The Hag's Legacy

The Hag’s Legacy

A muddy mystery of betrayals and deception for LEVEL 4 heroes.

Secrets: What’s Going On?

Malphara the Vile, a cruel hag, is dead. She lived in the Bubbling Quagmire with her enslaved assistants: Jona (an aging Troll) and Borrick (whose mind she swapped with a donkey). Jona, after years of witnessing Borrick’s abuse, broke free from her hex and killed Malphara. Locals and other hags sense the hag’s fading magic and are emboldened to invade her land. To deter them, Jona disguises herself as Malphara.

Quest Hooks

• Villagers say a hag kidnaps those that live off the marshes. They want to get even now that she’s weak.
• A necromancer posing as an alchemist pays well for the preserved organs of a hag.
• A local needs proof of the death of his missing uncle, Borrick, in order to receive his inheritance.

Treasures

• Hex Hand. Malphara’s withered hand. Casts Gravecraft. Can make a spoon or ladle stir without touching.
• Homunculus Dough. Lump of grey dough. Spill blood on it and it grows, taking the form of the invoker in dough, whom it obeys. Lasts a week, then gets stale.
• Lientern. Lantern fueled by lies. Frowns when lit.

Traveling Encounters

• Monster Hunting Traps. A sprung trap with fresh blood (Lore: Troll’s blood). 3 other traps hidden amongst foliage and muck. Roll saves to spot/dodge until all 3 have been seen or sprung (1d10 damage).
• Trapped Sprite. Stuck in purple sap, its wings flutter spasmodically. (Naturecraft: purplethumb tree). Touching the sap: STR save or muscles lock up painfully. If freed, she thanks heroes with information (rumors) or a gift (one d20 reroll today).
• Swamped Ruin. Half-sunken corpse inside. Human female in Golden Company garb. On her: rusted mail, 13 gp, poisoned apple. Any who enter the ruins, have 50% chance of leeches; minor damage until noticed).

Adventure Locations

Vampire Brambles. Thicket surrounds the hag’s swamp.

• 2 dead villagers tangled, drained of blood, Naturecraft or Arcana to know about the plant.
• If pricked, suffer 1d4 damage and blood begins to be drained. Finesse check to remove thorn, repeat damage until success (or magically healed).
• Crimson fruit. Edible; iron taste. Borrick’s favorite.
• 4 Slashing attacks can break through. But briars go flying everywhere. Roll 1d6, pricked by briar on a 1–2.
• Fire can burn through, but fruit will explode, dealing 2d6 damage to creatures nearby and alerting Jona.
• Leads to Inner Swamp (wet) or Ghost Light Trail (dry).

The Inner Swamp. Quagmire of crooked trees and bubbling mud. Careful or they’ll pop! (Each hero rolls 1d6):

1. Clumsy you! Roll again twice.

2. Fetid Gas. STR save or Poisoned for 2 encounters.

3. More Stirges. 3 Freshly-hatched (hungry) Stirges.

4. Monster Grease. Covered in grease (flames or sparks nearby ignite. 2×LVL damage, ending this).

5. Stirges. 2 Freshly-hatched (hungry) Stirges.

6. Just a wet pop. Lucky you.

Ghost Light Trail. Spectral fires that resemble faces lead into the mist. At least it’s somewhat solid ground.

• Following them leads to a pond, water clear and still. A golden glint at the bottom.
• All who look: What would you most like to see? INT save or they are drawn into the water, seeing that.
• Repeat until save. Suffer 1 Wound for each failure as you drown. After 2 failed saves, at the bottom you see nothing but skeletons, gain advantage on the save.

The Warning. Tree in the middle of a clearing. "KEP OWT" freshly carved into the trunk.

• A severed arm sticks out of a hole in the tree. Pointing back out of the swamp, slightly moving (Perception: faint skittering). Silver ring on a finger (30 gp).
• If touched, the arm falls out, covered in centipedes who attack immediately (d4 minions, 2/hero).
• Deep, raspy voice, (Insight: straining to sound highpitched) Jona’s voice compels "Leave and scatter, nosey trespasser!" The hidden Troll attacks from cover, casting Gravecraft with the Hex Hand, opening pits and staining the heroes’ clothing with muck and blood before limping back home.
• Silhouette of Spiderhollow can be seen ahead in the

distance, heroes can hear a man’s voice yelling for help to the west (Donkey Chase).

Donkey Chase. Screams in the distance, ground shakes, a giant chasing a donkey yelling with a man’s voice.

• Bog Giant (use Hill Giant stats. Can’t see, VERY good hearing. Attacks whatever makes the most noise).
• Donkey (with Borrick’s mind) yells and runs around a rock. If saved, Borrick asks for help recovering his real body. Can guide to the back entrance of Spiderhollow: the Flooded Cesspool (he escaped during the fight between the Hag and Troll and is anxious to know their fates).

Spiderhollow. Malphara’s home. A grotesque and hollow trunk, with crooked roots resembling arachnid legs.

• Countless bonechimes. Will jangle if not treading carefully (Stealth check), alerting Jona and spiderbats.
• Front door: opens to Brewing Hearth.
• Perception: hole in roof to Bat Roost. Easily climbable.
• Secret entrance in the back (Flooded Cesspool).

Flooded Cesspool. Sewage 5ft. deep, awful stench. STR save or vomit.

• Tadpoles swim amidst the sludge. A toad croaks a familiar song from of one of the heroes’ childhood.
• Leads up to the latrine in Disheveled Bedroom.

Bat Roost. Attic, filled with cobwebs, piles of guano.

• Coop for Spiderbats (d8 minions, 2/hero).
• Psychedelic mushrooms grow among guano (VERY valuable to an alchemist). In the detritus: The Lientern. Exits to outside or down to Disheveled Bedroom.

Disheveled Bedroom. Pile of hay and bones.

• A man lays in hay (Borrick’s body with donkey mind). Hot-tempered, prone to kicking. Cannot talk, only bray.
• Loot: A Reed Flute, Homunculus Dough. Examination (will wake "Borrick"): hidden scroll to reverse his curse.
• Latrine behind a curtain to Flooded Cesspool. Ladder up to Bat Roost. Wooden door to Brewing Hearth.

Brewing Hearth. Myriad of ingredients and jars.

• Large cauldron, room for one person. A leather hag mask hangs from a hook. Unless alerted, Jona is treating her wounds from the Monster Hunting Trap.
• Jona attacks intruders in her home. In a fight, each round a magical ladle targets 1 hero to push into cauldron (DC 10 DEX save). 1d20 fire damage/turn. "Borrick" will wake and kick intruders (1 damage, 10 hp). At 40 HP, Jona (use Troll stat block) will beg to be left in peace.
• She is willing to part with curios. Among the clutter: pickled hag organs, a mysterious amulet (helps with one of the hero’s problems).
• After the fight, echoing cackles surround the den. Jona recognizes the voice: Dregatha, Thrice-Chinned, (Malphara’s younger sister). She foresaw the death of her sibling and comes to take the Hollow for herself.

Aftermath

• Jona. If the heroes intercede for her, she makes peace with the locals and becomes a herbalist.
• Borrick. If his curse isn’t broken, or either body is lost, he will choose to remain with Jona.
• Dregatha. If she becomes the new mistress of Spiderhollow, she turns out even worse than her sister.