Session 59

Recap

Ceremony

Leaving the forest, the strange gnome

An evening of rest

Session Goals

• Investigate the growing instability in Willowshade
• Discover what the red-amulet stranger did
• Face a twisted manifestation of corruption tied to Djinn
• Introduce a deeper mystery rooted in ancient, pre-temporal forces

---

🧱 SESSION STRUCTURE

---

🌅 ACT 1: Return to Willowshade

Scene: The party crests the familiar hill. The windmill turns gently. The glass dome gleams. The air is warm — too warm, as if the seasons are confused.

• The villagers welcome the party warmly.
• Djinn's mother, Calira, greets them with open arms but concern in her eyes.

Key Conversations with Djinn & the Party

---

🎙️ 1. First Reunion – "The Air is Wrong"

Setting: Calira greets Djinn warmly at the village gates. Her smile fades as she draws them into a quiet moment away from others.

---

🎙️ 2. After Investigation of the Grove – "Memory Without Witness"

Setting: In the glass-domed grove, standing by the sacred tree.

---

🎙️ 3. After the Combat – “The Grove Has Chosen”

Setting: The smoldering aftermath of the Rootwound Boar battle. The grove is quiet again, almost too quiet.

---

🔍 Concerns Villagers Would Have Raised to Calira

You can sprinkle these into Calira’s conversations or have her mention them during party investigations:

---

---

---

NPC Dialogue (Villager)

Initial Claim:

• “Djinn? No, no, I saw you just the other day! Thought you were back early from wherever you all ran off to.”
• “Aye, right outside the mill. You even gave me that funny wave of yours. Don’t tell me you forgot already?”

Details & Description:

• “You were wearing that same old coat—though it did look a bit cleaner, now that I think on it.”
• “Didn’t say much, but you nodded when I asked if everything was alright.”
• “Come to think of it, you seemed… off. Quiet. Didn’t even stop to chat, which ain’t like you.”

When Pressed:

• “You walked down toward the creek, then just… disappeared 'round the bend. I didn’t follow.”
• “You were alone. Least, I didn’t see anyone else.”
• “Now you’re telling me that wasn’t you? Then what in the gods’ names did I see?”

---

🧩 Possible Clues or Leads to Offer (if you want this to build into a larger mystery)

• Tracks: Someone might find recent bootprints near where Djinn was "seen."
• Witnesses: Another villager (child or elderly) may back up the story with their own odd detail (e.g., “He didn’t cast a shadow.”)
• Strange Object: A trinket or scrap of clothing near the sighting location that resembles Djinn’s belongings—but subtly wrong.
• Memory Fog: The villager can’t recall details like eye color or voice clearly, as if something tampered with their memory.

---

🧠 Suggested Player Reactions to Encourage

• Have Djinn roll Insight: “Did the villager seem convinced or coached?”
• Encourage Arcana checks: “Could it be a doppelgänger? An illusion?”
• Offer leads to track the doppelgänger or investigate magical interference.
• Let the party interrogate other villagers: “Has anyone else seen Djinn recently?”

---

🎭 If You Want to Add Flavor or Tension

• A child runs up: “Djinn! You promised you'd teach me that fire trick again today!” (Djinn made no such promise.)
• An animal in the village (dog, cat, horse) reacts with fear or confusion toward the real Djinn.
• A mirror or reflective surface briefly shows Djinn’s reflection smiling independently of their face.

NPC 1: Edrin Molt — The Villager Who Saw Djinn

Race: Human

Age: Late 40s

Occupation: Carpenter

Appearance:

• Tall and lean, with calloused hands and a faint limp from an old accident.
• Weathered face with crow’s feet and sun-darkened skin.
• Wears a linen shirt stained with sawdust, and a leather apron still holding a few woodworking tools.
• Has a smudge of charcoal on one cheek and a habit of scratching his beard when thinking.

Personality:

• Friendly, practical, and respected around the village.
• Known for his sharp memory and storytelling—never exaggerates, which makes his claim unnerving.
• Speaks with quiet confidence and is clearly unsettled about the incident with Djinn.

Voice/Mannerisms:

• Measured, grounded tone.
• Rests his hand on his hip when trying to recall something.
• Often squints, as if trying to remember the fine details exactly.

Notable Quote:

Farmer Witness: Two Sunsets in One Day

🎙️ Initial Revelation (Confused or Offhand)

• “Now I don’t know what tricks the gods are playing, but I swear on my ox’s grave — the sun set, and then not a half-hour later, it set again.”
• “Thought my eyes were going, or maybe the cider was stronger than I thought. But my son saw it too.”
• “It dipped behind the hills — just like normal — and the sky went all dusky. Then... it rose again, only a little ways, and dropped a second time.”

---

🔍 Descriptive Details (Odd Atmosphere)

• “The light was strange. Warmer than usual. Felt like summer even though the air was turning cool.”
• “The shadows twisted funny the second time. Like they didn’t know which way to fall.”
• “The animals got confused — birds started singing again, and the cows all turned back toward the barn like they’d forgotten they were just in there.”

---

😧 Emotional Reactions

• “Scared the hell outta me, truth be told. I lit every lantern in the house just in case it happened again.”
• “My wife said it was a blessing, but I’m not so sure. Ain’t natural, two sunsets in a day. Feels like something’s gone crooked in the world.”
• “Old Maery says it’s a sign of the end. She ain’t left her root cellar since.”

---

🧩 Possible Explanations (In-Universe Theories)

• “Could be them mirror mages up in the hills again. Saw the sky bend once when they were experimenting.”
• “Maybe the gods are wrestling again. Last time they fought, we had frogs rainin’ from the sky.”
• “Might be that starfallen nonsense—those stones that hum at night. There’s one buried near the old quarry.”

---

🧠 Encouraging Investigation (Leads)

• “I kept a sketch of the hills when the first sun dipped. Come take a look if you like.”
• “Talk to the boy — he was out near the orchard and swears he saw the sun ‘shimmer’ before it rose again.”
• “If you head up the ridge, you’ll see the hollow I was standing in. Still smells a bit... warm, somehow.”

---

🌀 If You Want to Add Weirdness or Horror

• “Didn’t notice it ‘til later, but my shadow… it stayed behind after the first sunset. Didn't catch up to me until nightfall.”
• “The rooster crowed at the second sunset. Like it knew something was wrong.”
• “I swear I saw someone standing out in the field… looked just like me. Watching the sky.”

PC 2: Ranna Feld — The Farmer Who Saw Two Sunsets

Race: Halfling

Age: Early 60s

Occupation: Farmer (Beets, goats, and a small orchard)

Appearance:

• Broad-shouldered for her size, with strong arms from decades of hard labor.
• Wears a patched straw hat, faded green tunic, and muddy boots.
• Her face is lined with age and sun exposure, but her eyes are sharp and curious.
• Carries a carved walking stick that doubles as a goat-prod.

Personality:

• Straight-talking and no-nonsense, but with a storyteller’s flair when recounting oddities.
• Curious and perceptive; not easily shaken, but this event has rattled her.
• Treats strange happenings like bad weather — they come, they go, but you notice them.

Voice/Mannerisms:

• Speaks with a rural accent, fast-paced when excited.
• Waves her walking stick when emphasizing a point.
• Chuckles nervously when unsure, often mutters to herself while thinking.

Notable Quote:

---

---

---

🪻 Calira’s Role Going Forward

• She is not just Djinn’s mother, but now a potential lorekeeper and ritual guide to what lies beneath the sacred tree.
• She may begin gathering components for an ancient rite to bind or cleanse the roots — but fears the rite may need Djinn's blood to succeed.
• Calira will remain in Willowshade to protect it, even as it warps — her presence is stabilizing, and the grove listens to her.

---

🧭 ACT 2: The Grove’s Whispers

Scene: Djinn and the party are summoned to the glass-domed grove by Calira.

• The sacred tree is behaving strangely: humming with energy, blooming irregularly, and growing roots in impossible patterns — some looping back into themselves.
• Calira reveals: she found a sliver of red crystal embedded in the soil — humming like a heart, leaking faint whispers of languages too old to name.

---

⚠️ ACT 3: The Effigy Breaks

Scene: During the evening feast, a sudden silence falls.

• The boar effigy, the oldest in the village, groans and twists. Its vines ripple unnaturally. A red glow shines from within.
• A deep, echoing voice emerges:
• The boar explodes into motion, now a warped, half-living, half-woven monster, twisted by forces older than time — and it's coming for Djinn.

---

⚔️ COMBAT ENCOUNTER:

“The Rootwound Boar”

Creature Type: Plant/Construct Hybrid

HP: High

AC: Moderate (vines and bark armor)

Abilities:

• Targeted Malfunction (Djinn-specific): Each round, it lashes at Djinn, forcing a WIS save or Djinn sees flashes of alternate versions of their life — paralyzing them with emotional dissonance.
• Seasonal Bloom: Battlefield shifts with false seasons. Each round, one of the following occurs:
  • Winter – Icy patches (DEX save or fall prone)
  • Spring – Pollen cloud (CON save or blinded)
  • Autumn – Shadows stretch and whisper (WIS save or frightened)
• Split Path (Legendary Action): Creates a mirrored illusion of Djinn that fights the party for 1 round, whispering distorted truths.
• Red Echo (Final Phase): At half HP, reveals the red amulet buried in its chest, pulsing. Timeline tears ripple outward, causing one PC to see a possible future where Djinn never returned.

---

🌘 ACT 4: The Core Revealed

After the boar falls, it dissolves into crumbling vines and petrified bark. At the center lies a red rootshard, inert — and a deep impression in the earth, like a man once stood there and was erased.

---

🎁 REWARDS & NARRATIVE CONSEQUENCES

• Rootshard Amulet (Attunable, 1/long rest):
  • Rewind a failed roll or force a reroll on an enemy within 30 feet.
  • Consequence: Each use risks a personal memory fracturing — causing short-term amnesia or hallucinations of alternate lives.
• Djinn has become a "Temporal Tether", possibly the key to balancing (or unbalancing) the village’s place in the greater timeline.
• The Watchmaker contacts the party again, this time in person or via projection:

---

➡️ HOOKS FOR NEXT SESSION

• Who was the cloaked man, and what does he remember about Djinn that even Djinn does not?
• A hidden grove deep within the forest calls to Djinn in dreams — something there was left behind, or buried.
• The King sends a scholar to help investigate Willowshade’s temporal instability — but what they find beneath the roots may threaten more than just one village.
• Djinn begins to hear a second heartbeat within the sacred grove — one older than their own, but somehow familiar.

🐗 Rootwound Boar

Huge Construct (Effigy), Unaligned

Armor Class 16 (hardened bark and woven brambles)

Hit Points 170 (20d10 + 60)

Speed 40 ft.

---

STR 20 (+5) | DEX 12 (+1) | CON 16 (+3) | INT 5 (−3) | WIS 14 (+2) | CHA 10 (+0)

---

Saving Throws CON +6, WIS +5

Skills Perception +5

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks

Damage Immunities psychic, poison

Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned, stunned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages understands Druidic and Sylvan but can't speak

Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) — tuned for a tough boss fight vs. 4 level 6 PCs

Proficiency Bonus +3

---

✴️ TRAITS

🧩 Temporal Tether (Legendary Trait – 1/turn, Djinn-specific)

Once per round, if Djinn is within 60 ft., the Boar may force a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a fail, Djinn glimpses alternate versions of their own life, becoming Stunned until the end of their next turn. On a success, they gain advantage on saving throws vs. this trait for 1 minute.

---

🌿 Rootbound Behemoth

The Boar counts as half cover for any creature directly behind it. If reduced to 0 HP, its body collapses and difficult terrain (20 ft. radius of twisted roots and shattered wood) remains for 1 hour.

---

🌱 Seasonal Bloom (Recharge 5–6)

The Boar pulses with unnatural life. Roll a d4 to determine which false season dominates the battlefield until the end of its next turn:

1. Winter – Frost spreads. Each creature within 30 ft. must make a DC 15 DEX save or fall prone on icy patches.
2. Spring – Pollen clouds erupt. All creatures in 20 ft. must succeed on a DC 14 CON save or be Blinded until the end of their next turn.
3. Summer – Heat shimmer. Ranged attacks against the Boar are made at disadvantage until the end of its next turn.
4. Autumn – Whispering shadows. Affected area becomes heavily obscured (20 ft. radius), and all Wisdom (Perception) checks suffer disadvantage.

---

🛠️ ACTIONS

🐗 Tangleburst Charge (Recharge 4–6)

The Boar charges in a straight line up to 40 feet and must move through at least one creature. Each creature in its path must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw or take 21 (4d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage, be knocked prone, and become restrained in coils of animated vine. Restrained targets may repeat the save at the end of each of their turns.

---

🌿 Multiattack

The Boar makes 2 attacks: one Gore and one Trample.

• Gore: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d12 + 5) piercing damage.
• Trample: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. Target must succeed on a DC 15 DEX saving throw or fall prone.

---

🌀 LEGENDARY ACTIONS (3 per round)

The Rootwound Boar can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn.

• Twisting Ground: Roots surge. A 10 ft. radius area within 30 feet becomes difficult terrain until the start of the Boar’s next turn. Any creature entering or starting their turn there must succeed on a DC 13 STR save or be restrained until the end of their turn.
• Echo Pulse (Costs 2 Actions): A ripple of broken time distorts the battlefield. One creature the Boar can see must succeed on a DC 14 CON saving throw or repeat their last action involuntarily (targeting the same creature, if possible).
• Split Path Illusion (1/encounter, Costs 3 Actions): A distorted, mirrored illusion of Djinn appears, acting independently on the Boar’s next initiative (AC 16, HP 30, duplicates Djinn’s last visible action or spell). It vanishes after 1 round or if destroyed.

---

📉 LAIR EFFECT (OPTIONAL, if battle occurs in the sacred grove)

Once per round, on initiative 20 (losing initiative ties), the sacred grove pulses with wild energy. Roll a d6:

1–2: Roots entangle. Each creature not adjacent to the Boar must succeed on a DC 14 Dex save or be restrained.

3–4: The windmill outside spins backwards. All reaction-based abilities are disabled until initiative 20 next round.

5–6: A shimmering afterimage of Djinn (or another PC) appears and absorbs 10 damage dealt to them before vanishing.

---

🎁 TREASURE (On Defeat)

• Red Rootshard (Wondrous Item – Rare, attunement by spellcaster): Once per long rest, rewind a single event that occurred within the last round (your own roll, an enemy’s hit, etc.). Using the shard causes a visible time fracture, leading to narrative consequences at DM discretion.

---

💡 TACTICS

• Start aggressively with Tangleburst Charge, hitting multiple PCs.
• Use Seasonal Bloom early to set terrain conditions in the Boar’s favor.
• Focus Temporal Tether on Djinn each round for narrative tension.
• Use Echo Pulse to disorient martial PCs, potentially forcing wasted turns.
• Use Split Path Illusion mid-fight as a powerful psychological and mechanical threat.

Recap

• Having dealt with the corruption of the forest you began your journey back to Leth'Taelar
• The forest was indeed healing
• You found yourself in a clearing, a small grove with a wide stone slab, half-covered in moss, this stone slab was inviting
• As each of you placed your hand upon the stone, you had a flashback, a vision? a memory perhaps?
• You all continued to Leth'Taelar and were invited to stay for a feast, after which you all rested and you found yourself waking up this morning.