Song of the Moonlit Marshes

The entrance to the cave is a grim
site. Multiple skeletal remains litter
the muddy ground, and a putrid
smell wafts out from within. The
rocky walls drip with moisture, and
are thick with slime and mold.
Rivulets of fetid water run down into
the cave beyond.
Players entering the cave will be
attacked by two thralls with
crossbows from area 2. They fire
their weapons through small
concealed openings in the north
wall. Only Tiny size creatures or
smaller can fit through the opening.

The entry to this room is not readily
apparent unless searched for. A large
heavy bolder can be moved to
access the room with a DC 15 STR
check, or a combined STR of 25 from
two characters.
A small chamber filled with an
assortment of weapons in racks.
Axes, Swords, Spears and Crossbows.
There are always two thralls
stationed here, ready to shoot at
intruders in area 1.
Hag’s Thralls
Haggard zombie-like men with
empty eye sockets. Unnaturally fast
and strong.
AC 14, HP 25, ATK 2 Axe or Sword +4
(1d8), or 1 Crossbow +3 (1d6), MV
near, S +4, D +3, C +3, I -2, W +1, Ch
-2, AL C, LV 5
Undead. Immune to morale checks.
Relentless. If thrall is reduced to 0
HP by a non-magical source, DC 15
CON to go to 1 HP instead.
Treasure. Each thrall wears a fine
silver amulet set with a lustrous
carnelian worth 10gp. A thorough
search of the room uncovers a shiny
dagger forged of a silvery metal.
Elfmade Mithril Dagger +1, Evenstar.
1/day Sheds light as the spell.

Four thralls stand watch over a half
dozen women in various stages of
pregnancy. The women, filthy and
disheveled, cower on putrid insect
infested piles of straw and scraps of
cloth, whimpering in misery.
The six mothers are kept here by
Alfhild and will soon give birth to
hag daughters. The mothers are
each a month or two apart in their
pregnancies. Over the past year the
hag has used her shapeshifting
ability to appear as a comely maiden
and seduce local herdsmen. She’s

kidnapped the pregnant women and
swapped their unborn with her own.
The Mothers do not know this has
happened to them, and Alfhild will
not divulge it unless it benefits her
to do so. Regardless, all of the
mothers will die during childbirth,
and their daughters are doomed to
become hags in -me.
Four Thralls. The thralls guarding
the Mothers will attack any
intruders, but will not move outside
the room, as their primary function
is to guard the Mothers and prevent
their escape. Combat that occurs
here is likely to draw AlWild’s
attention. She will come along with
two more thralls in 1d3 rounds.
3ft. SECRET TUNNEL
A thorough investigation of the walls
will reveal a small portion of the
north wall that is slightly out of
place. Large heavy rocks, concealed
with roots and mud, block a narrow
passage that leads up and out to the
thorn covered hillside. Only Alfhild is
aware of this passage.

A rotten den smells of smoke and
decay. Hot embers burn low in a
Firepit at the center of the room. A
filthy nest of straw, furs, and bits of
cloth make up a bed to the south. A
rough wooden bench sits on the east
wall and a barrel and crate on the
west wall.
If not already encountered, Alfhild
will be found here. Alfhild is ancient
and cunning and will not fight
directly unless she has no other
option.
Deception. If her thralls are all killed
or if she is wounded, she will retreat
to area 4 or 6. There she will
Shapechange to appear as a helpless
Mother, like the captives in area 3.
She will beg the party to save her
and tell them that the hag fled
through a secret door. Showing the
party the Secret Door to area 7
(which is trapped). If the party
happens to ask the other captive
Mothers if they know this one, they
will reveal that they have never seen
her.
Bargain. If the players see through
her disguise or she is unable to
accomplish the deception, she will
try to bargain for her freedom,
offering powerful “Magical Amulets”
to the party, that “grant everlasting
life, as well as powerful protection.”
The Amulets are Hag’s Eyes, (which
the characters may have seen
hanging on the necks of the thralls).
•
+1 to AC and all saves,
•
Cursed. The wearer will not
willingly take it off. The Hag can
Command (as the spell) the
wearer at will, and can see
through the amulet as if scrying.
Visons. In addition the wearer of a
Hag’s Eye is constantly assaulted

with horrifying visions, DC 12 WIS
every day or gain 1 point of Shadow.
Once lost to Shadow, the victim goes
insane, clawing out their own eyes
to make the visions stop. Soon after,
they become a Thrall.
Hag’s Nest. If searched a small
pouch is found containing broaches,
bracelets, arm bands, rings and
other valuables taken from victims
worth 50gp in total.
Barrel. Contains a horrible smelling
brew of some sort. Drinking it
causes violent illness for 2d4 days.
Crate. Full of filthy bloodstained
clothing.
Alfhild
Eyes dark as moonless nights, skin
made of rotting wood, hair of
tangled roots and vines.
AC 14, HP 28, ATK 2 claw +4 (1d8) or
1 drink pain, MV near, S +3, D +2, C
+1, I +1, W +2, Ch +3, AL C, LV 6
Drink Pain. Near range. DC 12 CHA
to deal 2d4 damage to a creature;
regain that many HP.
Shapechange. Instantly change to
look like any other humanoid.

A mass of human or humanoid
bones, rotting offal and other refuse
are piled into the reeking cave.
Characters that search through the
muck must make a DC 15 CON check
or be afflicted with disease. DC 15
CON each day or take 1d6 CON
damage. Ends on success.

A cauldron of loathsome ichor
bubbles over a central fire in this
chamber. Crates and barrels line the
walls, and shelves full of baskets
containing strange and gory items;
eyeballs, fingers, teeth, hearts, lungs
and other viscera, as well as many
herbs and other components.
Search. If Alfhild was unable to flee
beforehand, a complete search of
the room will uncover the following:
3 healing potions, 2 charm potions,
6 Hag Eye Amulets (non-func-onal if
Alhild is dead), 2 Invisibility potions.

A secret door of dried and twisted
bramble and thorns is disguised by
the Hags Illusion to appear as a rock
wall. The passage leads to a tunnel
that ascends sharply to the west.
Several crates and an iron banded
and locked chest are just beyond the
entrance.
Room Trap. Alfhild has trapped the
entrance with a glyph of warding. A
careful search before entering will
discover the glyph, but otherwise
entering the room will trigger it,
causing a fiery explosion 3d10
damage, near. DC 15 DEX for half
damage.
Crates. The Crates contain filthy
rags, and old clothes. However if
carefully searched there is a Cloak of
Elvenkind among them. The

contents of these crates are
destroyed if the room trap is
triggered.
Iron Chest. This Chest is locked and
trapped. DC 15 DEX for both. Poison
Needle trap, DC 15 CON or 2d8
damage. Inside the chest are the
following: 585sp, 276gp, A pouch
containing 12 carnelians worth 10gp
each, and 2 bloodstones worth 50gp
each. A scroll of Fireball, a Scroll of
Speak with Dead, and “Fang.”
Fang - Dagger +2
An ebony handled dagger with a
blade made from a giant spider
fang, dripping with venomous ichor.
Benefit. On a successful hit, DC 12
CON or paralyzed for 1d4 hours.

A caved in wall leads to a 20 foot
square chamber. In the center is an
ancient sarcophagus, bearing runic
patterns and symbols indicating the
burial place of an ancient Hill Tribe
Queen, from a time long before the
Dalelanders came from the south.
This is the crypt of Aleild’s mother,
who died birthing Alfhild many
centuries ago. She was swapped
during her mother’s pregnancy by
Merofled, Sister of the Wood.
Merofled posed as the midwife.
Merofled claimed the child died as
well, using her magic to make it
appear so, and the grief stricken
Chief buried mother and “child” in
this crypt.
Sarcophagus. Within are the
carefully wrapped remains of
Aleild’s mother and her burial
goods. These include a large
drinking horn, with embossed
golden rim and -p and set with
emeralds and rubies, worth 500gp.
A fine pair of gold fibula in the shape
of eagles, set with garnets and
amethysts worth 300gp for the pair,
an intricate golden torc worth
100gp, and an ivory and silver comb
worth 50gp.
Should any of the grave items be
disturbed. Aleild’s Mother rises as a
Mummy!
Mummy
A desiccated, linen-wrapped zombie.
It was created with an intricate
embalming ritual used only upon the
most worthy warriors or rulers.
AC 13, HP 47, ATK 3 rot touch +8
(1d10 + necrosis), MV near, S +3,
D+0, C +2, I +3, W +2, Ch +3, AL C,
LV 10
Supreme Undead. Immune to
morale checks. Only damaged by
magical sources.
Desiccated. Can be damaged by
fire. Takes x2 damage from it.
Necrosis. DC 15 CON or drop to 0
HP. Healing spells are DC 15 to cast
on target while at 0 HP due to this
effect.

An enormous pile of timbers and
branches forms a large dam across a
narrow gully. On either side of the
dam are steep hillsides thick with
impenetrable thorns. The timber
dam is a tangled mass of logs and
branches, slick with slime and algae.
Thorn Covered Hills. The
undergrowth is thick with giant vines
from 2 to 3 inches thick and with
thorns the size of daggers.
Trying to pass through this area is
impossible. Cutting through it is slow
and tedious work. Every round, a
character with a sharp blade can
clear a roughly Near sized area,
however, doing so grants an attack
from the Thorns at +0, 1d4 damage.
The Dam. Should the players
attempt to work their way over the
dam, it will take them about an hour
of careful climbing and negotiating
their way through the piles of
slippery branches and logs. If
combat occurs on the Dam, the
players make all rolls at
Disadvantage due to the difficult
footing. Any roll of 1, means the
character has slipped and fallen and
must make a DC 12 DEX check or
lose whatever was in their hands.
Giant Beaver. There is a 1 in 6
chance per round that the Players
are attacked by one of the Giant
Beavers that inhabit the dam.
Giant Beaver
Bear-sized version of a beaver, highly
territorial, attacking from within
their dens, or from the water with
their sharp foot-long teeth.
AC 13, HP 25, ATK 2 Claw +4 (1d4), 1
Bite +4 (2d6), MV near (climb,
swim), S +4, D +1, C +3, I -2, W +1,
Ch -2, AL N, LV 5
Grapple. If both claw attacks hit,
Bite attack hits automatically until
grapple is broken with DC 15 STR
check.

Otker
Beaver Den. Should the players try
to go inside the dam they will enter
a series of tunnels through the
branches, leading to a large den.
There will be 1d4 giant beavers
there with 1d2 young. The young
will not fight, and will try to escape
into the water and out to the pond.
Searching through the den reveals
an ornate golden flask, etched in a
hill-tribe motif of spiraling patterns
worth 150gp. The contents of the
flask is a healing potion.

Heavy mist hangs over the large
shallow pond created by the beaver
dam. The pond averages 2 feet deep,
but is up to 6 feet deep near the
center. The water is green with
algae, making it impossible to see
the bottom. Here and there, gnawed
off stumps of trees poke out of the
water.

Travel through the Murky Pond is
slow and treacherous. The bottom is
lined with silty mud that sticks to
everything. Every footstep is an
effort, cutting all movement in half.

Eventually the Murky Pond shallows
out into a vast muddy bog. Patches
of sickly dying trees are all that
remain of what must have once
been a healthy grove. Now the area
smells of rot and decay.
Sounds. The distant echoes of
singing childlike voices as well as
whispers on the wind beckoning the
Characters to “come play.” or “Sing
with us.”
Vision. The chill damp air is thick
with mist which limits vision to Near.
Children of the Bog. If the Players
follow the voices they will be lead
toward the center of the bog.
Once there they will see Torchlight.
About a dozen little “torches”
appear in the fog, moving around as
if carried by dancing children.
Will-O’-Wisps (12)
The lights dance as the eerie
childlike voices sing their songs. They
surround you, beckoning you to join
them in their merriment.
AC 13, HP 10, ATK 1 Life Drain +3,
MV near (fly), S -3, D +3, C +1, I -1,
W -1, Ch -2, AL C, LV 2
Life Drain. 1d4 CON damage. Death
if reduced to 0 CON.

A giant willow tree looms over a
high mound in the surrounding
marsh. Noticable larger and more
reslendant than any other tree, it
makes quite a landmark. Bones of
thousands of pond fish are scattered
1
A splash in the water within Far
2
Eerie singing children's voices coming from the direction of the Foul
Smelling Bog.
3
1d4 Giant Leeches
4
Quickmud. DC 15 DEX or sucked down into the mud. Fully submerged
in 1d4 rounds.
5
1 Giant Beaver defending it’s territory
6
Orgrulf the Swamp Troll looking for tasty fishes
Random Encounters
Check for Encounters every Hex. Roll 1d6 and consult table below:

All about the hill among the roots of
the willow.
The giant willow is a sleeping Ent.
He has slept here for many centuries
and would be difficult to wake
unless damaged. If he is awakened
he is likely to attack anyone near,
being angry at the disturbance.
Orgulf the Swamp Troll is here as
well unless the party has already
encountered him. He uses the
shelter of the willow as a lair,
sleeping in a large hollow in the
roots.
Orgulf is quite old and sleeps for
weeks at a -me unless awakened by
hunger. At which point he will
wander out to the pond to gather
fish, and bring them back to the
willow tree to feast. The remains of
the fish fall to the ground and make
food for the Ent’s roots as well.
Orgulf the Swamp Troll
A wart covered beast sleeps curled
up in the hollow of the tree’s roots.
Green skin and Grey fur. It’s filthy
pelt sprouting with mushrooms.
AC 12, HP 24, ATK 2 Claw +4 (1d6),
and 1 bite +4 (1d10), MV near, S +3,
D +2, C +2, I -1, W +0, Ch -1, AL C,
LV 5
Regenerate. Regains 2d6 HP on its
turn unless its wounds are
cauterized with fire or acid.

A massive briar forms a wall around
the hillside, but a narrow man sized
opening in the thorns seems to allow
room for passage.
The passage is only 3 feet wide and
6 feet tall, meaning that characters
must move carefully, single file,
through the wall. They will not be
hurt if they move carefully, but
running or fighting within the briar
results in the characters getting
entangled in the thorny vines unless
a DC 15 DEX check is made.
Entangled characters have DISADV
on all actions, and take 1d4 damage
per round.
The wall itself is several hundred
yards thick. Once the party is well
into the briar, a swarm of hungry
centipedes is sure to find them.
Centipede Swarm
A crawling mass of weaving, sinuous
centipedes.
AC 11, HP 18, ATK 3 bite +1 (1d4 +
poison), MV near (climb), S -3, D +1,
C +0, I -4, W -3, Ch -4, AL N, LV 4
Poison. DC 12 CON or paralyzed 1d4
rounds.
A Dark Cave. Once through the Wall
of Thorns the party will find
themselves in a small clearing with a
cave entrance on the southeast side
of a rocky thorn covered hillside.