THE PETRIFIED FOREST
This huge chamber contains a small forest of petrified trees (30 feet high) of an undefined species. The trunk of each tree is massive and the arms pierce through the ceilings like roots in the soil. A thin mist permeates the area, but atmosphere is warm and wet, comfortable in some way.
Visibility. The mist prevents from observing details beyond 60 feet (12 squares)
Trees with Edible Fruits (1)
These trees bear fruits (2d8 fruits) hanging from their lower trunks. If a character eat a fruit, roll a d6 to determine what happens.
- 1. A stone dryad wakes up and attack by surprise the characters. The attack may occur at any moment and possibly with a good tactical advantage. If at any moment, three or more dryads wake up, then the Guardian of the Garden (Room #33) is warned and will go for the characters.
- 2. The character remember details of one of his past lives. Award 50 xp to the character.
- 3. The fruit contains a tooth. A character expert in the art of necromancy or a spellcaster able to cast Identify (or any similar spell) can determine that by throwing the tooth on the ground summon a skeleton warrior that will fight for the character until destroyed. The skeleton warrior never attacks a Stone Dryad.
- 4. The fruit immediately turns into stone without any harmful effect for the character.
- 5. The fruit is sweet and nourishing, if eaten it restores 1d4 hit points.
- 6. The character learns a new spell (maximum 3rd level of power), provided he is an arcane spellcaster.
Trees with Corpses (2)
These trees host corpses. The Game Master can roll randomly what corpse the tree hosts or simply decide which one to place. The table below includes 10 different corpses.
- 1. The corpse of a large human, its belly has been sliced open. Looking inside the slit reveals that all the guts have been removed. A suitable check reveals that this was done whilst the human was alive.
- 2. Virulent yellow moss is growing in what resembles a humanoid shape, or what is left of it. An investigation shows that thin tendrils from the moss are penetrating into the flesh and bone of the corpse.
- 3. A pool of mud takes up an amount of the base of the tree. From the pool of mud a head is floating, whilst fresh mud is sprouting from its mouth.
- 4. A recently dead body has been eaten to the bones by something.
- 5. The skin of this corpse is covered in huge, disfiguring purple blotches. The body looks distinctly diseased.
- 6. A body has been dismembered and pinned to the main trunk with iron nails. Sprays of dried blood coats the soil and the trunk. A check reveals that the victim was torn limb from limb whilst still alive, with the head being the final part removed.
- 7. This corpse have been colonised by several species of brightly coloured fungi, in greens, reds, blues and yellows which emit a bioluminescent glow. If the corpse or fungi are disturbed, clouds of spores erupt.
- 8. A corpse covered in several inches of ice. The ice is thick and distorting enough that it is hard to make out any details of the body that is underneath it, beyond its approximate height. Shattering the ice to free it will shatter the corpse, and all of its possessions, as well. The only way of retrieving the corpse intact is to slowly melt the ice.
Fountain of the Acheron River (3)
Black water sprouts from this ordinary fountain. A thin layer of incorporeal shadows floats over the surface of the water. Drinking the acheron waters immediately remove any memory from the character mind (the character is lost and cannot be resurrected). Touching the water forces the character to make a Mental based saving throw or lose one level.
Stone Dryad of the Wasteland Forests
The petrified forest is populated by the Stone Dryads of the Wasteland Forests. The dryads are sleeping inside the trees and wakes up at specific conditions or when the Game Master finds it appropriate. Damaging the trees triggers the immediate attack of the Dryads against the aggressor.
Note for the Game Master about the Trees with Edible Fruits. Technically, each tree in the forest can bear fruits, including those with a pinned corpse. The trees can use a common table to roll a random effect for eating a fruit, or each specific tree can be personalized.
Note for the Game Master about the Corpses. Like for the edible fruits, each tree can have its own corpse. Each corpse may have its own name, history to tell, or any other element the Game Master finds appropriate, especially if he wants to create a connection with elements of his own campaign setting.
Potential XP: Stone Dryads (?)
Tools & Resources
100 Corpses to Find in a Dungeon from Azukail Games
100 Dressings for an Evil Altar from Azukail Games
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