lost/encounters: 2-in-6

The Willow’s Pool

Following the lay of the land and the gentle flow of the water leads down to a wide pool covered in algae and lily pads, surrounded by willows. Animals of the wood seem to shun this pool.

Willow and mouth: At one end of the pool stands an enormous willow tree, unusually thick, with a gigantic (10′ tall) human mouth in the base of its trunk: the Great Willow.

Inside the gullet: Characters who feed the willow a large animal (see Willow’s Desires) notice that its throat leads to a cavernous area beneath the tree: the Willow’s Gullet. Three white cows, standing still, undigested and fully intact, can be glimpsed in the gullet. If questioned about them, the Willow replies: “My first meal. Didn’t go down so well. Still bothers me.”

The Willow’s Gullet / Shrine to St Gripe

(Hidden)

A humid, foetid chamber. Tree roots pulse in the walls like veins. The walls and floor ripple unnervingly.

Statuary: Visitors discover that the undigested cows are in fact statues of cows, standing on a thick wooden platform. Amongst them is a fourth statue (not visible from the surface): St Gripe the forthright, depicted as a young man leading the cows, his expression wary and watchful.

Prayer: With heavy labour and some cajoling of the Great Willow to open its mouth wide, adventurers can remove the statues and platform, soothing the Willow and restoring the shrine. After that, characters praying may receive the blessing of St Gripe: the ability to cast Find Traps. See Shrines, p22.

The Great Willow

A miraculous, magical creation of the Dolmenwood: a huge willow tree with a human mouth. The mouth emits loud moans, as if hungry.

Demeanour (Neutral): Ravenously hungry and eager to negotiate for food.

Speech: Loud, deep, indignant. Woldish, Sylvan.

Desires: The Great Willow is voraciously carnivorous, but has no way of getting food into its gullet. Due to its size, only whole sheep, deer, cattle, horses, etc. can provide the willow with a satisfying meal. The Willow also seeks relief from the indigestion caused by the white cows (see The Willow’s Gullet) and allows characters to safely enter its mouth if they offer aid.

Rewards: In exchange for food or relief from the dyspepsia-inducing nuisance of the white cows, the willow mouth can offer knowledge. It knows a great deal about surrounding hexes, and may be able to answer obscure questions posed by adventurers.