A Forest Glade

I was working on this for an adventure scene out of Windemere, which may or may not happen. Regardless, I thought I'd see if I could create a more polished type of things others may be able to use. I think a long-term idea is to get good enough to publish small adventures.  Maybe via Patreon or something simple. Long term - I am a long way from that (full of ideas, not full of good editing!). 

Introduction

The adventurers are traveling along a mountain path through the forest, the scent of pine wafting through the air. Pine trees are interspersed with maple, ash and oak trees as the path climbs towards the mountain. Towards evening, close to time to camp, they come across a small creek with a pond below the path. The giggling sound of the creek splashing over rocks can be heard, almost in counterpoint to the sound of birds getting ready for night. In the distance, cows can be heard and there is the faint smell of a distant cow pasture. Shafts of dusty sunlight leave bright spots on the ground, interspersed with deep shade impossible to see into.

There is a small, slippery steppingstone in creek, just above a small waterfall that drops almost a foot into a 30' pond. The pond is a deeper blue than expected for such a small pond. The setting sun is casting shadows, making parts of the trail hard to see. Off to the right, there are a couple of grazing cows. To the left, an open clearing is collecting the last of the sunshine, a series of mushrooms seeming to glow from the sunset. To either side ahead, cliffs start to rise up, the trail weaving its way through the narrowing ravine. Passing the creek, a fallen tree is on the right, and a bit further on, a smaller trail leads to the left, and a small campsite is visible, the fire pit just old ash. 

Encounter Areas

Mushroom Circle

The mushroom circle is a Fey gateway in the full moon. Entering during that phase of the moon will keep you in the Fey wilds for the next month, assuming you can find your way back out. It may only be a moment or years for you, but a month to the rest of the world. During the full moon, flickering will-of-the-wisps will be swirling around. A DC 14 Wisdom roll to avoid following the wisps. The rest of the month, the wisps are still there, but may just want to lead the travelers astray. Same check, failure means you leave your campsite and follow for 1d4 hours, getting lost in the dark woods or even, depending on the wisps' mood, following off the edge of a cliff.

The mushrooms themselves are sought after by magic users and worth up to 100gp per mushroom. They are often used in portal magics, or for ways of capturing the fey. Taking the mushrooms has a 2 in 6 chance of alerting a pack of guardian fey penumbrian (1d4 + number of people stealing the mushrooms). These shape-shifting goblinoid creatures will mob a single character at a time, usually bestowing a curse (generally roll with disadvantage) before they attack. 

Creek and Pond

A Naiad, Verey Ambervale, lives in the pond and guards the waters. Should any trash or pollution be added to the creek or pond or crushing or picking the flowers around the pond will make her angry. If the adventurers are telling tales around the campfire, she will appear as a beautiful woman, and ask for tales of far-off lands. If asked where she is from, she will merely say she lives nearby. If tales are told, the travelers will find that their waterskins will stay full for the next 1d4+2 days. If they attack or anything, she will slip away back to the water and disappear into the pond without a ripple. And their waterskins will be empty for the next 1d4+2 days no matter how often they fill them.

Additionally, if the adventurers are hurt, and ask nicely, and there is a good reaction roll, soaking in her pond will restore up to 1d4 HP a day if they stay in the water at least an hour. If they clean off below the pond first, she will restore up to 2d4 HP a day.

The steppingstone is actually cursed by the penumbrians - they love to cause mischief. DC 12 dexterity check to see if the character slips and falls into Verey's pond, soaking all their equipment.

There is a 1 in 10 chance of seeing the Salmon of Knowledge in the stream above the pond.

Cow pasture

The cows belong to a local Glaistig, Petal Elmstrong, a female satyr. She is a beautiful woman who appears in a long skirt if you see her, a wide hat covering her horns. She may sing at night, a haunting melody that stirs the soul. Any bards listening may try to pen the words and song but will fail. She may be seen drinking the blood of her cows if you sneak around at night. She does not kill the animals she drinks from - she only takes a little from each, enough to feed her without hurting her herd. 

If hearing the song, she may enchant up to 4 people (save on DC 14 Wisdom throw or be charmed). While charmed, she is a trusted friend that needs to be protected. Attacking her cows will cause her to attack, otherwise she may just be a faint song in the wind at night.

Campsite

The campsite is nestled up against the start of a cliff, protected against the wind. Several trees have been chopped down, and there is plenty of downed trees for firewood. There is a 1 in 6 chance of something being left behind from previous campers. Roll 1d8 on the following chart.

1	A small bag full of 2d10x5 copper coins
2	A broken knife, an odd glyph on the blade is missing half
3	A discarded pack, with a missed healing potion
4	A bloody sword stabbed into the stump of a tree, dried blood on blade and stump
5	A magic ring which is actually cursed: -1 dexterity. You can’t take it off for 1d4 days
6	A single gold coin with an open eye on one side, and a closed eye on the other.
7	A whistle
8	A tin cup that can detect poisons

Downed Tree

Mushrooms dot the undergrowth and the fallen trunk. There is a bed of poison ivy at the base. Those with some sort of wilderness or survival skill will recognize this for what it is. Several of the mushrooms make for good soups or may have some healing or poisonous traits. There are also some dark green bushes with red berries growing nearby. These are daphne plants (see plants below).

Adventure Hooks

• Verey is upset: her pond is being polluted by something up the creek. Can the adventurers help?
• Gnomes live near the downed tree, and part of it has crushed the entrance to their home. Can you help? Gnomish rewards may be given.
• Will-of-the-wisps seem agitated. Following them could lead to a hurt fey or animal.
• Looking into the pond you see a beautiful face looking back at you.
• an ackee tree is growing next to the pond, and the dropped fruit is poisoning the pond. 

Notes

I used a few resources in this. The fey are from Professor Gilroy's Guide To Fey I've not read the Wondrous Expeditions: Forests book enough to have anything other than this is a temperate broadleaf/needle leaf forest. Also tossed in some things from a poisonous plants PDF I have which was really well done, though I wish I had a hard copy. There are also some possible ideas from Dangerous Destinations, but I've only skimmed the PDF. I really need a physical book (getting printed now) to use these. It comes with a bunch of maps, and now I see I can make them almost as well as those they have. Meaning I really need to not buy any more maps: I can at least compete competently with those that are professionally published, at least for the battle map level. I still need a lot of practice for the larger maps.

Fey

Basic stats are from Professor Gilroy's book, The Fantasy Trip I am just guessing at. Magic works a lot differently in TFT, so the whole Fey thing would really have to be done a bit different than standard rules I think. Playing the Fey really needs to not just be either/or in terms of attack or befriend: these are your old-school fey and have different ideas of good and bad. Being immortal does that to a person. To really play the fey, there is a lot of randomness, tricks and deals. Their views are a lot different than ours.

Glaistig

• AC 13 HP 8d8+8 40/30 swim STR 12 DEX 16 CON 13 INT 14 WIS 13 CHA 18
• TFT ST 12 DX 15 INT 13

Naiad

• AC 13 HP 8d8+8, 20/40 swim. STR 8 DEX 16 CON 14 WIS 14 CHA 18
• TFT ST 8 DX 15 IQ 14

Penumbrian

• AC 13, HP 5d4-5, 15/30 flying. STR 6 DEX 16 CON 8 INT 18 WIS 12 CHA 12
• TFT ST 6 DX 15 IQ 11 

Plants

From the Poisonous Plants book:

Ackee

The evergreen ackee grows up to thirty-feet tall and produces fruit throughout the year. The ripened fruit is safe to eat, but the unripe fruit contains deadly toxins.  

Ingestion. A creature that ingests unripe ackee fruit must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the saving throw failed by 5 or more, the creature takes another 10 (3d6) poison damage and falls unconscious for 1d6 hours.  

Industrial Uses. Ackee wood is used in foundations, oars, and casks. A fragrant perfume can be made from the flowers. 

Fish Poison. The ackee’s unripe fruit can be pounded into a mash and dumped into a lake, pond, or other body of still water. One dose poisons the water in a 10-footradius sphere for 10 minutes. Any aquatic creatures (including sahuagin and mer-folk) that enter the affected area or begin their turn there must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. They take 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. 

Food. Characters proficient with cook’s utensils can automatically prepare meals of safe ackee fruit. Other characters must make a DC 8 Intelligence (Nature) check to avoid eating toxic ackee fruit.

Daphne 

This dark green bush produces small, bright red berries. Its oval leaves closely resemble those of a cherry tree. Both the berries and the leathery leaves are very poisonous. 

Ingestion. Creatures that ingest daphne must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage, 3 (1d6) psychic damage, and be pained for 24 hours. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is poisoned for 12 hours. The creature must repeat the saving throw every 10 minutes, taking 3 (1d6) poison damage and 3 (1d6) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. After two failed saving throws, the poisoned creature also becomes confused for 6 hours. After three or more failed saving throws, the poisoned creature also falls unconscious for 3 hours. After three successful saving throws, the damage from this poison ends but any conditions remain for their duration. 

Contact. Daphne sap is  poisonous to touch. Anyone touching this plant’s sap must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 2 (1d4) poison damage and develops a mild rash.

Anodyne. Characters proficient with herbalism kits and Medicine can make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check to craft a painkilling cream from daphne flowers. When applied to a wounded creature, this cream grants that creature 2d8 temporary hit points. However, these temporary hit points cannot increase the creature’s hit point total above its maximum. These temporary hit points fade after 4 hours. 

Cure Disease. Characters proficient with herbalism kits and Medicine can make a DC 20 Wisdom (Medicine) check to derive from this plant a decoction that fights infection and disease. A creature that ingests a dose of this substance gains advantage on saving throws against disease for 24 hours.