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Introduction:

This is a short scenario involving incidents in the Stinking Forest in Dragon Pass. The scenario is presented as a series of scenes, and the GM can oace the scenes as appropriate. All that is required is that the PCs are journeying through the Stinking Forest. This scenario works best with a party of elves.

Part One - The Initial Shock:

Situation:

The woods, although wild, have been pleasant and full of the blossom of Ernalda, Arachne Solara, and, of course, the Mistress Aldrya. Towards noon, when Yelm's mantle covers the whole of Glorantha, the PCs round a large boulder and come upon a horrible sight.

In a sunlit glade, open to the blue sky, stands an oak tree. This tree, an old "bruin" of a plant some 8m in diameter, is surrounded by a ring of yello, violet, and green mushrooms and flowers, a faerie ring. This is a dryad's tree, as evidenced by the laced garlands of flowers that grace its majestic boughs.

From one of the topmost branches hangs a dryad. She is dangling in the soft sylvan breeze with a garland vine around her neck in a noose.

Closer Look:

The flowers around the tree are beginning to wilt, as are the flowers on the garlands. The tree is shedding "tears" of blood, in spiritual synchronicity with the dryad's fleeing soul. The dryad's body is unmarked and appears to have been dead for approximately 3 days.

Hidden Items:

Clearing:

A bit of slime, from the chaos being.

Tree:

Inside the tree is the dryad's dwelling, with crude furnishings and a wooden box holding three specially blessed oak seeds (to ensure growth).

Dryad's Body:

A small puncture mark will be found in her abdomen, below the navel in her frock and on her belly.

Part Two - Another Tree:

Situation:

An abandoned dryad's tree similar to Part One, but with no dryad. The tree is dead and hollow and the flowers and mushrooms are quite decayed.

Hidden Items:

Nil.

Part Three - A Burnt Out Treehouse:

Situation:

A blackened and charred tree house sits in the boughs of a tree.

Closer Look:

This was obviously an elf abode. It is 30m up and the ladder has been burned away. Everything in the place is blackened, charred, and useless.

Hidden Items:

The floor is unstable and will collapse with a % chance equal to the total Size plus Encumbrance upon it. Check immediately when a significant new amount of wieght is placed on it and every minute thereafter.

Amid the rubble are the charred remains of an elven family. The bodies of a female, male, and three young ones are huddled in a mass. Another Spot Hidden check will reveal a piece of slightly singed wood in the hand of the male elf. The wood has carved upon it the runes of the Mallia Cult.

Part Four - Attack!:

Situation:

In the distance, a mind-bending shriek is heard. This gutteral howl is female in pitch and partly human, but tinged with an inhuman raving. Out of the undebrush bursts an insane dryad. She appears as a dryad, with mottled hair that is blood covered and slime-ridden. Her eyes are a malefic red and her hands end in blood red talons. Drool runs from her slavering mouth. The dryad radiates Chaos. She is insane from the shock of becoming Chaos-tainted and now raves against all life!

Montavae - Insane Dryad Strength 18   Defense 20% Constitution 11   Hit Points: 12 Size 11   Sex Female Intelligence 14   Power 20       Dexterity 17       Charisma 8       Damage Bonus: +1D4   RL (1-4) 0 / 4   LL (5-8) 0 / 4   AB (9-11) 0 / 4   CH (12) 0 / 5       RA (13-15) 0 / 3       LA (16-18) 0 / 3       HD (19-20) 0 / 4 Weapon Skills: Talons (x2) 50 / 45 D6+D4 SR 7 nil Special Attacks: If both talons hit in a round, a third arm will emerge from her abdomen and attack the victim's head (i.e. grab the neck) at 85% doing D4+D4 damage and automatically doing that damage every round thereafter until severed or slain. The arm must be attacked specifically and may only be targetted by the victim. It is mottled green and pustulant and covered with blood. The arm has 3 point skin and takes 6 hp to sever. Spells: Battle Magic: Shimmer, Healing 4, Vigour, Strength, Harmonize, Detect Life

Part Five - The Confrontation:

Situation:

The PCs enter a clearing and view the following tableau:

This is another dryad tree clearing, apparently in full health. A dryad is pressed up against her tree, face frozen in horror as a terrible lumbering beast approaches her. It has its hunched back facing the PCs and is about 2m away from her. Nearby, and elf with a maggot-like tail and dripping skin lumbers away gibbering.

The dryad, Jasmine, is normal. She is Harmonized motionaless for 8 MR, but is screaming "kill me Aldrya, please!" in Elvish.

The elf will not attack. It is mobile, but mentally catatonic, despondent, and gibbering to itself. It will walk in one direction until slain. Use average elf statistics with 2 point leather armour in all locations.

The Chaos Being is mottoled green and violet, a hunched back humanoid, thin and loathsome, with bowed legs and three long arms. These arms, one of which protrudes from the chest, end in 5cm long claws. A violet tentacle emerges from each shoulder, while its head boasts sharp teeth and a quasi-reptilian demonic visage. Its skin oozes a vile slime and its chaos stench reeks horribly.

The Chaos Being Strength 20   Defense 10% Constitution 18   Hit Points: 19 Size 15   Intelligence (10)   Power 10       Dexterity 15       Charisma -5       Damage Bonus: +1D6   RL (1-3) 6 / 7   LL (4-6) 6 / 7   AB (7) 6 / 7   CH (8) 6 / 8       CA (9-10) 6 / 6       RA (11-12) 6 / 6       LA (13-14) 6 / 6       RT (15-16) 6 / 6       LT (17-18) 6 / 6       HD (19-20) 6 / 7 Weapon Skills: Claws (x3) 60 / 50 D6+D6 SR 7 nil Tentacles (x2) 50 / 40 D4* SR 5 nil Bite 35 / - D8+D6 SR 8 nil Needle nil special ++ nil nil Special Attacks: * A hit will immobilize a location until 5 SR taken to make a Str vs Str roll. Once it hits, it does damage in SR 2 of each round. ++ If 2 claws, 2 tentacles, or a claw and a tentacle hit a single opponent, then a needle like tube will emerge from the Chaos Being's abdomen. The needle will dig through D4 points of armour per round, until it reaches the skin. It will pierce the skin, which does no damage, but injects a POT 18 venom. This venom imbues its victim with 1D6 Chaos Features (50% chance each is a Thed feature). This may cause the victim to go insane (10% less Int less Pow per feature).

Background:

The Chaos Being emerged from the fetid slime pools of Snakepipe Hollow. Its only purpose is to inflict its Chaos upon others. The suicides the PCs have encountered (the hanging dryad and the immolated elves) are those who chose to die rather than be tainted with Chaos.

Denoument:

If saved before infected, Jasmine will thank the PCs and give them an ancient Sartarite scroll that describes a Constitution improvement regimen costing 400L and taking 3 weeks. All hazards associated with attribute training apply. Jasmine cannot read it and doesn't know what is on it.

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